June - November, 2009  1 of 2

This growing season was not as good as some of the ones we have had in the past.   Got lots of rain to start things off nicely but then it got too hot for too long and it took its toll.

Day Lillies - having issues with these.  Seems to be too much heat and not enough iron.  I thought these plants liked heat and sun but the ones doing the best are indirect light for part of the day.  The ones in full sun do not do well at all.	Iceberg continues to do well, despite losing half its size due to a winter storm several years ago.  It gets occasional fertilizer, daily water and full sun and is one of the most maintenance free roses we have.
The new additon to the household is Max,  a Standard Poodle.  He and TC get along fine.  However,  Max and Rufus the Cairn Terrier don't have as rosy a relationship.  Lots of grumpiness and petty squabbles over 'The Ball'.  It doesn't matter how many balls are out there.... it's about whoever has the ball that the other one doesn't have.
The Cacti did nicely this year as usual.  I now have three Red Yuccas and two are doing fine.  The third, well, it's hanging in there.

The Cholla had to be fenced off this year as its pads have an affinity for poodle fur.	I am going to have to do some research on pruning / dividing Adam's Needle Yucca.  It's getting quite trashy looking.
Had to fence in the wild flower bed and change cleaning habits.  I would normally rake and clean out the bed when everything died in the fall.  Looked nice but it would get picked clean by the quail and sparrows.	This time I left it all intact, covered the top with birdnetting and fenced it with quail-proof fence.  A lot more came back this year as well as a nice assortment of marigolds.  It still looks quite sparse but I suspect next year it should fill in.
Time spent in the midwest provides lots of opportunity for seed collecting.	This is an interesting cricket (grasshopper?) occasionally found on flowers there.
My remaining osage orange (hedgeapple) tree put out some growth this year.  The branch I am holding went over 8'.  The problem seems to be the bark hardening off before winter, killing the tree back to the ground.  Two stems survived last year.  The rest of this is new growth. However, if you want hedge apples, you need a male and female tree and they supposedly have to be at least 10 years old to produce fruit. The odds of finding another hedgeapple tree around here are slim and none.  There is a solution though....
Hedgeapple seedlings in a poodle-proof enclosure, Summer, 2009.   We've done a pretty good job strategically planting shrubs and trees for backyard privacy.  However, there is one spot which has been problematic for a while.  We wanted something cheap and relatively fast growing for a screen - something dense like lilacs, but have withstand wind and full sun.  Hedge apples came to mind. How to plant hedge apples: 1.  Obtain a hedge apple that has naturally fallen off a tree in the fall. 2.  Put the hedge apple in a leak-proof plastic bag but leave the bag open at the top and store in an unheated area of the garage where you won't mind a mess if the bag tips over. 3.  Let it sit there until it rots.  You'll know it when you see it.  The bag will also start filling with rotted hedge apple juice. 4.  Remove the rotted hedge apple from the bag and place it in the vicinity of where you wish hedge apples to grow and mash it into small pieces using the flat of a shovel or something similar.  Pieces quarter-sized or less work fine. 5. Bury the pieces before the ground freezes and watch for seedlings in the spring. 6.  Transplant the pieces you want to the area you want.  Don't try to separate the seedling clusters out too much.  Just plant the whole thing, thin out the weak sisters and hope for the best. WARNING!  Fair-Skinned Dogs in Northern Nevada
Meet TC, a 13.5 year old Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog and official state dog of Louisiana. A little background on Catahoulas: Catahoulas are short haired and tough, houndish looking dogs. They extremely versatile and quite intelligent.  I would put them in the same class of IQ as that of german shepherds or retrievers. They come in three basic sizes: Short Legged - used for herding. Long Legged  - used for hunting. (TC) Large Bodied - used for guarding. Catahoulas come in two flavors, Red Leopard or Blue Leopard.  TC is a Red Leopard, the fairer skinned of the two. TC was short for "Teeth and Claws"  as a puppy. TC now stands for "Tumor Control" as an adult. The only reason TC is alive today (12-09) is because of ongoing surgeries over the last four years for skin cancer removal from the underside of his belly. These trips to the vet occur once or twice a year at an average cost of $400 - $600 per surgery. The reason for these trips to the vet is because TC is a sun worshipper and he has little if any hair on the belly.  That, and the relatively high altitude of Northern Nevada is a deadly concoction for short haired, fair skinned dogs. These are a few before and after photos from the latest trip to the vet. Do yourself a favor and talk to the vet before deciding on a dog for this area.  There are some specific breeds / colors to stay away from if you want to minimize the chances of skin cancer as an issue. I only remember one specific dog - the Spuds Mackenzie dog (a bull terrier) where there was a lot of white hair with pink skin underneath as having the potential for serious issues. The other was a generalization - stay away from short haired, fair or merle colored dogs with pink skin underneath who spend the majority of their time outdoors.
The veggies weren't anything to brag about this year.  'Spotty' is the way to best describe the harvest.  The herbs did quite well this year.  Found out you can eat the flowers of garlic chives.  Beware - they can be  pretty spicy.
Last Summer Squash of the Season	Patty Pan
Last of the season - Better Boy, Yellow Pear, Sweet 100	Pampas Grass