Saturday, August 4, 2012

Ultimate solution

I've been trying to save as many plants as I can from the deer.  For the past week to 10 days the plants have not been browsed and have rebounded.  The kale grew new leaves.  Yvonne's salvia filled in.  The climbing beans threw out new growth from the stems twisted around the bamboo rods.  Even the bedraggled phlox in the arbor bed has begun to bloom.   A respite.

But this morning -- carnage again.  The kale, beans, salvia, phlox.  Ravaged.  Enough.

I pulled out the beans and kale and the salvia in the veg bed.  The phlox?  It'll come back next year.  I have been covering 2 patches of Yvonne's (one behind the privacy fence & one back next to the asparagus bed) with nylon net at night.  Those are doing okay (well, let's just say they aren't dead). [Monday update: sometime during the DAY the deer came and ate all the plants in the bed by the asparagus.  I hate deer.  With a passion.]



Thank goodness for the bird bath bed.  As I  'let go' the back beds, I find solace in this bed in front of the deck.  Between these perennials and pots of annuals (and the lush growth of the bin cukes), I get to actually watch something GROW and BLOOM.  Here my watering pays off.  (And nighttime draping with nylon net.)

This bed never got a lot of attention before as I was always focusing on the big beds in back.  This year, though, I've had time to tweak this area and right now it's looking very nice.  And as these flowers fade, the mums will start blooming.  Something to look forward to. 

All through June and July I'd used up tons of energy, railing against the dying of the light (deer, drought, heat, wind).  But now I've switched gears, pulled back, let go and have gone gentle into that good night, settling for my driveway zins, the birdbath bed and all the bench and deck plants.

I haven't given up.  Nope.  This is just a strategic regrouping to save resources.  And my sanity. :-P

12 comments:

  1. Sorry you're also having deer problems. They have mowed down my flowers to mere nubs. My sidewalk border, which USED to be my pride and joy looks awful. I've tried everything under the sun and they still come back and chow down. Funniest part--all the plants were labeled DEER PROOF .

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    1. I'm no longer settling for "deer resistant" or "deer proof". I want something labeled "deer dead....!" Probably something in the 22-caliber range. Or a pack of wolves (NEVER around when you need 'em!). ;-)

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  2. Your birdbath garden looks fantastic! Very pretty, and a nice place to sit and relax.

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    1. Thanks, Beth. In the morning I walk around with a cup of coffee and sit either on the deck or on the glider on the other side of the driveway and enjoy the blooms (after I remove all the deer netting).

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  3. The bed is beautiful. Love the echinacea - I bet the finches love it as well. Sorry about the deer issues though. I am lucky enough not to have them but saw the damage they did to a friends garden. Ohmygosh.

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    1. Karyl - hi! Thanks for visiting. While the echinacea are doing well this year, it's the zins (all sizes) that they are tearing apart. They don't even wait for the seed to get ripe. They are also all over the lavender agastache. I love watching them - bright yellow - like sparks. :-)

      I feel bad for your friends' garden. They have my sympathies. :-(

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  4. Your garden is really beautiful and short of installing an electric fence, the deer always win. I've heard blood meal works as a deer barrier but don't know first hand. A hungry bear would be really effective. So would a velociraptor or anaconda.

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    1. Hi Tammy, Thanks. It's at a good point right now.

      I've tried the blood meal in the past, but to no effect. The nylon netting works -- it's just a pain in the butt. Can't just leave it during the day else the bees and hummers couldn't get at anything. Oh well... there's always next year.

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  5. I wonder how chickenwire would work?

    I'm glad you're at least getting something.

    Fire has come to Oklahoma. Dangerously close to Paula. Just smoke in the air for us. We got a little rain and the forecast shows only one day in triple-digits for us for the coming week. Still 98, 99, but that's better than 106 to 112. As long as some idiot near us doesn't decide to burn off, maybe we'll make it through ok eventually.

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    1. Chicken wire can't be 'draped' over anything and would tear the plants each I removed it. No, nylon net is the best bet for daily moving.

      Hope you don't get any fire near you. Also hope your temps drop - before YOU do!

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  6. Oh Kris, words of sympathy just aren't enough. I feel for you my love, I am not sure if I could bear this if it happened at Bag End.

    I stumbled across this - http://www.grazers.co.uk/index.asp. Not just made in England but made about 30 miles from here, what's the chances of that?

    I don't know if they distribute overseas, the Stockist page isn't working for me.

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    1. Yes, it is really demoralizing. When I went to cover the (just now blooming - Yvonne's salvia and Blue Bedder salvia) bed by the asparagus I stood in SHOCK, not able to comprehend what I saw. The string of invective that flowed from me was loud, explicit and very detailed. Mostly, I think, to keep me from crying. I covered the nubs anyway and will keep them covered. Although, what is the use of blooming plants if you don't let the bees and hummers at the flowers?? *#(#&$!!

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