Although, like Alice in Wonderland's white rabbit, I seem to be running late for everything recently, I took off on a whim on Monday morning for Flora Grubb Gardens in Marina Del Rey in response to notice of a flash twenty percent off sale. Halfway there, after getting a late start, then getting caught up in traffic delays related to construction projects I encountered everywhere, I decided to stop in at Deep Roots Garden Center in Manhattan Beach instead. I'm currently focused on finding multi-petaled Osteospermums to fill in empty spots in my back garden and I thought Deep Roots was more likely to have those than Flora Grubb anyway. As it turns out, I didn't sacrifice on a sale offer either.
Here's the sign I saw as soon as I stepped into the garden center:
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| The garden center is scheduled to move early next year. It'll reopen in the new location nominally closer to my home on a date TBD in March or April. |
Deep Roots is small but generally well-stocked (except during the lead up to the year-end holidays starting in mid-November). And, like Floral Grubb Gardens, it emphasizes waterwise plants.
Despite their ongoing sale, most areas were still relatively well-stocked.
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| The bedding plants on display included some Osteospermums but not the multi-petaled varieties I was looking for |
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| A wide selection of succulents in both small and big sizes was available |
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| There were plenty of shade plants too. I've been on the look-out for more coleus and they had a couple of varieties that are hard to find. |
The forty percent off sale on all plants was compelling but I still talked myself out of several plants.
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| Clockwise from the upper left these included: Aeonium 'Pink Witch' (hard to find but priced at $40 before the discount for plants in 4-inch pots), a Lophospermum (not well suited to the conditions in my garden), Veltheimia (I already have 3 bulbs that haven't proven themselves), and Cereus forbesii ($48 even after the sale discount) |
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| as well as a mature Beschorneria in bloom (I couldn't find a price tag and decided not to bother asking) |
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| I brought home a Cordyline 'Can Can', 2 Plectranthus scutellarioides 'Lime Shrimp' (coleus in the 'Under the Sea' series) shown with 3 Gazania 'White Flame', and 3 Crassula 'Sea Urchin' |
It's been a remarkably cool and dreary week and I haven't touched most of the items on my ridiculously long to-do list but the sun came out mid-day yesterday and the weekend should be beautiful so I'm hoping to get back to work. The biggest issue currently distracting me are some behavioral problems with Meeko. Other than her continued insistence on using furniture to sharpen her claws, she seemed to be adapting well, until she suddenly went on the attack this past week, turning on me a few times, as well as my husband. I think this is attributable to stress related to a few random incidents involving stray dogs in our unfenced garden and also scent sprayed by skunks near her catio. She actually scared me on two of these occasions, as well as leaving me bloodied.
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| Meeko was peaceful and relatively laid back yesterday afternoon. I lined up an appointment with my vet next week to discuss both additional methods to manage the furniture scratching (already covered with two-sided tape and other deterrents) and the sudden aggressive behavior. In the meantime, I've started giving her Zylkene, a hydrolyzed milk supplement designed to help cats relax in stressful situations. I've also picked up a chewable vitamin-based treat intended to make cats feel more comfortable. |
Hopefully, we can resolve the issues soon. My husband is already in favor of taking her back to the shelter, something I can't even imagine. I've never given up on an animal, even when vets on two separate occasions encouraged me to take cats I'd adopted back to the place I got them. The prospect of doing so this time is heartbreaking.
All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Although you came home without multi-petaled Osteospermums, (an excuse for another nursery excursion if one is required), the new plants you found are great. I hope you are motivated by lovely weather this weekend to go out and work in the garden. And I hope Meeko comes around to realizing her good fortune in finding a home with you. (Like all babies, she looks like an angel when she sleeps!).
ReplyDeleteChavli
Meeko's less angelic-looking when she's twitching over the birds outside but at least she's harmless!
DeleteOh Meeko, I sure hope there is a fix for her behavior. She's still so young, but you certainly can't live with bloody attacks. You had great luck on the moving sale, that Cordyline is really pretty.
ReplyDeleteThe discounts at that garden center will only increase but, once the Christmas trees arrive as early as mid-November, the place is going to be a zoo I'll want to steer clear of. They do have a nice collection of pots I should have checked out while I was there, though...
DeleteWhat a horrible development with Meeko. I am sorry as I can imagine how hard this is to deal with. Friends I stay with when I'm up in the Seattle area have a rescue dog (they adopted him last December) that has taken to nipping me, opening his jaw and not quite biting. It feels like a warning that things could escalate if I keep coming around. It is a bad situation for all of us. On a brighter note I love your purchases!
ReplyDeleteIf only the animals in our lives could explain themselves to us - and us to them! One small dog belonging to a neighbor half a block a way look an instant dislike to me at first sight even though I never got closer than 2 feet to her. She even barks at me from inside the house when I walk by the neighbor's house and once nipped me when my back was turned as I talked to other neighbors.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your experiences, F. I'm glad your situation with Bo worked out. I'm still hoping mine with Meeko will as well. My husband isn't a cat (or pet) person but he's accepted those we've shared for more than 45 years and was genuinely fond of 2 of the 4 cats we had within that period. I'd originally planned to get a bonded pair of cats from the shelter but there weren't any available in the right age range when I adopted Meeko in August.
DeleteI'm pleased that you like my blog. You're welcome to comment any time, or not at all as you wish. If you'd prefer to comment in another language, I can use Google Translate to read it, as I've done with other commentators.
Oh you did well to resist temptation in the form of 40 per cent off Kris. A bargain is only a bargain if it's something you really wanted in the first instance đ Meeko looks so chilled out in your photo. I do hope that the concerns you have can be overcome and that she can stay with you. I'm sure that she couldn't find a better home. I would be quite happy to snooze on such an inviting and cosy looking chair.
ReplyDeleteIt may help that I've slid a heating pad under that pink afghan Meeko's sleeping on, Anna! I'm hoping that the warmth it provides offers her some calming comfort.
DeleteOh, sorry to hear that Meeko is having some issues. I hope they'll be resolved soon and things will work out. Re: the garden center--what a fun adventure! And "Deep Roots" is a great name!
ReplyDeleteOne article my husband and I read suggested that a sudden behavioral change like this could be neurological. I'm hoping it's just a treatable stress issue!
DeleteSimilar kitty situation happened here. Blocking the ground-level window helped the outside influence situation. Catnip (but get the good stuff) works wonders as a behavioral adjuster and more exercise (we use a laser pointer and peacock feathers) also. Best of luck and hopefully no scarring!
ReplyDeleteI'll try to find fresher catnip! (The dried stuff I've got on hand has seemed worthless.) I have a pack of peacock feathers and a laser pointer on hand already and use both daily ;) She's obsessed with her "cat-dancer" toy but also has a faux bird on a wire she goes after periodically. Ping pong balls interest her in spurts. I've tried the "under cover" interactive toy and have mixed feelings about it as it almost seems too frenetic, especially if let out of its bag, and I've wondered if it makes her too hyper so I'm trying to parse out.
DeleteThanks for the input, Candi. I suspect Meeko didn't learn how to manage her claws as a younger kitten and that prior owners may have promoted roughhousing behavior but that's just speculation. The aggressive behavior is more recent and linked in time with stray dog visits so I'm assuming that was a major factor. I just ordered both a Feliway diffuser refill as well as a second diffuser to place in a second room - and this time I ordered the extra-strength liquid! I've been spraying the Feliway in various "trigger" spots too. The Zyklene seems to be responsible for calmer behavior the past 3 days and amazingly it seems to encourage her to eat up all her wet food. Your Prozac experience is interesting - I'll ask the vet what she thinks.
ReplyDeleteMy bad. Never again. Thanks. F.B.
ReplyDeleteFB, I've deleted your original comment. In asking to stay anonymous, I understood that you meant not to identify yourself beyond providing your initial, not that you wished to prevent publication of the comment itself. I'm sorry that I misinterpreted your intention. The Blogspot platform automatically publishes comments without my oversight unless the system perceives them as spam. Once published, I can delete them after-the-fact but not beforehand. My response to the original comment remains in place as it contains no specifics directly related to the input you provided. My apologies for the misunderstanding. Also, please be aware that neither I, nor any other reader, is able to trace an anonymous comment back to its originator.
DeleteI might have caved on that Cereus forbesii, but likely would have tried to time it with a cheaper price point at a future date. Our Linnaeus has been similarly aggressive at times and is more easily startled than our other cats were. Sometimes I can see his fear when he starts swatting at us and he frequently runs under the couch or around the house with his tail bushed out. He is still young and has a lot to learn. I am hoping that continued positive reinforcement will get the behaviors we want as he ages. When he attacks, I back off quickly or bring in the stuffed animals for him to kill instead. I also watched a lot of Jackson Galaxy, a sort of cat therapist, on YouTube, who emphasizes how important it is for young cats to have lots of play time. Probably more often than Luis and I can provide sometime. Linny likes his mouse on a string the most, but gets bored easily so we do switch things up with a laser pointer and continued training him on his tricks (the latest is trying to get him to spin in a circle on command). Catnip does not work as he is completely disgusted by it. Eventually, he will become more calm and loving over time. It just takes a lot of patience. I bet the same is true for Meeko. You're taking good measures and your vet will have good advice too.
ReplyDeleteWhile the discounts Deep Roots is offering closer to their closing date are tempting, past experience suggests it'll be a zoo there from the time the Christmas trees arrive until the end of the year; however, a post-Christmas drive-by may be in order to assess the situation.
DeleteI thought of Jackson Galaxy, having seen him at work in the past, but I didn't realize his videos can be found on YouTube. I'll look for them. Meeko has a LOT of toys but I've been wondering if, instead of wearing her out, some of them might be ramping her up - another topic for our meeting with the vet. Meeko's favorite toy is the "cat dancer," a wire and cardboard thing ($3.99 on Amazon) that prompts a lot of leaping and spinning - you might want to check it out but it does requires your time and involvement, which has been an issue for me too. I also use a laser pointer to divert her every morning. I ordered a plush cat with a "heart beat" that also generates warmth on the hope that'll provide comfort when I'm not on hand too.
You got some good plants there. Happy news that the garden center is only moving, not shutting down. I would have gone for the Cereus probably. They are so cool.
ReplyDeleteWithin an hour after the rescue foster brought Hoover to our house, Hoover bit me, hard, in the left buttock, a little blood, a big bruise for weeks. I could have called the foster right then and given him back, but didn't. Hoover had "kennel crazy", which some dogs get from being in an animal shelter so long. (He was there for months. No one wanted him because he was such a mess. Samoyed Rescue finally took him.) With "kennel crazy", dogs start obsessively spinning around trying to bite themselves. He was spinning around and around snapping at himself until he ran into me and bit me instead. He never bit or even growled at me again ever.
He had a lot of other issues, but he was my darling boy. The sweet Sammy he would have been without all the abuse, starvation, and trauma endured before we got him came through at times. We had him 14 years.
No idea about Meeko--is she a teenager at that age? Can teenage cats like teenage humans can get a little out of hand at times? Hopefully the vet can help. They see so much in that profession.
Meeko was about 6 months old (equivalent to a 12-year old human) when I got her and is now 8 months old (equivalent to a 15 year old), so she is a teenager. But she clearly facing new challenges, like dogs in the vicinity, that she wasn't previously exposed to. I'm trying every calming tool I can find and the vet may have more suggestions. Although it's early days, the Zyklene seems to have made a difference and, to my knowledge, doesn't have side effects but that's yet another topic for discussion with the vet.
DeleteVery upsetting news about Meeko. I so hope a solution is found. I've had many cats, and some of them were not shy about letting me know when they had enough "love" with a gentle bite or swipe. But they were always indoor/outdoor, so we gave each other plenty of room, which I know can't happen in your neighborhood with coyotes, etc. Thanks for the head's up on Deep Roots! May have to check out their sale.
ReplyDeleteMuch as I'd love to let Meeko outside, you're right that it's just too much of a risk here, Denise. The worst of her attacks weren't gentle notices to leave her be - she was in a panic and reacting defensively to an implied threat and we were just in the way. Being more alert to her reaction in the early stages and taking precautions to minimize the likelihood of triggering incidents is something we need to learn. Taking the edge off her nerves may require medications.
DeleteI hope things with Meeko smooth out. I had flashbacks to the last kitten I adopted that was downright feral and used to attack my legs. Finally, I gave up at 14 mos. and re-homed her as a barn cat. Turns out it was for the best, she became a good ratter, the owner loved her and I got Annie in exchange. Everyone happy! Eliza
ReplyDelete(I am still a month behind with blog posts) When we got Thomas he was a teenager, with an abused kittenhood behind him. He would duck away and hit us (no claws but bruises!) if we got near him. Took us 6 patient weeks before we could convince him he is among friends, part of the family. Now it is hard to remember how difficult those first weeks were. I wanted to take him back, but my husband said ... keep trying.
ReplyDeleteI hope the month in between has settled your Meeko.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Diana. Meeko is calmer but we're still working things out. I think her prior owners may have down some roughhousing when playing with her. She's also not good with boundaries yet so we have deterrents everywhere to keep her from clawing the furniture and jumping on countertops. We're making progress but it's slow. I think my husband would be ecstatic if we returned her to the shelter but he's working with me on solutions.
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