It seems that I will not be having any snowball hydrangea flowers this year. Two years ago, they were cut down in their prime by the lawn care crew. That’s not what happened this year . . .
I like to get up early and head out to the garden at the crack of dawn. It’s a garden in a loose sense of the word. I live in a townhouse and there is limited space for planting as well as guidelines for planting. I’ve managed to put in a few lovely flowering shrubs and I use pots for some vegetables and herbs. Nevertheless, I would like to enjoy what I’ve put in when the time is right.
I head outside with my tools or a bag in which to put weeds when I pull them.
When I went out to pull weeds recently, I was greeted with this situation:
All those stems had little blossoms on them: forming, flowering, growing. They are all gone! Again! They were eaten alive! It was the band of lawn ornaments I spoke of here: http://goodnightgram.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/lawn-ornaments/ They didn’t even knock on my door or tell me they were hungry.
I know there are sprays to deter hydrangea murders like this from happening, but I’ve lived in this townhouse for 12 years and this is the first time they have made a feast on my flowers. I can’t even give them a lecture . . . like I did the lawn care crew chief.
Awwww.. I’m sorry, G.G.
But thanks for feeding the sweet lawn ornaments. I know they appreciate it, even if they don’t know your language to express their gratitude.
Aha … I remember those lawn ornaments without clicking on the link! Perhaps a strategically placed webcam would ensure you enjoy both?
Dancing: A webcam! Maybe those lawn ornaments will be camera shy and then I can have flowers on that bush next year.
I seem to remember reading somewhere about using fishing line (or was it floss?) to deter lawn ornaments. Using it like a fence around your garden – but attaching one end to the top of a post and affixing the other end to the ground. Overlap the diagonal lines of fishing line, so each piece makes an “X” with the next piece.
Apparently, the fishing line is invisible to deer.
Janey: My townhome association policies won’t allow that kind of stringing . . . They allow the chemicals, which I’ve ben trying to avoid. Go figure.
I remembered the lawn ornaments too–but the photo was great and I just had to click on the link to see it again! Those lawn ornaments also visit my house and I’m so very far away from you. My roses are in rehab. The sloe-eyed visitors haven’t developed a taste for my hydrangeas, but seem to enjoy strawberries and tomato plants. I found some stuff at the garden center to try to discourage them–it is some sort of scented wafer in a plastic container that you stake near those tempting plant morsels. Apparently they don’t like the smell. I’ve heard that deer are quite adept at outwitting various methods of discouraging them. So far, this is working and it’s been about 2 weeks. We will see….
My mom used to lecture “her” herd when they came through and nibbled on her flowers. They do like those sweet buds, don’t they?