A Photographer's Garden 2
The season's first roses:
And some of this year's first lilies. All the lilies I planted in the front garden last summer have split their bulbs over the winter. In most cases, I am getting three stalks where last year I planted one. They're spreading, and growing, and all I had hoped for.
I'm having a bit of a fight with the deer and the rabbits. They find the bulbs, before they open, just too delicious. So I've been sprinkling the garden with deer-blood fertilizer (they hate the smell) and cayenne pepper and/or chili powder (which keeps almost everything from being too tasty to their delicate ruminant tastebuds). Every time it rains, I have too to redo the repellants, as they wash away. One night I forgot, and the deer got a few of the buds, while the rabbits ate somme hosta leaves. So, each time it rains you just have to remember to put out more cayenne and other powders.
And some of this year's first lilies. All the lilies I planted in the front garden last summer have split their bulbs over the winter. In most cases, I am getting three stalks where last year I planted one. They're spreading, and growing, and all I had hoped for.
I'm having a bit of a fight with the deer and the rabbits. They find the bulbs, before they open, just too delicious. So I've been sprinkling the garden with deer-blood fertilizer (they hate the smell) and cayenne pepper and/or chili powder (which keeps almost everything from being too tasty to their delicate ruminant tastebuds). Every time it rains, I have too to redo the repellants, as they wash away. One night I forgot, and the deer got a few of the buds, while the rabbits ate somme hosta leaves. So, each time it rains you just have to remember to put out more cayenne and other powders.
Labels: flowers, gardens, photography, roses
posted by Art Durkee at 2:37 PM
2 Comments:
Spices to put the critters off rather than to enhance the taste. Well worth it by the look of things. We have possums here and they're as like;y to eat anything in bud, aphids and all.
The cayenne seems to work better than anything. Nothing that eats the garden likes the taste of it. But you do have to keep re-applying it. Fortunately it's cheap to buy in large jars and use regularly.
The critters like eating the bulbs and buds, before they open up into flowers. Once they open up, they don't really get eaten anymore. I guess the buds taste sweeter or something.
I got the idea from a rural-living acquaintance who farms and has big flower beds around his house; he says it also keeps his dogs from digging in the garden beds.
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