Brad's Tropical Paradise

Just when I thought that I'd seen everything, this year I saw hyacinth bulbs that never sprouted. I checked the internet and could find nothing on it. Apparently it never happens, but it did. I've planted bulbs before, and I know that I did everything right. Besides, it's not that difficult - dig a hole, plant them the correct depth, water a bit and in a couple of weeks you'll see them sprout. Except that I planted them on September 27th, and by mid November I still hadn't seen the tiniest sprout. Strange! Yesterday (November 20th) I decided to dig them up to see what had gone wrong. I assumed that they hadn't rooted, or maybe had mysteriously disappeared, I really didn't know what to think. I had long since given up on them, and I was just curious. So I dug. When I got to the first one I was surprised to see a little teeny-weenie green sprout, no more than an eight of an inch long. And the bulb was definitely rooted. In fact, for some of them I pul...

I like sharing my garden with my dog. I have a dachshund, and we've been together now for over thirteen years now. And my goal, from the time she was a puppy, was to tame her. And if that sounds strange, please let me explain. Dachshunds are absolutely wild animals. In the dog world, they're about as far away from a naturally tame animal as you can get. I've known a lot of dogs in my life, and some are just naturally calm, and well-behaved, but dachshunds aren't. I knew that when I got her, so I began the process of gentling her, and I continue it to this day, every day, the way that I tame my garden and make it a calm and gentle place. When it comes to my dog, it's just like my garden - I'm in control. Not in a cruel way, but in a firm way. I make it clear what I want, not with shouts, but with soft words. Soft words, combined with touch, is what gentling is all about. It's usually referred to when talking about horses, but it applies to any animal t...