Post a reply

Image
Jul 31, 2016 8:28 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Ann ~Heat zn 9, Sunset
North Fl. (Zone 8b)
Garden Sages Region: Ukraine Native Plants and Wildflowers Xeriscape Organic Gardener I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Garden Ideas: Master Level Butterflies Charter ATP Member Plant Identifier Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Dog Lover
It's been so hot and soooooooooooooooooo dry here in my area! How hot & dry? Well, the native bidens:
Spanish Needles (Bidens pilosa)
have been wilted for about a week. That's when you know things are really starting to get serious!

FINALLY this evening we got RAIN!!!! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray! Hurray!
Just a tad over 1" in the gauge before it got dark. I don't think we've gotten any since it got dark but if we did it was negligible.
I am a strong believer in the simple fact is that what matters in this life is how we treat others. I think that's what living is all about. Not what I've done in my life but how I've treated others. ~~ Sharon Brown
Image
Jul 31, 2016 9:42 PM CST
Name: Melanie
Lutz, Florida (Zone 9b)
Butterflies Enjoys or suffers hot summers Hummingbirder Birds Bee Lover Bookworm
Region: Florida Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Bromeliad Native Plants and Wildflowers Plant Identifier Salvias
Well, I took some of the heat with me up to WV. Seriously, they had heat advisories a couple of days there. We went to a flea market and everyone was complaining about the heat, and usually I make fun of people for that, but I just agreed with them. It was so humid for WV, too! I joked that the weatherman was going to need a thesaurus because he used the word "muggy" about eight times during the forecast. Rolling on the floor laughing Made me appreciate how many ways FL meteorologists have us telling us it's humid!

We've gotten rain here both nights since I got home. Tonight it poured and I heard more thunder a little while ago. I can tell we must have gotten rain all week because my plants look great! I felt bad about leaving the hummingbird feeder unattended but my Salvia 'Saucy Red' went all gangbusters on me! The Blanket Flowers up front look good, my hibiscus is blooming, and yes, my brother needs to mow the lawn. Hilarious!
Image
Aug 1, 2016 6:38 AM CST
Name: pam
gainesville fl (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover The WITWIT Badge Region: Ukraine Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dragonflies Daylilies Butterflies Birds
we got nothing Grumbling
Image
Aug 1, 2016 7:35 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
We had a real gully washer here last night, too and it rained for a couple of hours! It's hit or miss here and they've mostly missed us this week, but today everything is lush and happy. Can't really complain when the thunderstorms miss us by 6 blocks or so - we still get the cool air for a while!
Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/23fba9 Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/affc8e
Rain did a number on my Hedychium 'Dr. Moy' but it still smells wonderful, from 10ft. away. My dwarf Cannas just love all the water they can slurp.
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
Image
Aug 1, 2016 10:53 AM CST
Name: Elaine
Sarasota, Fl
The one constant in life is change
Amaryllis Tropicals Multi-Region Gardener Orchids Master Gardener: Florida Irises
Herbs Region: Florida Vegetable Grower Daylilies Birds Cat Lover
A few more fun things coming along after the nice rain - long, long bells of Brugmansia Milk n Honey, colorful little begonia, a New Guinea impatiens that I rescued from the death rack at Lowe's for 50cents, and my variegated plumeria once again putting on some nice leaves, but it never gets any bigger and never blooms!

Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/564b53 Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/d9c268

Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/40de26 Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/731244

Tillandsia cyanea producing another big pink spathe, and a couple of nice pink broms. My garden is gradually getting populated with bromeliads and it sure is nice - if ever there was a no fuss, no maintenance plant, this is it. I literally throw them on the ground and they root themselves and grow.

Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/e25498 Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/b71521 Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/26806d

Forgot the lotus - this is a dwarf one called 'Baby Doll' growing in a tub and it has just been blooming it's head off for 2 months now.

Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/6bf2d3 Thumb of 2016-08-01/dyzzypyxxy/f753ea
Elaine

"Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm." –Winston Churchill
Last edited by dyzzypyxxy Aug 1, 2016 10:55 AM Icon for preview
Image
Aug 1, 2016 10:59 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
Beautiful show, wonderful what some rain will do. It is nice to see some color, it is so dry here nothing is blooming.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
Image
Aug 1, 2016 2:28 PM CST
Name: pam
gainesville fl (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover The WITWIT Badge Region: Ukraine Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dragonflies Daylilies Butterflies Birds
Hurray! Hurray! pouring. Every living thing, plant or animal, is havin a party.
Image
Aug 1, 2016 2:51 PM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
We sure need some rain here ... had a shower yesterday but not really enough to amount to anything. Clouds and thunder a little while ago but not a drop of rain and now the sky is perfectly clear. Sighing!

Elaine, lovely show at your house! The leaves of that variegated Plumeria are gorgeous and I love that Baby Doll Lotus! We have a small pond in our atrium and one of these days I'm going to get a dwarf water lily or lotus to try.

We just got a new puppy so I haven't spent much time in the garden this week. Smiling
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Image
Aug 1, 2016 4:12 PM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
Aww Lin, is it the puppy in your avatar? He (or she) is a cutie, another golden?
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
Image
Aug 1, 2016 6:34 PM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Alice, Yes another Golden ... his name is Toby and he sure has kept us laughing the past couple of days! He stands in his water and food dishes, knocks kibble on the floor and then lays down to eat it. He plays hard, eats very well and crashes for naps. He's wearing us out ... and his big brother Bo too! Green Grin!
Thumb of 2016-08-02/plantladylin/742f98 Thumb of 2016-08-02/plantladylin/fd80c4
Thumb of 2016-08-02/plantladylin/346d91 Thumb of 2016-08-02/plantladylin/c21f3c
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Image
Aug 2, 2016 4:56 AM CST
Name: Sherri
Central Florida (Zone 9b)
Butterflies Birds Bee Lover Hummingbirder Tropicals Bromeliad
Foliage Fan Aroids Orchids Native Plants and Wildflowers Salvias Container Gardener
Awww, Toby is adorable, my lazy dog can't take this heat, she just lies around on the cool tile all day long. Last rain we had here was July 29th. I was at a friend's in Port Orange this past weekend and everything was so brown, she said they hadn't had a good rain in seven weeks, she is a block from the ocean. ugh!

Lovely blooms Elaine, I do have an orchid blooming again, no pics downloaded, but will share soon.

We've been working the last two weeks on cleaning up from our shed fire, boy what a mess that is. I lost two nice hanging fireball broms, but I see new growth coming back out on my Coral Honeysuckle and Chaste tree, which both were totally burned to the ground. Hurray! Nothing on the azaleas yet, they are twenty year old bushes so I'm sure they'll come back. Ordered new shed yesterday, I'll be glad when we get this all done so I can get back to gardening.
Image
Aug 2, 2016 5:21 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
Toby is a super sweet little guy. Lovey dubby Lovey dubby Lovey dubby Looks like you picked another winner. Goldens love little animals so I bet Bo is really enjoying having him around. We lost Boolie, our Goldendoodle, in February and I am not ready yet to get another dog but seeing Toby makes me start to waver.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
Image
Aug 2, 2016 8:02 AM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Sherri, thanks ... having an 8 week old puppy in the house is an adjustment for him as well as his new humans. Smiling This summer heat is awful, even our 3 year old Golden dislikes it; he goes out in the fenced yard a few times a day but always seems happy to come back into the A.C. The pup seems to love going out in the yard too but we have to keep him on leash because he's so small that he walks right through the fence slats!

I must have missed reading about your shed fire; I need to catch up on this thread. Sorry about the shed loss and your Broms ... I hope the other plants recover nicely after that trauma.
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Image
Aug 2, 2016 8:15 AM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Alice, thank you for your sweet comments about our Toby; we are certainly enjoying the puppiness and Bo is too ... he thinks we got Toby just for him. Crying So sorry about the loss of your Boolie. It's good to take time to grieve when we lose one of our fur babies. In our 47 year marriage, my husband and I have had many pets leave us for the rainbow bridge and even though we know that another will never replace the one gone from us, we know that at some point our hearts will make room for another. Lovey dubby
Before we got Toby, we thought about a doodle, they are so gorgeous and great pets but we ended up with another golden and who knows ... maybe at some point we'll add a doodle to the mix too. Green Grin!
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Image
Aug 2, 2016 9:30 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
Thank you. There are advantages and disadvantages to the doodles. They are so very loving like goldens and as long as I kept his coat at a reasonable length there was little to no shedding. However, they can be high energy, I know a few who are laid back but most are ready and raring to go.

My Boo was a high energy one and he was smart about everything except what he should eat. He was always eating things that got him in trouble. During the 10 years we had him he was in the vet's office every month and often more. At one point he had to have major surgery which kept him in the doggy hospital for 18 days. I have bought cars that cost less than that episode. He was also epileptic and required meds several times a day. We could not leave him for more than an hour or two so we had to have dog sitters. Because of his propensity for eating the wrong things we could not let him outside by himself. He had to be watched constantly. He took so much attention it was just like having another child to watch over and losing him was like losing a child. Maybe one of these days but we are in our 70's and I am just not sure I want to go through that again. But, every time I see your new avatar I want a puppy. Smiling
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
Image
Aug 2, 2016 9:57 AM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Oh my goodness, with regards to eating things that they shouldn't ... that sure sounds like our Bo. We think he is part goat because he loves grazing on the lawn so we don't use chemicals on the lawn for that reason. He also likes to eat mulch/bark so we had to remove all cypress and other mulch from the fenced area of the yard so that he didn't ingest it. I have a lot of indoor plants that he doesn't even look sideways at but outside in the yard is another thing ... at our old house I dug out two really pretty Nerium Oleander's because I was worried about him trying to eat the leaves. He used to walk up to palm trees and yank off the bark/plates that were within reach and then lay down to chew on them. Our vet said that is typical of Goldens, that they experience everything with their mouths. I've had the new puppy in the yard on a leash the past couple of days and he's tried yanking plumbago flowers and leaves and also the tree philodendrons so he will definitely have to be supervised whenever he's outside! We are in our late 60's and I really thought a dozen times whether we really wanted to add a puppy to the family. The next few months are going to be really, really demanding; we have no children or grandchildren and we're exhausted but we're up for it. Smiling
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Image
Aug 2, 2016 10:05 AM CST
Name: pam
gainesville fl (Zone 8b)
Bee Lover The WITWIT Badge Region: Ukraine Enjoys or suffers hot summers Pollen collector Native Plants and Wildflowers
Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dragonflies Daylilies Butterflies Birds
I remember when our gold ate a hole right in the middle of some drywall. Didnt start at the edge of a wall, smack dab in the middle. He was just a pup then. At a year, I took to vet, said Im not sure how much more I can take. He just smiled and said, ooo dont worry, after two years you will have the best dog you could ever want. He was sure right, but that second year might have dragged out a little Blinking
Image
Aug 2, 2016 11:38 AM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
LOL, my sister and her husband have English Mastiffs and one time when one of theirs was a puppy, he ate a hole in the middle of a wall, right through the drywall ... so far we've been lucky with Bo and walls but this new puppy wants to chew on the molding. I just keep averting his attention to toys and so far, so good.

Our Golden, Bo is now 3. He was 7 months old and we were first got him. We were walking him around the neighborhood once when a a guy stopped and asked about him and wanted to pet him. The neighbor was a police officer who lived a couple of streets over and had a golden retriever that was his drug dog. When I told him how wild Bo was he laughed and said, "Don't worry, he'll outgrow that ... when he's about 1 1/2 or 2, or so. Rolling on the floor laughing He was right, Bo was a wild child until this year but he has finally calmed down.
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


Image
Aug 2, 2016 11:56 AM CST
Name: Alice
Flat Rock, NC (Zone 7a)
Birds Overwinters Tender Plants Indoors Region: North Carolina Hydrangeas Hummingbirder Dog Lover
Container Gardener Charter ATP Member Garden Photography Butterflies Tropicals Ponds
LOL, I think calming down by 2 is very good, some goldens take much longer. Our old Golden did although he lived much longer than most, he was on the way to 17 when we had to put him down. He was unusually large for a golden, over 100 lbs, and the vets told us he would not live past 8. Ha, fooled them!

Our doodle Boo's surgery necessitated by eating something he shouldn't have, involved removing 20" of his bowel and there were strictures where it was reattached. Sticks would get caught in the strictures causing an obstruction. That last night we had to take him to the emergency clinic the vet there told us xrays showed there were some strange looking things in his intestines. He said they looked like sticks. It was a horrible, horrible time knowing we had to say good bye but both my husband and I cracked up when he said that - it was so Boo.
Minds are like parachutes; they work better when they are open.
Image
Aug 2, 2016 12:59 PM CST
Name: Lin Vosbury
Sebastian, Florida (Zone 10a)

Region: Ukraine Region: United States of America Bird Bath, Fountain and Waterfall Region: Florida Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database!
Million Pollinator Garden Challenge Birds Butterflies Bee Lover Hummingbirder Container Gardener
Wow, almost 17! Your Boo lived a very long life indeed; 17 is fairly old for any breed but especially so for a large breed. It sure sounds like you experienced a major ordeal with your doodle eating sticks and having to go through that major surgery and it is always heartbreaking when we have to say goobye. Crying

Bo is a big golden too, he currently weighs a little over 98 lbs. but I think he's a tad overweight. We have to watch him like a hawk most times; he went through a phase of wanting to eat anything and everything, even biting bark from trees to eat and although he's much better about it these days , I know he'd still lay down and eat an entire stick if given half a chance! Last summer I had him out in the yard with me while I was working one day and when I brought him in, I left my empty plastic water bottle sitting on an end table. Later when I came in from working, the first thing I noticed was the gnawed up bottle on the floor with no cap which I KNEW he'd ingested. My husband thought the cap was under a sofa or chair but I'd searched every nook and cranny, very thoroughly, to no avail. We took him to the vet that afternoon and they checked him out and said everything appeared to be okay and that he'd probably pass it and the doc just told us to watch him closely for any changes. I was pretty certain where that bottle cap was and sure enough ... it eventually passed, in pieces. Our wacky dog also ate a rock once too ... Sighing! toddlers with fur.
I wonder why dogs eat strange things? I know most like to chew but to actually swallow strange stuff is really, well ... strange! I'm glad that Bo is kinda past that stage and we don't have to worry and watch him as closely ... but now we have little Toby to watch! Green Grin! Did you hear about the Great Dane who ate 40+ socks?!??!!
~ I'm an old gal who still loves playing in the dirt!
~ Playing in the dirt is my therapy ... and I'm in therapy a lot!


You must first create a username and login before you can reply to this thread.
Member Login:

( No account? Join now! )

Today's site banner is by Zoia and is called "Volunteer"

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.