Category: Odds and Ends

Flea Control that Works

I have dealt with fleas for over 25 years, as long as I’ve lived in this house and had pets. Thankfully flea control has come a long way and the stuff actually works now, because where I live the fleas also live. Recently I saw a discussion about flea control on-line and I got pretty ticked off. (Ticks are another problem where I live.)

Among the suggestions were sprinkling baking soda in the carpets and using vinegar as a perimeter spray.  I’ve heard it all when I mention fleas to my neighbors, from “I just bathe my dog in Head & Shoulders” to “I just use the flea shampoo”.

Please note: This post has affiliate links, which means if you buy something through one of my links I will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Every one of those suggestions is useless! Although I do shampoo my dog with Head & Shoulders for its anti-itch properties, I prefer to spend my time and money on something that works. Fleas are so hard to kill it takes 24 hours to drown them.  There is no homeopathic/organic/natural remedy that will prevent or control fleas on your pet and in your home. Let me repeat myself here.

There is no homeopathic/organic/natural remedy that will prevent or control fleas on your pet and in your home.

 

Flea control before Advantage

Pre-Advantage days were a nightmare. I would spray cracks and crevices, under furniture and appliances because fleas lay their eggs in dusty places. Pre-Advantage was flea bathing a hissing spitting cat and then using flea spray on the same hissing spitting cat and then watching them drool big gobs of slobber on my bed. I’m sure I’ve still got the scars on my arms to prove I’ve been in the trenches when it comes to battling fleas.

The flea sprays of the time would kill fleas on contact (as long as the spray touches them) and then prevent flea eggs from hatching. I would spend $50 or so annually on these products – the best there was then – and entire weekends battling fleas. I never won the war until Advantage came on the market. Advantage turned my dog into a walking flea killer. Applied once a month any fleas that wanted to hop on that snack bar ate their last meal.

Flea Control that works!

If you really want to control fleas on your pet – get Advantage. It actually works and you won’t need to spend an entire weekend crawling on your hands and knees spraying under baseboards. We have even used Advantage on Guinea Pigs – your vet can help you work out the correct dosage – with absolutely no harm to the Pig.

Signs you’ve got a flea problem.

Excessive licking and chewing is always the first sign. It is hard to see the fleas themselves – one way to do it is firmly and rapidly rub the fur on your dogs back up and down, then quickly turn them over, the fleas will all run to the dogs belly. This is hard to do with a larger dog or a dog wary of being in a submissive position.

Even if you don’t see the actual flea – signs of flea dirt are just as accurate. You’ll see flea dirt in the crease of their hind legs mostly but also around their anus. Fleas will go to a dogs eyes and anus for moisture – which is why if you are using flea shampoo you suds up their neck and back-end before working on the rest of the dog.

Areas that your dog can easily chew will have thinning fur or bald patches. Sometimes you can see actual clip marks from their teeth in the fur from chewing. Some dogs will develop a severe flea allergy resulting in serious skin issues, including flea allergy dermatitis. Fleas feed on blood, so they can also cause anemia and even grosser than the blood sucking thing – they can give your dog or cat tapeworm.

If you have fleas

Flea products sold in pet stores are not effective. Flea shampoos will kill the fleas on the dog, but will do nothing to prevent re-infestation. There are drops sold in pet stores, made by Hartz, etc. that can work as a temporary measure but they are nowhere near as effective as Advantage or Revolution (also effective for preventing Heartworm) or any of the other brands your vet can supply. Advantage can be purchased on Amazon. It will cost more than vinegar, baking soda or borax, but it actually works.

If you’re going to put a chemical on your dog, and you will have to if you want to control fleas, it may as well be one that actually works.  Let me repeat myself here.

If you’re going to put a chemical on your dog, and you will have to if you want to control fleas, it may as well be one that actually works.

Are you gonna throw that stick or what?
Are you gonna throw that stick or what?

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Someday Dreams and my Vintage Coffee Bar

Pending Projects

At the start of the weekend I was feeling very discouraged because I haven’t completed a single project this week. Not one. Instead I’ve created a bunch of pending projects for myself.

Stack of old fence boards

There was this pile of used fence boards purchased on Monday. My plan is to pull all the nails, clean them up and stain them. Once that’s done, I’ll use them to add a skirt to my deck. The area underneath the deck is visible when approaching my house and it isn’t a view that puts our best face forward.

Rusty Butterfly Chair Frame

Then on Friday I made a trip to Picker’s Pig Pen, where I found this rusty Butterfly Chair frame. I’ve already cleaned up the frame and painted it, but there is still the cover to sew.

Future small sitting area

Eventually I will create a small sitting area under this willow tree. It’s a perfect place to sit and admire the work that has already been done. The finished Butterfly Chair will go there. Replacing the German Shepherd’s kiddie pool with a natural looking smallish pond is just one of my someday dreams.

Old Shovels

I can’t imagine anyone other than a fellow blogger appreciating the value in this bucket of old shovels. Now I just need someplace to stash them away until inspiration hits. Storage at my place is scarce, a garage, workshop, or even just a shed of my own, is another of my someday dreams.

My Mother’s Garden

On Saturday, I went to the Blenheim Cherry Fest with my mother and Aunts and their cousins. I picked my mother up at her house and took a few pictures while there.

Begonia Pegasus with Dragon Wing Pink

This planter has PW’s Begonia Pegasus along with some Pink Dragon Wing begonia. It’s value is primarily for those pretty leaves, and with a pair of them on either side of her door, this planter combo is very attractive.

Hosta Bed at my Moms (2)

The pictures above and below are of just one of my mother’s Hosta beds. My father built the little bench for her out of scrap lumber. It would be easy to build your own. In my opinion, benches and other places to sit are a very important part of any garden. They anchor garden beds while giving them a purpose, plus it’s a great reminder to avid gardeners that they need to occasionally sit and admire what they’ve created.

Hosta Bed at my Moms

For anyone who thinks shade gardens or even Hosta themselves are boring, I would have to argue that they simply haven’t explored the huge variety of leaf colors, textures and sizes that are available in Hosta. Plus they haven’t seen what my mother can do with them.

Blenheim Cherry Fest

At the Blenheim Cherry Fest we went to an Art in the Garden event. The gardens themselves were lovely.

Hosta Golden Tiara

I was quick to spot this Golden Tiara Hosta.

shady garden with old fashioned pedestal sink

The old-fashioned pedestal sink complete with faucet made an interesting statement in this bed.

Tic-Tac-Toe

Most of the pathways were found bits of old concrete with plenty of benches and areas to sit placed here and there. On some of the benches, there were these handy tic-tac-toe boards. I doubt many ever intend to play tic-tac-toe, but I bet it gets used as people sit and enjoy the gardens around them.

A must see artist website

I really hope you’ll take a minute to click on this next link – Alishia Ellis creates beautiful art that I felt would be unethical for me to photograph. I stood in her booth and admired her stunning work until my Aunt dragged me on. As much as I would love to own one of her pieces, my house is not fine art friendly at this time.

Vintage Coffee Bar

Vintage Cabinet

Indoors there were antiques and treasures on display, I fell in love with this vintage buffet. Thanks to my wonderful Aunts, it came home with me.

Buffet turned vintage coffee bar

It’s perfect as a coffee bar with my vintage canisters on top. I love using that wicker basket for our to-go cups. They are tall and so tippy that without the basket, it’s hard to contain them.

vintage coffee bar drawer pull

Check out the chrome drawer pulls. They really are in beautiful condition.

vintage coffee bar chrome legs

And really, when have you ever seen anything sexier than those chrome legs?

Vintage glassware (2)

The space behind the sliding doors is perfect for storing my collection of vintage green glassware. Does anyone else have a vintage chip and dip bowl? They are genius for serving nachos and salsa, I try to use mine when my friends are over for cards and tea.

Vintage Coffee Bar

Those are my ‘company’ mugs. The design is partly in silver so I refuse to put them in the dishwasher or have them disappear into the boys rooms. There is plenty of space behind the etched glass to store my everyday coffee mugs too.

vintage tea towels

The one drawer gives me a place to stash my handful of vintage tea towels. I’m reluctant to use them, even if they are nicer than anything you can buy today.

vintage buffet drawer perfect for tea

This drawer makes handy storage for our flavored teas. You cannot imagine how much counter and cupboard space this beauty has freed up in my tiny kitchen.

Vintage buffet counter detail

I love the aluminum edging. This is how they used to make counters and while granite counters are what most people want, I prefer this vintage look.

My kitchen table and chairs

I’m feeling a need to polish the chrome on my kitchen set now. My mother got it for me at an auction and recovered it 14 years ago. It’s starting to show some wear and tear with the missing upholstery nails, but I still love it.

It’s time to get off the computer and look after yesterdays undone chores. Have a fantastic Sunday!

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The New Garden

Dogwood 'Prairie Fire'
Dogwood ‘Prairie Fire” and Sedum ‘Lemon Jade’ with Veronica ‘Magic Show’ White in the foreground.

It started last year with the Dogwood ‘Prairie Fire’ that I just had to have when I saw it at one of the Nurseries I was visiting. I meant it for the garden along the house, but I set it by the composter when I brought it home. After a week of seeing its sunny leaves every time I stepped off the deck, a new garden was born.

New Garden

This year I extended the garden – a lot. This is what it looked like last week right after bringing in a yard of compost for it. The bright yellow flowers of the Golden Lights Azalea make me very happy but the overly linear look of those plants marching along in a row wasn’t working for me.

The Garden Reworked

Aaand since I came home with last night with what is for me at least, a very extravagant number of new plants, I’ve now reworked the garden. I have rearranged it into five groupings of plants, each with their own shrub or tree.

New Garden Bed - From the Top

Here it is from the top. I like the more organic and free-form look of rocks as edging, but I’ve been burned by rock edging in the past. Keeping the grass from growing up and between them is nearly impossible.

Using rocks as edging would let me add some curves to this garden and curvy is good, so I might still go for it. I’ll just lay some landscape fabric under the rocks and put a strip of gravel or pea stone between the rocks and the grass.

The mini ties are in rough shape but for now they are against the fence. It’s a bit of a low spot here so to keep the garden soil off of the fence I’m going to need something behind it. I’ll probably just use pressure treated 2 x 6″ lumber.

New Garden Bed - From the Bottom

Here’s the view from the bottom. The best part about photographing as I go along is it reminds me I need to do things like put my shovel away. I’m notorious for leaving my garden tools out and the weather doesn’t do their handles any favors.

First Grouping

Silverleaf Dogwood

It starts with a Silverleaf Dogwood. Right next to it, a Hosta called Hanky Panky. The group of three to the left is Hibiscus ‘Perfect Storm’ at the back, moving clockwise is Monarda ‘Leading Lady Lilac’ and then Phlox ‘Opening Act Blush’.

Eventually it is my goal here to have a page or post for each named plant variety I talk about. Personally I find it frustrating when gardening sites mention plants without any information about the plant’s growth and care. It probably won’t happen until over the winter though.

Second Grouping

Hosta 'Fire and Ice', Hydrangea 'Endless Summer', Japanese Forest Grass and Petunia 'Shock Wave' Deep Purple

Still moving towards the top of the garden, here is a Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ in pink, Japanese Forest Grass ‘All Gold’, and a ‘Fire and Ice’ Hosta. The petunias are Shock Wave Deep Purple. It’s not the best light for petunias, but the more suitable areas in my yard are already in use for veggies.

Third Grouping

Japanese Maple 'Tamukeyama', Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls' Japanese Forest Grass, Monarda 'Lilac Lollipop'

Here I have a small Japanese Maple ‘Tamukeyama’, two Heuchera ‘Silver Scrolls’ and Japanese Forest Grass ‘Aureola’ along with Shock Wave Yellow petunias. To the right in the very back there is a Perovskia ‘Denim ‘n Lace’ that looks like a stick or dead leaf. It just a bare root when I got it at the end of May, so it’s just starting to break dormancy and green up.

Azalea 'Golden Lights' , Hosta 'London Fog'

Hosta ‘Hillbilly Blues’ in the background, Azalea ‘Golden Lights’ center stage and the small hosta is ‘London Fog’. Just to the left of where the picture ends is another ‘Prairie Fire’ Dogwood that I started last year from the first one and behind it is another ‘Hillbilly Blues’ Hosta. The petunias here are Shock Wave Denim.

Mingled in among all of it are Dragon Wing Begonias. They should be red, but there’s also a chance they might be pink. Hopefully I didn’t end up with a mix of red and pink but whichever color they end up being, they’ll be gorgeous once they get going.

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About Roundup

I could really care less that my lawn is full of dandelions and creeping charlie, so I’ve never used herbicides to keep my lawn looking lush and green. But (cue up the booing and hissing) Roundup has its place in my tool shed.

Roundup

Recently I’ve learned that taking the time to bring in loads of compost every year and amend the soil makes weeding easier. I’ve also learned that by sticking to plants that grow well where they live they help choke out weeds and that a few minutes of weeding every day, especially early in the season, can have a huge impact by letting the plants get ahead of the weeds. But there are still situations where I’m going to use an herbicide.

Preparing New Garden Beds

Laying down layers of newspaper or cardboard before planting a new bed probably does help, as does landscape fabric. Neither will completely eliminate weeds from coming up through your planting holes. Also all of those options can make it a royal PITA to add plants or even just to move what you’ve already got around. We tried the newspaper method a few years ago and then I spent hours trying to keep bindweed out of my daylilies. That garden ended up getting mowed down with the lawnmower.

New Garden

Now when I need to prepare a new bed I spray the area about a week to 10 days earlier,  then top dress with compost and plant. Weeding is not my vocation and it’s a bitch to get any weeds out of clay soil. By giving myself a fresh start, all I have to do is stay on top of things.

Rescuing Overgrown Gardens

Sidebed Clean Up Started

This disaster was last year’s project. At the time all I had on hand was some very old Killex. It didn’t do the job and even a year later I’m regretting that I didn’t make the effort to go and get some Roundup before I started and here’s why.

Sidebed front corner 2

This is that same bed right after we planted it.

Red Dragon Wing Begonia, Mid-September

Here it is again in September of the same year. See all those dull green heart-shaped leaves? That’s Chameleon weed. Usually it has red, cream and green variegated leaves, but mine has reverted to green. You can’t dig it up because every single piece of root left behind will make a new plant and more roots. There wasn’t a trace of it before we planted this bed, but those roots kept on going.

Chameleon Weed in the Spring

So this spring when it was showing itself before the perennials, I started spraying it.

Chameleon Weed

I will probably be spraying it all summer and maybe next year too. Chameleon weed is just that much of a bitch. At this point, I don’t care if I have to go around with a jar of Roundup and apply it to every Chameleon weed leaf I see with a q-tip weekly, I want it eradicated.

Seriously – never ever plant chameleon weed.

Foundations and Fences

You can't see it, but lurking behind the Bleeding Heart is Lily of the Valley
At the very top of this picture you can see Lily of the Valley lurking against the side of the house.

Up close to the house, it’s very hard to maneuver to dig up weeds and get all the root. Worse my house is an old winterized cottage, which means it’s not really a true foundation. Instead it’s a ‘rat wall’, block they added after building the house, which means a lot of weeds are actually growing under the house and sending out runners for the outdoors every spring. Lily of the Valley will grow in a dark crawl space and I’m betting that chameleon weed can too. Now I purposely have a clear strip between the foundation and my desirable plants to make it easier to spray along the ‘foundation’.

6-14 dogwood bed

Fences make good neighbors, but even the best neighbors don’t always keep up with their side of the fence line, especially if they have a hedge on their side of the fence. For years all of my neighbors were either too elderly to keep up with their yards or too transient (there are a lot of rental properties in my area) to care that much. Spraying the fence line just once a year, or at the most twice, helps keep their weeds from becoming my problem.

Ill-Conceived ‘Ground Cover’ Plantings

When ‘ground covers’ became a hot new gardening trend I drank the Kool Aid. Ground covers, they told us, could eliminate weeds by choking them out and free us from our lawn mowers. Thankfully I didn’t replant my entire yard in English Ivy and Vinca Vine, but I did plant a dark and dank shady corner of it that was difficult to mow. The problem was, they never did choke out the weeds and that area just became even harder to look after.

English Ivy will grow up the side of a building – like my garden shed – and adhere to it so strongly it can pull the siding off when you remove it. Vinca Vine has wiry stems that practically cut into your fingers when you try to pull it. All of it becomes this mass of plant with roots everywhere. Suffocating it by covering it with a tarp (or an old area rug – true story) will get rid of most of it, but not all of it. Rather than see the entire corner taken over again, I used Roundup to take care of the scragglers that were left.

I regret nothing.

 

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Plastic Pots – Good Enough

I get it, plastic planters are kind of cheap and tacky. I know this because I see gorgeous high-end pots and planters all the time while I’m working. It always leaves me with a bit of the I wants and I really would love to throw fiscal responsibility out the window but I can’t.

Spray Painted Patio Pots - Flaking

Last year I managed to eke another year from some of my planters by spray-painting them, but they were starting to look pretty shabby again. One even had a hole cracked just under the rim which would have made watering a pain in the ass.

I’ve also considered DIYing some planters. I even bought fiberglass resin and cloth along with two cans of spray paint – that cost $70 and I didn’t even have anything to use as a frame yet. I reconsidered that plan and returned the supplies.

So with the planting season right around the corner and plant samples already scheduled to arrive I ended up going to Wal-Mart and buying the dark brown planters I used for my Dramatic White & Black planters.

Fern after splitting

For now, I just remind myself that there are good reasons to use plastic planters.

Plastic Pots are economical

I’ve always felt that when it comes to planters, bigger is better.

  • Bigger pots hold more soil so they don’t need water as often.
  • Bigger pots are less likely to tip over in the wind. I used to have huge hibiscus trees (back when my yard still got a little sun) that I was able to overwinter in a greenhouse. They were enormous plants (shrubs really) so they needed enormous pots to keep them upright.
  • Bigger pots hold more plants. With bigger pots I can cram in a lot more foliage plants and go for a lusher look.

The bigger the pot, the more money it will cost. By going with plastic pots my 20″ planters were just under $10 each and I have four of them. A ceramic planter of the same size would run closer to $60 each.

Plastic Pots are easier to store

I have one 10 x 8 shed to store everything. The Christmas Trees, the Shop Vac, my tools, my son’s tools, our lawnmower, power washer, weed trimmer and all the other stuff that goes with home and vehicle ownership. Plastic pots are easy to nest without damage. Ceramic isn’t. Some of my pots don’t even make it to the shed – I just tuck them dirt and all under the deck for the winter and they’re ready for the next season.

Plastic Pots are lightweight

Along with bigger comes heavier. Even using plastic my large planters are heavy enough, I don’t want to consider how heavy the equivalent would be in ceramic.

Plastic Pots are durable

They’re durable enough to last a few years and if by chance one does get broke they’re cheap enough that it won’t break my heart.

Eventually I would love to have nice unique planters, but for now there are just too many other things around here clamoring for my money to sweat it out over not having expensive planters.