Hello there, gardenerme, thanks for the feedback. Yours turns yellow and the needles drop, as I described? Yellow close to the roots? Mine may also be close to rootbound, but I have to say that I haven't watered it for a couple of days now and the pot is still feeling pretty heavy. I think I will just pay better attention to the soil condition from now on, and water just a little each day. Previously I just assumed after a hot sunny day that it would need a good soak, given what I had been told, and I was so busy with a new house that I just didn't pay attention. I have bought another basket to match, but it is much smaller at this point. Can you tell me if it is a fast grower? Thanks!

Besides the hardy vines others will tell you about-you might try the new Sun Parasol Mandevilla's. In pink,red,white.Some are dwarf in leaf and flower,growing habit others-and you can tell by the more robust pot growth,will cover more area,but are never big vines. Planted all around that palm they like the part shade. Not expensive.You can find them at very low cost at the home improvement stores. I have had them bloom near all year...and if they do stop they are among the first to bloom in early spring. Buy ten and impress the neighbors. Hardy to 20f. Much better where it doesn't go below 32f but a very few nights a year.

Claysmom, perhaps your son would be interested in making his property a Certified Wildlife Habitat? This is easier than most people might think. You just need to provide food, shelter and water for various types of animals. You can Google it and read all about the requirements online, and even print out an application for the official certification. Nicki's city yard is certified, so even those without rural property can qualify. I encourage everyone who is interested to check it out. (If I can managed to stay on the computer long enough, I'll see if I can find the link, but I'm having some unanticipated difficulties from my foot surgery, and won't be here very long.) Glad you guys enjoyed seeing this old post pop up again. I do love these birds, and am happy it was of interest to you. Marcia

I'm an obedience instructor and have owned and fostered a variety of more primitive breeds. Training and socialization are vitally important, but I'll disagree with cnvh just a bit. With primitive breeds - that is, breeds where the focus has NOT been on creating a tractable companion - maybe 80% of behavior can be based on training. Fully 20% is based on heredity. If herding, swimming, pointing/hunting and retreiving can be part of a dog's genetic make-up, it stand to reason that fighting/aggression/guarding can also be inherited traits. Dogs such as the Presa Canario, Fila Brasileiro, Dogo Argentino, Caucasian Ovtcharka, Akbash, Kuvasz, Cane Corso, Boerboel, etc were bred for centuries to deal with threats (either animal or human). They were bred to think independently, without the guidance of a master, who wanted/needed to be free to persue other activities without worrying about his property or livestock. Their "Rules According to Dog" may vary from the "Rules According to Packatt43" and re-writing the genetic rulebook is a long, hard row to hoe. There is a reason that one very, very rarely sees these dogs competing in obedience or schutzhund. It's not that they lack the smarts for obedience work or the aptitude, the nerve or the "game" for protection work. Rather, it's that they lack the genetic desire to ask "Jump, you say? Ok - how high?" inherent in highly biddable breeds successful in the obedience ring. In protection work, it is that they lack the trainability of more civilized breeds such as the Malinois, GSD, Giant Schnauzer, Rotti, Doberman and (yes!) the pit bull to "out". Simply put, once the switch is flipped, the primitive dog does not turn off. These aren't dogs that play Frisbee in the backyard with the kids. Puppies? Sure. Adult dogs? They'll bring it back maybe twice and then say "Hey stupid! How's about if you hang onto it this time? I'm gonna go take a nap now, but I gotcha'r back if you need me" Independent thinking is a wonderful trait if that's what you're looking for and expecting. It's a recipe for disaster in a suburban environment where the owner is unable to strictly control what the dog encounters. Learn about a non-confrontational leadership protocol, such as NILIF or "alpha bootcamp" You must be willing to follow this protocol (it isn't complicated or difficult) for the duration of the dog's life. Many of these dogs (not that status-seeking isn't applicable to all breeds) are opportunistic social climbers. If you start relaxing the rules, you'll find the dog much higher on the totem pole than he should safely be. These are dogs that are very slow to mature. It is very easy for one of these dogs to end up in the hands of an inexperienced owner because an unscrupulous backyard pimp has exaggerated the trainability and protection factor. Wackadoo owners are often disappointed in their puppy becaue he isn't "mean" or won't guard and get rid of the dog before age 3. Well-meaning but inexperienced owners are often lulled into a false sense of security by their gentle giant puppy rug and are horrified by the hereditary traits that surface in adolescence and get rid of the dog between age 2-4. Two of my current dogs came to me because it turned out the cute little furball didn't grow up to be a really big Lab but was instead all of the sudden a 31" tall, 120 lb serious guard dog. OP, you don't mention the age of your children or the environment in which you live. There have been two highly sensationalized attacks by Presa's - the Whipple case in San Francisco and the Willey case in Florida. Granted, Knoller/Noel (SF) were irresponsible dog owners with untrained, out of control dogs and Willey (FL) has been cited numerous times for owning a vicious dog, dog at large and failing to register and vaccinate her dogs. Violent dog aggression is ultimately the end result of grossly irresponsible human behavior. Responsible owners do not set a dog up to fail by containing it in a constantly frustrating environment. Both cases were in urban/suburban locations. It's not even a case of lack of exercise and "room to run"; it's a case of a dog highly tuned to be territorial and protective being constantly bombarded with stimuli. While training and socialization are an important part of owning ANY dog, breeding and supervision are of the utmost importance when dealing with a primitive breed. You will need to take measures to ensure that this dog is under control and superived at all times. This means a six-foot wooden or chain link fence, preferably a double fence, leashed and under control at all times, never in the yard unsupervised (no doggy doors!), secure doors and windows (NO picture windows and Lexan is your friend), preferably a crate in a secure location in the house for when you are unable to DIRECTLY supervise children and visitors interacting with the dog etc., etc., etc. If you go on vacation, you need to find a highly experienced pet-sitter (not an option for me) or kennel willing to work with a breed that does not have a nice reputation. I love these breeds, but it's a TON of work and a TON of responsibility to own this type of dog.