After a couple of days of 75F+ temperatures, I was rewarded by my first salvia blooms this morning. I was also ecstatic to see that my maple is beginning to leaf out. Beautiful weather we’re having in DFW today! The puppies were happy to be out too, exploring the new greenery.
I’ve been thinking about companion plants for callas, and I’m either going with coleus (annuals) or caladiums (perennials). While caladiums don’t boast the same color spectrum as coleus, they may be arguably the more budget-conscious choice, since they can return year after year with the proper care.
Here are the cultivars I’ve been considering:
Red Frill, strap, medium sun-tolerance
Red Ruffles, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
Pink Gem, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
White Wing, strap, excellent sun-tolerance
The Thai variety of caladiums have also recently popped up on the radar, offering bolder colors and variegations than the typical caladiums. I’m unsure of their sun-tolerances, habits, or heights, so I will have to do more research on them. But for now, a good source can be found at AsiaticNursery.com.
Meanwhile, outside of Pacific Callas and ZCallas, I have found a nice selection of Calla lily bulbs to be had at Lakeside Callas and Brent and Becky’s.
I spied the new Purina Pro Plan Shredded Blend Adult Dog Food at the local PetSmart last week. The prospect of real meat pieces in the dry kibble seemed attractive, so I purchased a sample bag for the puppies to try. They were initially curious by the addition of a new texture to their normal dry kibble, but it didn’t take long for them to devour to it. (I did sample those tender pieces myself, and it adds a little flavor to the dry component.) So for now, the pups are off their standard diet of Nutro Natural Choice Lamb & Rice and are feasting on Pro Plan Natural Lamb & Rice Formula.
While the guaranteed analysis looked solid, I do have concerns that the ingredients aren’t up to par. According to DogAware.com, when carbs show up in the first 3 ingredients (in this case, brewers rice and corn gluten meal place directly after lamb), it’s usually a sign of a poor quality dog food. Nutro’s ingredient list doesn’t excite either, ranking ground rice and rice flour behind lamb meal, but they don’t commit a crime as Purina does by putting corn gluten meal in the top ranks.
This all makes me wish I could afford Natura’s EVO dry dog food on a regular basis.