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| Digger, aka Charlie Sue, loves her dog friends along the south and north fences, plus the pug near the north fence. Charlie has raced Dustmop so often that I can easily get them running along the fence as I yell, "Race, race!" She has coached the Doggie Day Care bunch to run back and forth too. She is a Patterdale Terrier, a prankster and speed demon. |
This year's daffodil harvest has been splendid, even with echoes of "You don't need more flowers."
Everyone enjoys daffodils, but they are not widely planted around here. Recently I put several daffodils into tall party cups for each of the homes on our cul-de-sac. Flowers on altar also move to the neighbors. Our Laotian neighbor loved getting the daffodils, so I urged her to take home one or more of the scented hyacinths. Yesterday, cutting the last of the flowers led me into harvesting the last white hyacinth, which traveled across the street.
The daffodils wanted to finish up, but I cut their dying flowers off to let the bulbs get more energy for next year, instead of letting the flowers go to seed.
Now I am checking rose bushes to see which ones are thriving and which died during our brief winter cycles. Snow packed winters are far more friendly to roses, but Arkansans are not looking for blankets of snow - or any snow.
Hostas are emerging from the ground - all over. When we transfer hostas from the front yard to the backyard, they leave some roots behind and start more. The front hostas are getting much more colorful, and the brightest ones do not like a lot of sun.
It is time to fill up the hummingbird feeders, this time along the Doggie Day Care fence. I added some Cinnabon bushes along the north fence last fall and hope to have a combination of Clethra (Cinnabon) and sugar water. Humming birds expect food and love to probe the tiny Clethra flowers wit their tiny beaks.
Another feature - cow squares. They are like chicken wire, heavy duty and easy to place. They are perfect tools for growing climbing plants. That started with my honeysuckle vine and will continue with such amenities as cucumbers and climbing beans.
Long ago I coveted a member's dog who dug up moles. When I got Charlie Sue I soon learned that her instincts were indeed powerful in finding small underground animals. That has given her the muscles of a wrestler and astonishing speed. She yaks all the time at her dog friends and the children playing on the trampoline. Inside, she is quiet but intent on training the staff.
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| Clethra, or sugar spice, or Cinnabon bush. Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love it. |
