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| Little Crocus leaves pushing up through the snow melt. |
Just when you think it's never going to happen, you walk by the same dead plant debris and empty flower beds and wham, you look down and see the first sign of the season barely poking up through the earth.
I am so happy to see even a hint of green this time of year. We can officially say that in central Virginia the first sign of Spring occurred in January!
I am so happy to see even a hint of green this time of year. We can officially say that in central Virginia the first sign of Spring occurred in January!
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| Tulips - One spared by the Deer munch. |
I also see that the DEER have been brazen and are already making their mark on our garden. Deer love Tulips and Hostas. When we moved in to our house the Hostas were in full glory in our front flower bed. It took about one week without a yard guarded by 2 dogs and invisible fencing for the Hostas to be devoured and an attempt was even made to pull the roots up out of the ground. I researched online and checked out a book from the library and developed my own Deer Repellent concoction. You can safely pour this on your plants and reapply after a rain.
1 gallon water
1 egg
good sprinkle of cayenne pepper
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| "Carnival Parade" Mini Rose on Forsythia Hill, Fall 2010. |
I've even found that after 2 doses, you can just sprinkle cayenne pepper on the plants after each rain and that seems to do the trick! I purchased a huge shaker at Sam's Club --- so I'll have plenty on hand. You see, we can't really smell a fresh egg but a deer's nose is so sensitive that it is something they can smell and they do not like it. Also, they generally do not like any herbs because they too smell. Now a rose is a different matter, they love rose blooms, the lovely smell and all.
Of course the best defense is to not plant "deer feed" by tempting them with plants they love. But I'm told that if they get hungry enough they will eat just about any plant! I inherited the Tulips and Hosta and have moved most of them to our chain link fenced dog area near the house where they will be less likely to want to munch.
Ahhh, Spring and Deer wars, let the fun begin!
-Rebecca
Our neighbor in New York used to use several of the "old school" methods: A bar of ivory soap or a stocking with human hair clippings hung near the garden chases them away because of the smell.
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