Deer are so beautiful and graceful; chipmunks are so little and cute. But this is war. Our property is surrounded by an 8-foot high deer fence, the first garden "feature" to be added in 2006. As it is ten years old, foxes, rabbits, and now deer have found a vulnerable corner to chew open or crawl under. Despite having repaired that corner twice, I watched on June 30th at 11 AM as The Doe (Jane Doe?) grazed peacefully on violets under the sumac tree, flicking her white tail in my direction. I chased her around the garden, eager to see where she would escape, and after a frenetic run, she got out---somewhere---and I didn't see it. I then spent the next 30 minutes going over every inch of fence; all of it seemed securely battened down to the earth. (She usually crawls under, as the fence is too high to scale.) Donna found a tiny space, however, so I'll secure that. Maddening!!
Chipmunks? They dig under the structures we built with angle posts and bird netting to protect thornless blackberry bushes and the dwarf mulberry tree from marauding cardinals, cat birds and other winged beauties of the woods. Birds don't usually dig, but chipmunks are experts. I read that if their tunnels run close to one's house, they can fill with rainwater and wear down the foundations. They also completely negate any good of our having painstakingly built anti-bird enclosures. May as well tear them down and let the birds and chipmunks feast---before getting rid of the plants themselves.
Wait a minute! Why this pessimism? Just because the garden is a labor-intensive creative fantasy doesn't mean I should give up, right? OK, that very afternoon I repaired the supposedly weak areas of the fence and concocted a double-strength stinky concoction to spray around the enclosures to deter the chipmunks. I should be happy that neither animal eats the vegetables or the native Maryland plants, which are other treasures of the "Playground in the Back."
Here are pictures of the garden on the 1st of July. Please enjoy.
The corner where the doe crawls under the fence. Hard to see, but it IS tightly secured.
First blackberry enclosure, which so far hasn't been invaded. Get out the spray!
Blackberries are ripening; protection is vital!
Second enclosure, invaded by chipmunks. Wretched beasts!
Foreground: borlotti beans. In the back, blooming coneflowers and bee balm.
Cabbages are starting to form heads. In the back, freshly-transplanted beets.
Summer squash in the foreground; bitter melon vines in the back.
Delicious broccoli in front, prairie liatris about to bloom just behind them.
A beautiful Japanese eggplant, just forming.
Beetles on the milkweed---kissing!
Beetles on the milkweed----?????
3 comments:
This is fantastic. Your garden is truly a labor of love and it is gorgeous and plentiful. Wildlife are so clever and agile..well, more agile than some humans anyway. I found out that a 400+ pound bear can gently waft over any height fence like it was a straw mat without making a sound. Very zen. They also steal bird feeders, those rascals....I think your blog is great fun! Thank you Doree.
Gardening is creative but it is also a war-game, as you say. We must outwit the critters! I have lost many rounds at my house to a very healthy squirrel population; beautiful pumpkins gnawed open, sunflowers decapitated--several times I saw the large blooms moving, as if by themselves, across the yard, as squirrels dragged them off. Kale denuded to stalks; chard chomped to the rootball. So I sympathize. But it does sound as if you might win this game!
Oh, I am glad I'm not the only one who has to wage war. Heart-breaking to SEE the sunflower being hauled away....And that bear!! (Susan Dreiband's comment) I saw photos, and that bear was monstrous!
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