Keeping the fire going till springtime, pull up a chair...

I know fish heads and entrails make good fertilizer so I thought why not? No need to waste something that beautiful.

Do they type dog blood like humans have blood types?

Nope, any dog blood will do.

Let’s hear it for Texas weather. 74 degrees, 4pm on Feb 2, at 1200 feet elevation in Glen Rose. Wonderful day. I transplanted 6 mature esperanza’s (yellow bells) so they will have full sun this coming year. Can’t wait. I have had blooming daffodils and narcissus since January 14!

Now I sit with 4 Ibuprofens inside of me while I wait for the Super Bowl,

Art

Dogs have blood types. The universal blood type dogs can donate blood for most dogs, so that must be the kind they keep around.

My great-grandparents had a goat dairy at the first low river crossing off of 67. The Paluxy adjoined their property. Had relatives in Glen Rose for 150 years until 5 years ago when my great-aunt died at 95. Have spent many a wonderful day there in the 40's and 50's.

Hey Art....watch out that temp is dipping again tonight to 33 up here. Hopefully it will only be a couple hours.

It is pretty country down there. It has changed so much in the last 5-10 years for sure. Building is going strong, hotels, and eating places, etc. Nice place to visit for a day or two just to get out of town.

Pod, those guys look like t-r-o-u-b-l-e!!! LOL Too cute!

I'm too disorganized to remember what bulbs I planted...I'll figure it out by springtime .lol

I ordered in bulk for a better price. 300 are alliums, 150 mixed lilies, 100 daffs and the rest are mostly named cultivars of lilies (trumpet, asiatic and LA), with a few crinums and pink shoolhouse.

I've had some sick chickens, can't figure out what's wrong them. And while researching it's unbelievable how how many diseases run amuck among birds.
I did learn to give my very first sub-q injections this week (takes a bow) and they seem to be on the mend :0)

Lynea, how many people did it take to hold those chickens down for their shots?

It's a gorgeous day here, but a little windy. I just got back from taking my dog for a long walk. I love the temps outside, it's in the low to mid 60's with a stiff breeze. Lovely! I'm going to weed a few more flower beds today before the sun gets too bad. Hope y'all all have a great day.

Here's my favorite garden buddies, grandson Cristian and puppy Islay.

Beautiful boy Crowellli.

He is a beautiful boy! And Islay looks like a sweetheart too.

Josephine, just two. Dh held their body in one hand and their head in the other. I did wonder to myself, how on earth would I do it, If I had to do it by myself.

Cocoa ~ most of your bulbs will be later in season which was why I was curious. You should be seeing the Daffodils and they should soon put out buds. Looking forward to all your photos.

I have raised chickens in the past and am suffering another urge for more. Not sure how compatible this dog collection would be with chickens. I am thinking no more than a half dozen and all hens. I had leghorns before and want a different breed but not sure which... May I ask what you had to inject? Meds in past was administered via water.

Handsome company you are keeping there Crowelli. I hope y'all have a good day. It IS windy and last night a quick storm blew thru leaving 6/10 inch of rain. Off to enjoy the day!!!

By the way, Dde ~ we had a fire yesterday LOL. Came in from outdoors and DH had a roaring fire. Said he was chilled. Its' out this a.m.

LouC did you know any of the Farris's from Glen Rose?

Josephine, Shelly has a rescue calf (owner was going to shoot her). She had to give it injections every day for ten days. She would first stab the needle in and then when the calf was more calm, she would screw on the syringe. Of course the calf got better and wiser and it became more difficult to do. The calf is still on the mend and I think all it will ever be is Shelly's pet.

I came in for a quick break and to start lunch. We have two guys working with DH today. So, I have to fix a big meal for them. It is a beautiful day here today. We got a tiny bit of rain last night. Lots of lightning and no thunder. Heavy rain for about five minutes. We need every drop we can get.

Charlene

Thanks all for my "cute boy" comments. He's definitely got his grandma wrapped around his little finger!

Pod, on your chickens, check out Rhode Island reds. When I lived in Sabine county, we had some of those and they were wonderful hens. Lots of eggs, but sometimes finding them was a problems (the eggs, not the hens), but we let them free range most of the day and then back in the hen house evenings.

Way too warm here for a fire. I think we're supposed to hit close to 80 for the next few days. Summer's on it's way. It seems our brief bit of winter gets shorter every year.

Crowellli,

I got some cuttings of giant turks cap in the mail from a lady in Houston and they were bright and green with lots of blooms. My small blooming turk's cap bushes are all dried up to just brown sticks.

Sometimes I get a bit jealous of you zone 9 guys. It is still winter here and will be so for a while. Last year we had a freeze in April. I moved to this zone 8 from Orange, Tx which is a solid 9 and I was not prepared for so much difference. Oleanders and hibiscus bushes die back here in the winter . They take most of the season to come back,which makes it not worth having them. Many of the shrubs that die back here are blooming when I go through Houston early in the spring. Mine are usually not even showing signs of recovery in early spring. I only moved three hours away from Orange and I am greatful I didn't go further north.

I am learning the value of a greenhouse through my experiences. I can still enjoy my early blooms, they just have to overwinter in the gh.

Thanks to the Lord for my gh.

Charlene

Charlene your oleanders died too? I live in 8a and my oleanders are evergreen and never die, just keep on growing fine through ice, sleet and freeze. They are about 15 feet tall and just gorgeous. Hardy hibs do die to the ground though, and have to come back.

Pod, Oh, I thought you wanted a breakdown by species...my head started to swim.lol

We tried a water soluble antibiotic and they continued to go down hill. I was hoping for a parasite, but it turns out to be a respiratory disease so we injected Tylan and they perked up immediately. Most chicken diseases suck, they leave the birds as "carriers", so I can't trust to ever put these pullets in with my established flock without culturing or autopsy. Not pragmatic for 5 birds. These are silkies and I purchased them to be brooders. I should cull them, but I'm just not there yet :0(

LOL, Charlene. Our new nosey calf was watching me do the injections. I told her I was working my way up... and she was next.lol

Karen,

Oleanders die back also here. It is frustrating. I am learning though that I can help things along if I wrap them well or if they are small enough, put them in the gh. I have all the cuttings that I got from you growing in the gh. They are thriving! I plan on putting them in really big pots, and wheeling them inside for winters until they get some size on them.

I don't know if I can ever get them to get to 15 ft. here. I haven't seen anyone around here that has any that big. The problem is not just the cold, it is also the wind. It dries them out and it is hard to overcome with watering enough. When they need watering the most due to the wind, it is too darned cold to go out and water them. So, I think they need to be wrapped up more than they would in a warmer zone.

I am getting all of these little problems figured out. It is certainly worth the sacrifice because I love my place here. The land is what is special. We gave up a beautiful large brick home for the land here. (Actually we still have it but we let our son live there.) We just have a mobile home now. We have 54 acres though and the sacrifice seems small.

No room for all the antiques and decorations I used to have, but I don't seem to mind it at all. I just put my enamel ware in the yard and old crock jugs everywhere. It works! I don't spend much time inside anyway!

I just get a little zone envy when I travel back to zone 9. I get over it when I come home.

Charlene

aw Charlene, sorry that your Oleanders don't thrive year round there, but I'm very glad your little cuttings are doing well! That is the first cuttings I ever rooted successfully in my life....

Oleanders do survive here in zone 8a, but if it gets too cold they die down to the ground.
My neighbor across the street has one that is about 30 feet tall, and we have one at the church about 20 feet, so don't give up Charlene, as the plant gets older ans stronger it has a much better chance.
Josephine.

I don't have any idea how old the oleanders are in this yard but the property was built in about 1978. The oleanders are outstanding. About 15-20' tall and are white flowered. They have a fairly early bloom season and then occasionally a few flowers the rest of the year but the freezes here haven't hurt them that I can see. We also have some other oleanders that are the "new" type. They bloom a pink all year round except for December and January. They have a lot of buds on them right now and are just waiting for some rain and some good warm weather, I think. The bushes are much smaller - about 5' tall and don't grow so tall as the others. Haven't the slightest idea what the name is since we didn't buy them. Anyway, the hummers love them!

Ann

I love my oleanders. I bought what was supposed to be the "dwarf" pink ones. I'm not sure they're the dwarf variety. I have to trim them back yearly, but that's good because it makes them fuller. They are on the east side of the house as foundation planting and could use more sun, but still bloom nearly year round. I hate whacking them back when they have buds on them, but it actually promotes more blooms, so I close my eyes and whack away.

Charlene, how cold does is usually get in Buffalo? I'm glad we have so many nice plants that overwinter here without protection. I've given up on anything that has to be coddled or wagged in and out. If I lived further north, I might have to rethink that though. My daughter is in school in London and they had snow bad enough that it just about shut down the city. No public buildings open, no schools, no mass transit, etc. We spoke to her this moring and she said it's starting to clear.

Cristian is adorable and the boxer is too. But you can never get enough hugs from the cute-boy!! So impressionable at that age.

Linda, our clinic dog must have been a universal donor because the few times he was used they never typed the dog. I just assumed that meant they didn't have types. That's what I get for assuming, huh? I wasn't a tech, I was first kennel manager then receptionist. I'd rather be with the animals than the parents. But in an animal hospital, as I'm sure you know, everybody learns to do everybody elses job, except lab work and injections. I did learn to give sub q fluids and assisted once in an emergency surgery when were short handed. Ah, I miss the excitement. :)

Crow, good looking boy, cute puppy.

We had a doozy of a storm last night. Lots of rain and pea sized hail. Was grateful for the rain. Tonight is supposed to be 32° again. But then a warm up. So we go a roller coastering again.

I'm trying to decide where to put a carolina jasmine. Anybody have any? Does it get into the mortar of a house like some other vines do? I love this vine and would like to put it where I can enjoy it, which means by the house.

I haven't done this but someone on DG has. I remember seeing the trellis' that they made from livestock wire fencing. It is 6 foot tall x 6 foot wide I think. They cut or bent it and made three sided free standing trellis for morning glories or clematis, etc. I keep meaning to get a couple panels but haven't yet. On that same thread they made an arbor from them.

Crowellli, it doesn't really get terribly cold, so far this year the lowest was 24. The wind blows fairly hard often though and it makes them dry which makes the cold much harder on the plants. As I mentioned earlier, when the wind is blowing so hard and it is also cold they really need water, but I don't go out when it gets like that. The wind chill factor makes it feel so much colder.

Karen, I feel honored to have received some of your first rooted cuttings. You did a great job girl! Thanks again to you!!

Josephine, I am glad to hear that it may get better as the plants get older and have more established roots. I have a neighbor that has some that are three or four years old and they look kind of shabby when compared to those in zones 9 or 10. They are about 4' tall. They may get better also, so I will keep on keeping on and hope for the best.

I do love oleanders. When I was younger I had a very large one in each of the back yard corners. I lived in Houston and they bloomed profusely. They were a dark pink or maybe red, (I moved from there in '73). Every time I visit Houston I see them everywhere. They even thrive on the freeway's sides, and in the medians there. Galveston has hundreds of them everywhere, or I should say they did before Ike came along. I wonder if they survived Ike?

I look forward to having those lovely flowers again. Karen gave me a start of several different colors. I already had one that is two years old that is about two feet tall and one that is from last springs RU that is about one foot planted in the yard. The two year old died back completely last winter. It took forever for it to come back then in the spring.

This year I have tried to wrap and unwrap and so far they just look sad, but still have a little life in them. Now I will have all of the nice new cuttings from Karen to put out in the spring.

I may consider leaving the new ones in pots until they get a couple of years growth on them. That way they can stay in the gh for the winters.

Charlene

Karen, don't worry about the canna blooper. I will probably get more at the RU's this year. Everyone who has them is eventually gonna need to thin them out. I don't think it will be hard to get all that I need sooner or later. My goal is to get enough to keep the neighbor's weed's out of my view on one side of me and offer a bit of privacy on the other side.

I got plenty from someone that I don't even know their name at the same RU where you gave me your bag of cannas that you had attempted to save for me. I appreciate the fact that you tried to save them, as that was a lot of trouble to do. I really love the oleanders, so if you feel like you needed to make up, you certainly succeeded.

I look forward to them growing in my yard when they get some more size on them. Those were really nice tall cuttings that you rooted. So, they have a great start.

Way past my bedtime, I don't know what I am doing up. LOL

Charlene

Sheila, we made a arbor with panels. I may have posted it on the tread your talking about. I panted a moonflower last year, and this year will be the third year for the roses, so I'm hoping the roses will cover it. We made a smaller version last fall, but don't have a photo of it yet. Btw, I don't suggest growing moonflowers with roses, it was a booger to keep the vines from choking the roses.

Oh Lynnea. Every picture of your garden is even better than the last. The artist in you shows.

Christi

Georgeous Lynea! Those are the panels I was speaking of but yours are so much prettier than the one I remember. I tried to find the thread but couldn't locate it.

Here it is!!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/684265/
Loads of great ideas from Cat.

Charlene, I don't have any scientific evidence to back this up, but I think the hybrid oleanders (the white, pale and shell colors) are not as hardy as the standard hot pink/reds. That seems to be the case here anyway. Maybe that will help when finding their planting spot, to protect the lighter colors a bit more.


Thank you, both. I'm so glad you found that thread! I found 10 more panels and want to play with them in the veggie garden this year, for now I have them on their sides to grow peas, once those are done, I'm going to try arches with squash and melons :0)

TexasGrower, the confederate jasmine will attach itself to brick, wood, just about anything. I don't think the Carolina jasmine is as bad about that. I'm sure someone on here will know for sure and give you a heads up on it. I've got the confederate in two spots, on a trellis, on the east side of the house. We have to trim them often because they wrap around everything and attach to the brick. We had a couple of runners go up to the gable and was working it's way under the boards. I think it could get out of hand pretty easily. I love the smell of it when it blooms, but am considering taking it out or finding another space for it away from the house. Other vines that I have that do great are the Mexican Flame Vine, Chilean potato vine, and coral vine. If you want loads of butterflies, go with the flame vine. It's evergreen for me and a solid wall of color for a long period of time. Mine's still blooming now. They smell really good too. Here's a pic. It's beside a plumeria and a hummingbird bush, so this area is a magnet for butterfilies and hummers.

Sheila, thanks for the link. Just what I needed. I have saved it for when I have time to really look at it. I do already have some horse panels. Cocoa thanks for posting the pic. Did you set your posts in concrete?

Charlene, it was me who gave you the buckets load of cannas last fall RU. I had to thin mine out a bunch and had a ton to get rid of. I take it thay survived the transplant?

Crow I have three butterfly bushes. I never considered putting a vine next to one. Thanks for the pic and idea. You guys are great.

I have started a new thread with a place to post our names with our dg names and our photos. I hope everyone here will take a look and if you would like to you could post your info.

Charlene http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/948924/

kids, pets and plants... I have no pics of me :0)

TexasG, Dh did the actual digging and construction. I know he used quick-crete, but I think they were "set' first with pea gravel. I'd have to ask him for specifics. I learned a long ago our best projects are the ones where I give him a set of plans...then get out of his way.lol

cocoa, I know that you own a camera. You have proved that point. So shoot yourself! (With the camera of course!)

If DH comes with you or your kiddos, shoot them too! Then label 'em for us oldtimers with sometimers disease.

Charlene

Good Morning!

Where have all the Chatty Cathys gone? I don't post always, but I try to keep up on what you gals are up to. (wink)

Guess with the warm spell y'all are all out working in the gardens, huh?

Here is a pic of my gardening buddies. They have all been castrated or have had hysterectomies, but no mastectomies or vasectomies. (smile)

Jerry

Another one of my gardening buddies. This is the only one with a name, Little Big Sister. Her twin was bigger, but this one was always dominate.

She is a loner, never eats with the other guys and seldom mingles.

Jerry