The Garden Vanishes!

Top 11. Jun 2, 2003 8:31 PM

» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Noooooo!

In response to message posted by Kirk_Johnson:
That seems to be my general attitude as well. I've even been known to say that our resident groundhog has never been a problem - but after this incident I started wondering if he and the voles and rabbits aren't responsible for plants that I merely assumed were unhappy.

The thing is, in this case the vole runs were fairly visible - so they are the likely culprit. And I've watched them in action - just as I've seen rabbits calmly eat the stem of a liatris or lily. When I see it, I believe it. I have yet to see my groundhog take a nibble so I am assuming he's an innocent.

-- posted by Carol Wallace

Top 12. Jun 18, 2003 3:21 PM

» MaggieM - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Noooooo!

I can't bear to poison any critters eithr. And although we live in an inner city neighbourhod there's lots of munchers and other wildlife (and not just the kidlets!). We've seen out resident groundhog run across the neighbours' back yard and our street (from our 2nd story deck). Our cat is nicknamed "killer" because he brings us house mice and maybe voles on a regulr basis. We heard them in our kitchen wall (old old old house)
Howevr, they're are usually eaten (or mostly eather0 by the time we find the deritas on the back stoop. We have skunks too, the aroma comes in our bedroom window in the early morning. someones' cat/dog sets them off! And bunnies. And the squirrels - well, a recent atrocity was the one with the bird's egg, perched on the neighbour's fence, eating it casually, while being dive bombed by robins (they will build nests in the damndest places!). They dig in every planter I plant! No deer. Racoons in the big maple tree (mewing babies like kittens) - I think they have scouped my lone gold fish from my barrel pond (have not seen "Spot" since I got him.....last Saturday). Live and let live. I will not poision, my cat might get a mouse or vole. However, PEOPLE steal plants and garden ornaments from our street gardens here..sometimes I wish I was a US citizen, so I could rationalize owning a gun (just kidding). Oh and crows - wish I could tame one, but they are bad buggers - putting carrion in our bird baths, ripping open garbage bags set out for street pick up (our city's recyling system -3 different bags - attracts a lot of critters). Wow! I guess we're lucky - we live on a 45x45 foot lot in an old old neighbourhood and we have lots of wildlife to watch and enjoy. Vanishing gardens can be a pain, vanishing wildlife is a travesty.
This from a proud supporter of the Ontario and Canadian Wildlife Federations (SPCA, too)! Those tax deductions help the flora!

-- posted by MaggieM

Top 13. Jun 18, 2003 5:02 PM

» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Noooooo!

In response to message posted by MaggieM:
Wow Maggie, am I ever glad I decided to live and let live - you'd probably come over here and shoot me otherwise! ;-)

Roger told me that this morning he was walking across the yard when he startled a baby groundhog - and the porr little thing immediately did what kittens do when scared - puffed up to make himself look as big and terrifying as possible and go into a sort of attack posture. He said it was too cute. And I remember once when a baby groundhog, being caught somewhere between Nell and me, decided I was the lesser of two evils and hid behind my ankle. It made me feel very protective.

I'm afraid the wildlife here has pretty free reign. And given the amount of stuff I have planted, the damage is normally pretty minimal. I'd just never seen an entire garden wiped clean like that before. Right now something has come through and munched the tops off of most of the new things I planted - but if anything I'll protect that area with Liquid Fence - the smell drives most critters off. Now if only I can remember where I put it. . .

I didn't know that baby raccoons mewed. Nor did I realize that those torn garbage bags were the product of a crow hunting for meals. We always assumed some dog got loose and did it. And I hadn't thought of squirrels as egg eaters, either. Those poor robins!

Should you decide to get a new fish you can protect it from racoons by strewing thorny rose canes arounf the pond. They have tender feet. It's not particularly comfortable for the gardener, either - but the racoons aren't dumb - after a short time they know that's not a good place and stay away.

-- posted by Carol Wallace

Top 14. Jun 18, 2003 6:29 PM

» Carol Wallace - Wildlife Refuge

I just remembered - although I never seem to get around to filling out the papers, our yard officially qualifies as a wildlife refuge. (And all the wildlife seem to know it. ;-) We have everything from the dead trees to two water sources, brush piles, shrubbery that provide winter berries and such and more.

The only time a critter came through that really upsetme it was a racoon. First he got to my small pond and got almost all the fish - and we had several at the time - many with names. One pregnany fantail managed to hide and survive but the population was decimated. Then he hit the big pond. There were so many fish in that, that I have no idea whether he got amy but he did push over my lotus and injure the growing tip so it promptly died as well as generally making a mess. I didn't know what to do about it - I had just nearly cut off the end oh my index finger and was all bandaged and forbidden to to much gardening, and Roger was out of town. But someone told me about the thorny rose canes - and I can prune left-handed, so I did that - and that as the last racoon damage we have ever seen.

No poisons and no traps here. I'll use Liquid Fence to give the plants a fighting chance, and surround really delicious plants with others that have a strong scent - and that is all the protection my garden get. I also don't use chemicals except in dire emergencies, like when some of that dreaded loosestrife seeded itself into the garden and I didn't have the strength to dig it out - then I hit it with Round-Up (after cutting off the flower so it couldn't go to seed.) I dump Japanese beetles into a can of water with a drop of dishwashing soap and otherwise don't worry about pests = and after a few years of that the beneficial insect poplation along with the birds seem to have balanced out the bad guys.

Yup - live and let live and eventually things seem to balance out.

-- posted by Carol Wallace

Top 15. Jun 19, 2003 3:21 PM

» MaggieM - Re: Wildlife Refuge

Carol, I don't have to deal with the destruction from many critters because my garedens are usually in pots (squirrel damage only) and I have no big yard (like my neighbours - what I do have is paved with stones). But the fish thing is a wonder. I put screening pieces over the pond to prevent the fish from commiting suicide (jumping out) and they were off in the morning - I have bricks and plants in there, so maybe its just hiding. I don't know. Feeding some food did not make it come out. And I got a white one with a gold dot on its "neck" so I could see it. I also got one of those algae eaters - plectocarpus ( I can never remember the name)? I can't see it because its black like the pond liner.....so I assume its there. I will do a touchy-feeley search this weekend.
I heartily approve of things like your liquid fence (even round up - bindweed is my bane
and that bad carpathian bluebell, GRRRR). Its only poision that gets me going. And guns. But I don't live in the country. I had never seen a squirrel eat a bird's egg either, so I was fascinated. And we have not seen the 'coons this year, yet? I'd be devestated if critters truly wiped out a garden. Slugs (I've got mostly snails here) get picked and squashed , so do the lily bettles - the red ones for which, I learned there is no good remedy except squash or drown. It teaches us to be vigilent about our precious, life-affirming, plants and gardens. I actually like to watch insects, have been this way since a child, maybe because my folks encouraged me in my "nature experiments". I once had a whole bunch of boxes of fungi collected at our cottage, and was finally convinced that the smelly, bug ridden mushrooms should be thrown away (my dad said - from the garage into the compost heap they go, please -) I think that's when I first learned that rot is good. I will be dealing with my "citified" composter this weekend, as soon as I get the pot soil I made for my pots out of the wheelbarrow. I still have lots of pots to fill. And some mail order plants to put in them. I never seem to have a plan come planting time, just a lot of plants I have not found the places for come the end of June. I must try to curb my February desire to have everything. I've got lily bulbs in my fridge crisper. Must deal with them. Most (but not all) are good for pots....
So this weekend - Search for fish. Plant the left-overs. Do the composter. Re-arrange the deck pots. Weed, weed, weed the front and back gardens (never plant lemon balm unless it is potted, seedy plant, in more ways than one, or that perennial cornflower!) Revel in being able to be OUTSIDE! Mulch every bare space! Get dirty!
I do love gardening. 'Nough said.

-- posted by MaggieM

Top 16. Jun 19, 2003 3:54 PM

» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Wildlife Refuge

In response to message posted by MaggieM:
That sounds a bit like my weekend gardening plan, weather permitting. I did get two small boxes of plants in today - things that just arrived and that I had specific designated spaces for. But sometimes locating that spot meant I had to weed, weed, weed - and there is lots more of that to do! And I still have leftovers that are like yours - desired but homeless until I figure out which space might match its height, color and cultural needs. Fortunately the critters are eating certain things so fast that I have spaces I didn't have last week. ;-) Roger says he knows where the Liquid Fence is, but even though it lasts through a rainfall it seems like it should have at least a few hours to sink in before the rains come - and it's been hard to find those few hours. I haven't even begun to plant containers!

I know exactly what you mean about the lemon balm. It is out of control in its designated spot, which is fairly OK because I didn't have any particular plans for that area anyway - it's a rose garden. But now it is showing up everywhere! That and Euphorbia 'Chameleon' which is also showing up everywhere including my neighbor's yard. Worse, today I spotted some looststrife that has volunteered in the poppy field. Time to find the Round-Up! At least this year I recognized it before it flowered.

Oursmall pond not only filled but overflowerd with all of thios rain - and a few of the larger fish overflowed with it. ;-( But you may be surprised and find your fish lurking somewhere. After the great racoon raid it was about three weeks before I was able to spot the lone survivor.

-- posted by Carol Wallace

Top 17. Jun 25, 2003 4:04 PM

» MaggieM - Re: Re: Wildlife Refuge

So weekend passed. It was great. Found both fish alive and well. Later in week Baby racoon (caught by Jack on digtal camera just before I got home from school board meeting at 10:30pm) was fishing in pond. Need to repot up-turned plants. Critters are taking over here, not the domestic kind! We have seen more wildlife in our inner city neighbourhood this year than ever before. Even saw a chippie (chipmunk) this morning as I was going off to work, and chatting with my 90 year old neighbour was watering her plants. the chip was in one of her birdfeeders. He did not worry about us. Just sat there. she went right up to him, and he just sat there, cheeks puffed with seeds. This is a space that is not more than two city driveways that come together with a garden buffer zone in-betwwen.

-- posted by MaggieM

Top 18. Jun 25, 2003 4:50 PM

» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Re: Wildlife Refuge

In response to message posted by MaggieM:
Chipmunks are very bold and don't seem to mind having people around at all. I've had them run right over my feet as I was sitting in the gazebo. We have one that lives under it - we call him fat boy because if I forget and leave the bird seed uncovered he gets in and has such a feast you can literally see all of him bulging. He nearly rolls rather than runs. It's kind of funny. And they are cute even if they are complete nuisances!

I'm glad the fish escaped!

-- posted by Carol Wallace

Top 19. Jun 25, 2003 7:36 PM

» Carol Wallace - Re: Re: Re: Re: Wildlife Refuge

In response to message posted by CarolWallace:
By the way - in case you don't manage to keep up with Susan's discussion, I said there and will say here that I would love to see the photo of the baby coon!

I tried once to get a picture of our baby groundhog but the camera I had at the time didn't have enough of a zoom lens for as close as I was able to get to it. It was cute, though. Baby animals almost always are even if they will grow up to be giant nuisances.

-- posted by Carol Wallace