From the overhead view, she appears to most closely match the characteristics of an overweight dog show above. She's not that far along, yet. Age and amount of exercise are important indicators as well.

I think it is great that you check her bodyweight

nothing is more heartwrenching than a really overstuffed doggo, and catch better it when it is little (or some such)

I guess if you can feel her ribs easily, she is fine, if not

there were some suggestions above

my aunt had a Magyar Vizla, some kind of pointer. She trained him very well and he was such a great, friendly dog.

Aaaand she always kept him on the lean side so even when getting on and having a grey muzzle, he never had much arthritis

somewhat OT,

but the O speciosa seems to catch moths, because the flower spure does not go together well with some of the "moth notzzels" (what is the proper term for their drinking organ, pls?)

for some reason several moth species get stuck in the flower while reaching for the nectar and die. I read about it on a German garden forum, but there are other articles on this phenomenon as well

just so you can avoid it if you are into wildlife gardening (or just considerate). I personally toyed with the idea of getting some plants, liked their resilience, but switched to something different after learning of the "moth catching"

Oenotherea speciosa killing some moths

LaLennoxa, I'm happy to grow O macrocarpa all day long. It has the most gloriously gigantic yellow blooms. It even grows from cuttings easily. I've never had it reseed, but I'd be thrilled if it did.

https://www.applewoodseed.com/product/evening-primrose-missouri/

Linaria, I hadn't heard that; it is sad.

Yes to O. macrocarpa! I adore this plant too Rob.

if you use roundup or some such on them and get the timing wrong= too late, I am quite sure that they will set free some seeds "with their last breath" and the cycle will continue next season

IME it is very helpfull to mulch, if possible, and get them early, like, with a hoe, wenn they are young plants

in my veggie beds I got rid of almost all portulack and "red clover"= Oxalis by weeding early and mulching

Charles if you do not find a way to get them out be prepared for a lot more. Perhaps try a long handled hoe, 3 pronged fork whatever works for you. The roots come out easily.

They're a tender annual. The only way to prevent a lot more is to get rid them before they seed or put down a pre-emergent early next spring. Whether they're mechanically removed or poisoned doesn't matter once they've seeded. I pull most of them, but some of them are impossible to pull.

Yeah, i dont get from obsure suppliers either. Heck, i even had a issue with Baker Creek 2 years ago.

personally I am weary of seeds from weird sources

I remember about 2 years ago a local Swiss supermarket chain gave away seed packets and stickers themed "native plants" and veggies

I remember one seed pack "produced in Netherlands", some other garden gadgets were all made in China

I tried and sowed Salvia pratensis, meadow sage (?) in our balcony box

all that came up was some weedy Brassicaceae, from the cabbage family, flowering yellow

I would only use them if you find decent web pages and good descriptions

at least poppy seeds look quite typically

I would not underestimate slugs killing powers on tender young perennials with little root mass. Do you use slug pellets or anything?

A word of caution. If your Callirhoe bushii becomes a thug, better to remove it sooner than later. It's right up there with Aegopodium and Creeping Jenny in level of unpleasantness. My C. involucrata is the comeplete opposite, weak and feeble. I'm going to try growing the species native to Illinois, Callirhoe triangulata. It thrives in dry sand and is supposed to be much better behaved. I hope your Talinum shows up. They are a treasure wherever you find them. I've grown Talinum/Phemeranthes calycinum for many years, but only a couple plants actually appear every year. The Callirhoe carnage continues. Besides the main bed , there are many growing from seed in other beds. Explosive seeds?

Am keen to try callirhoe digitata. Have had a much faster germination on the c.bushii (unlike involucrata which took months and months so yep...will be watching. Also found 2 errant nepetas but not s sniff of the one I was most looking forward t - n.nuda 'Romany Dusk - just a dessicated rootmass (suspect it has been thugged by an enormo-apple and a very large Portland rose in the vicinity).

they are fast growing ruderal plants so they do love nutrients and can use them,

do you have any other plants growing nearby which look very well fed as well?

and near the margin/ edge the bits kind of sewll or bend between the "nerves" of the leaves (intercostal ) that is usually a sign of very much or too much nutrients

my guess is that it is a very rich spot

Yes, althea cannabina is a tall but 'see-through' plant which would fit very well in your garden, Dee. If only we were neighbours... I will definitely collect seed and send you some in autumn - they are fast, once they germinate, and will flower the first year.

Sphaeralceas are a joy. I have s. ambigua 'Childerly...which would like to get quite large but I am ruthless with secateurs. Munroana and coccinea are smaller and a bit more mannerly. Less keen on sidalcea though - I find them a bit graceless and pink. I have also sown 2 other mallows because they are so gorgeous - corynabutilon x suntense and anisodontea julii. These are not small and dainty - have no space whatsoever (corynabutilon x suntense)

No worries on the seeds! I don't "need" another mallow. I was asking because I was trying to picture it in my mind. Seemed to remind me of one of my favorites that is just now gearing up, Callirhoe digitata (poppy mallow. HA!). Can't wait for hot pink wispy flowers.

https://www.prairiemoon.com/callirhoe-digitata-fringed-poppy-mallow

around here I only have seen them in use by nurseries.

THe air pruning thing with the roots works, they do not get root bound. Apart from that I would not keep them for permanent plants , just because of their looks

and in the nursery I visited they had hooked up the plants to some irrigation, so the water supply was not a problem

Thanks all for the feedback.

(If I ever did use one, I would have it in the garden surrounded by other plants rather than out on a deck or patio for all to see)

Yup, agree that they are ugly indeed!

debra

Helianthus 'Lemon Queen' is a lovely huge plant if you have room. It is also a bee magnet. I am a fan of that pale lemon yellow too.

I did a three day garden clearing-reorganizing-culling-planting-thing

I work on a double alottment plot,

z7, loam, Switzerland

the slugs are bad here this year as well,

they munched down sprouting Clematis (recta and texensis-hybrid)

and while weeding I discovered three lovely, newly planted Aster pyrenaeus from last fall, their emerging shoots rasped down

I cleared some feral Crosusses and weeds, everything to get the bed "airy" and sunny, put a layer of gritty stuff around them and applied some slug pellets all over the place

I often watched that plants in a dry sunny spot like on my tiny slope do very well

the ones sqished by weeds or a lot of tulip foliage suffer as this difference in micro climate is enough for the slugs to become lethal

Sadly slugs and snails are not deterred by coffee grounds around plants. They happily attack my hostas even when the soil is entirely covered in them. https://www.gardenmyths.com/getting-rid-slugs-coffee-grounds/

As for spraying coffee on foliage, I believe the experiments were done with a caffeine solution, not brewed coffee. And in a wet climate spraying anything is a hiding to nothing. I'd be applying it everyday.

I've just removed three of my giant garden snails from a clematis obelisk. I cleared it yesterday too. And the day before ...

I'm sure you have done research and have tried a number of things, but don't give up, all you need is ONE way that works. Seek and you shall find.... 🙂

25 ways to rid your garden of slugs and snails

12 Natural ways to rid your garden of snails

Natural Predators of snails and slugs

A Western Washington Gardener's secret to ridding her garden of snails and slugs

for European meadows/ grassland 2-3 cuts /year are considered sufficent to keep away shrubs, trees and even blackberries, so mowing those seedlings almost weekly should absolutely work

“The explanation for how this works was also provided previously.”

I don’t think the snappy and snarky response insinuating “I’m right and you’re wrong” is necessarily the best way to “sell” your explanation particularly since how often and at what level wasn’t addressed you simply pointed out (argumentatively I might add) how this was already addressed. Maybe take a different tone and others will take your word a little more seriously. I appreciate linaria explanation.

I’ll make a point to follow up with results. I mow at least once a week, FYI

When I do use fertilizers and pesticides I follow recommendations and think of my pet follow guidelines so I guess it’s only harmful if you don’t follow directions. Thanks for emphasizing that the chemicals we use aren’t dangerous unless you are irresponsible.