THE GARAGE CAFE - MARCH - APRIL 2011

Still at tad chilly in our neck of the woods.. the only bloomers here are the hyacinths I had indoors, they are now outdoors and we are still pretty much just trying to stay warm.

We came from here...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1147265/#new

Ah. The dog and the blankie. Gonna be another partly cloudy breezy 77 degree day way down South. The Texas Bluebonnets have finally started blooming on the side of the house.

Those blue bonnets are gorgeous!

The hound just got back from the vet and got her shot... vet said the animal was "perfect" in all points except for one that was conformationally she has a too small mouth for all her teeth so she has a couple crooked front teeth and somt tartar.. he said give her a knuckle bone.. um, I wil never give her another.. that dog parted that knuckle bone out in less than a half hour and tried to eat the parts to which she could not keep down and I pray that she does not have any retianing insider her. Blue heelers have incredible PSI in jaw strenght. The bone we thought she could not crack did and so we are going back to rubber. He asked if we wanted to breed her.. I would only breed her if I got 10 signed contracts of people wanting to buy puppies and who had moiney up front to hold until the litter was concecreated. Ou have to be a fool these days and in this economy to do it any other way. I am not wanting to get stuck with 10 or even possibly more puppies. I dont think we would have trouble selling them, that is as long as we could find a male Quensland that was worth his salt to in breeding. The teeth thin may or may not be genetic on her.... its just that she happened to have a small jaw line for all the teeth nature provided her with.. so.. a show dog as pretty as she is, she isnot, but not saying that her pups would be show, but most blue heelers are sold as cattle does with a ranch job to do and purdy is as purdy does. Her poppa was tenacious until he got old and blind and had a run in with a vehicle he did not see well. Her momma was a sweety. This one here is a hound with some attitude.

Im wishing it was 52 degrees just like yesterday and today we got some snow falling again.. OY!

She could still be a show dog, as long as she models with the "serious" look and doesn't crack too much of a smile. LOL

LOL! Well, we are not showing her, but most everyone tells us she is a pretty hound and not to boast! We used to breed them years back, but have not had pups with this one. She came form a litter of 10!

So whose got the blow torch.. ima tared of da snow!

Those blue bonnets, I tried growign thm.. apparently they need soaking to start and I had trouble getting any to pop.. they would look smart in an arrangement with pink and white snaps and stock!

I think I am gonna put some allysumns in with the cannas to give the cans a purdied up look!

Haven't had any problems getting Texas Bluebonnet seeds to germinate. Have soaked some and have planted right out of the seed pack. Important not to over water the plants. They like it consistently a bit dry and will develop yellow leaves and/or die if over watered. Yes they would look good with those flowers. They also look good by themselves as bunches in a vase.

Cannas are pretty aggressive growing and spread out pretty fast. New shoots/stems keep coming up from the soil next to the old stems that have been cut back.. Hard to plant anything near or around them.

I love the Queensland Heelers, now called Australian Cattle Dogs. I got my first one when she was 12 weeks old. She had been terribly abused and it took me 4 months to win her over. I called her "Faith". I had her for 15 years and still miss her terribly. She loved to herd anything and everything, including people if she couldn't find anything else to herd.

Awe, Marti, so sorry about your baby. They are such smart dogs. This one here I think has a wee bit more true dingo in her.. she can be a real ding-bat sometimes! Been a hard one to housebreak. We have had a few be that way.. then they became fultime outdoor dogs on the ones that were too insistant on the wild life in the house. Love them very much. They are great gaurd dogs and herders, but we absolutely do not tolerate the ones that bite livestock. That is a NONONONONONO and could be a reason to put downif they get that aggressive. Many years back we had a pair from the same litter that was half austraillian sheperd. The male got bad and had to be put down because he bit up one of our prized mares. The mare inturn learned to hate dogs and had a disposition to not tolerate them whihch was a good thing out in pasture, but that dog was a worthless hound and had to go. When he tried attacking again he got clobbered inthe head and it was over shortly after as we had to put him down as he just got more nasty. He was nice with people, but to hard on the stock.

We personally prefer the blue heelers over the reds. She came form blue stock. Her litter oops however had two daddies.. so a couple of the puppies in her litter were crossbred to a saint bernard.. ouch. You could tell the Bernards readily. Her ma and pa though were true heelers. Ya really gotta watch them females in heat! The boys can be "qwick"!


Yes, people call them ACDs and actually they are an American made designer dowg with the combo of dalmation, dingo and some I beleive do have some sheperdm, but she is the typical markings of the true "breed" and more of the Queensland (dingo).
We did not get papers with her so we do not know her parantage other than she is well breed for the breed.

Speaking of qwick.. my cannas are jumping! Will shoot thme later!

My heeler's sires sire was inported from Australia. So she was more dingo. She never hurt any animals but once I had to give up the horses and other livestock, she became depressed with nothing to herd, so she took to herding people. I took her on long walks in the mountains and we went camping alot. I felt very safe with her with me. Now I have no dogs to travel with so I don't get out in the woods to often unless armed.
My sisters 2 dogs will not tolerate another dog on the property so I can not get another dog of my own. Will just have to do with three cats for company.
When I had to put Faith down, I had her cremated and her ashes stay with me. I plan to be cremated myself and have our ashes spread together. That way I'll have company to walk the next world with.

So Jon, do you think those bonnets would grow in my pooooooooooooorrrrrrr yeller sand?

Ya know, they're probably not the best choice for your conditions Blossom. It can be on the damp side at your place in the spring. That's the same time the Bluebonnets would be growing.

I think a better choice would be an annual Lupine variety. They're just as nice and more fragrant than the Bluebonnets. Went outside and took some annual Lupine pictures. This is "Pixie Delight Mix". They are short 12" plants. Nice because you get a mix of colors (purple, light purple, pink and white blooms).

This is the "Arroyo" Lupine. It's about 24" in height.

The this is annual Lupine "Sunrise". It's the tallest one of the three at 36-48" in height. Probably has the sharpest/best defined coloration of the three. Since it's taller the fragrance isn't far away from your nose!

Forgot to add the reason these would seem to work out better is they like it consistently moist/damp. All of these are in damp conditions. Have some "Pixie Delight" Lupines out front in a dryer area and they are not doing as well. Some died and the remaining are shorter and not blooming as well.

I have wild "lupines" well actually lead plants that will grow... my wet is early in the spring, too wet then turns dry and then to probably tooo dry..just depends on what part of the acreage too and stuff will not grow in some areas at all and of course there is teh bog.. in the real poor sand I can get gaillardias, yucca and the like going so what ever takes off like those thats what I toss to the prairie.. had some laitris kobolds going. Hope they return. There is a wild dianthus out there, phlox and I trieddoing some daylilies hither and on out there...mostly on a trail border so as not to munk up the natural out there...

BTW, the calla I have is called "garnet glow"...

This message was edited Mar 6, 2011 3:08 PM

Yes, I've heard of Calla "Garnet Glow". I think it's one that Pacific Callas carries on a regular basis. I've looked at those Callas so many times in the past few names. At least enough times that the variety names stick in my head. Last year I bought quite a few black, red and yellow colored ones, but none of them have returned/returned yet this year.

Have been fond of Gaillardia and always have some as a focal point in the front flower bed. They act like annuals down here and usually start dying back/looking leggy after a year of non stop blooming. Because of that I usually have a few varieties growing from seed as replacement plants. I know I have (2) "Arizona Red Shades" and (2) "Torchlight" plants in pots out back. Want to try the new variety named "Arizona Apricot" so ordered seeds for that one last week. Pretty sure it's an All American Selections new plant award winner for 2011. The gaillardias are the bees favorite flowering plant in the yard.

I guess we grow lots of the same things Blossom. Took this photo earlier in the week of phlox, dianthus and cosmos in the front yard flower bed.

Very nice. I have a thing for cosmos,but have yet to try groing any here.. need to change that.

Noiced a few of my pansys look like they may have survived...they are kinda yuky looking, but trying to revive.

Well if the pansies are trying to come back they probably will. The beetles are obsessed with the middle of the cosmos. Every day I'm out there flicking them off with my finger.

Flicking a finger eh! that-L leave a mark!

um. jest what kinda beatles were they?



The kind that wanna hold yer hand?

No, these beetles sing a different tune. They're ugly gray/black ones. They bite if you accidentally grab one when deadheading.

e-EEEEWEE!~ Well bite em back!

I cut them in half with the pruning shears.....well the ones that don't get flicked away. They were starting at my Hollyhocks last week so I had to draw the line there and spray. They'll chew away at the blossoms Blossom.

Aaaaah the hand -gilotine! CHOP!

Yikes. Very very scary. Even Jaws got nervous when he saw that thing

Beetle nipper! Im surprized Pete, Re-pete and fang there have not done the beatles in

They hang out around the pool inside the pool screening. Them beetles can't get in there. Pete and Repeat have a high number of friends that have gotten inside the screening. I think there were six of them playing musical chairs this afternoon on the patio furniture,.

LOL! Well, bet they dont look like my buddy Eddie there.

No, they don't look like Eddie Munster. There is one suspicious green gecko with a British accent that got in. He just keep talking about car insurance, Whatever

LOL! Thats Edward Pinch-her hands to you! LOL

Tried to sell that Beetle insurance did he?

Should have sold the beetle life insurance before the pruning shears accident. Alert! Alert! The two new Cannas arrived in the mail today. They've been potted up and put outside to adjust to our climate. Yippee

Doing the can can are ye?

Been trotting out to the woods and somthing ferny is going on.

Wow.. 69 degrees today... best bust out my bikini! Ha!

Bikini and coveralls... tee shirt... clogs... flannel shirt.. yup, that-L do it!

Going to slog in taters.

Better wear some wooden shoes if it's muddy out there. Sunny 79 day....but that's the norm for here.

Done slogging.. twernt 2 bad.... got 4 rows - 2 each of kenebecs andpontiacs in.

The other veggie patch was not tillable.. too wet.

Tomorrow it can rain.

Think the arms got a hair pink!

Oh boy. You're just startin and the main vegetable growing season is coming to an end down here.

sunny today 50ish

Dont know if I will do yukons... saw tham at the store the other day, the hub said dont get them... wait untilhe tills the garden.. he tilled.. I planted. need more taters.. donno if they still have them.

Got the onions in to plant. Need to till the garden to et them in....

Got cannas potted up...

Tell me it is not so that we are supposed to get snow? EEEEKS! Not again!