It's a brand-new dance/We're bringin' it back ([info]ms_xeno) wrote,
@ 2008-04-28 00:48:00
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Entry tags:gardening

Tulipa Saxatilis
4-08 016

It had an unimpressive first couple of years in the garden, but for some reason it's all bubbly and outgoing this year. Amending the soil with about a metric ton of sand in Year Two might have helped, too. You can see a trunk-like structure near the right. It's a freshly-relocated Eastern Redbud sapling. (May it do better than our last Redbud, which came to a bad end several years ago. I cried for an afternoon like I'd lost my only friend.)

There was so much more that I wanted to tell you, but time ran out. Have a great week.


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[info]alephnul
2008-04-28 11:11 am UTC (link)
envy!

We planted a whole bunch of these, along with some of the species crocuses, but the squirrels ate every single one.

Our bleeding hearts, on the other hand are lovely right now. :)

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[info]ms_xeno
2008-04-28 05:51 pm UTC (link)
If you're obsessive, you can wrap each bulb in little "cages" made of twisted wire before planting them. The stuff that's like chicken wire but with a smaller gauge;It just needs to have holes big enough for the roots and stems to get through. It's time-consuming but helpful. Also, you can buy a giant-ass jar of cayenne pepper at a place like Cash 'N Carry and add that into the soil as you're planting. Squirrels reportedly hate the stuff.

In time, the metal will loosen away (this takes several years, though), and its disadvantage is that it may prevent bulbs from multiplying. It also does not prevent the little fluffy rats from relocating the bulbs to other parts of the yard, if my place is any indication.

Brent & Becky's Bulbs (they have a drool-worthy website) was selling these "bulb cages" last year that looked like tuna fish cans made of hard plastic mesh. I've never tried them, but maybe they're worth a shot if they still have them. Also, they report that these are squirrel-resistant.

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Squirrels, eh?
[info]al_schumann
2008-04-30 03:03 am UTC (link)
Cayenne pepper is pretty good for squirrel proofing. You might also consider a diluted solution of rotten eggs and chopped garlic to go with it. I've been using that in combo with the pepper and have managed to fend off their aggression.

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Re: Squirrels, eh?
[info]ms_xeno
2008-05-01 04:13 pm UTC (link)
Wouldn't the smell of rotten eggs attract... other guests ? And I don't mean Clinton II's squad of canvassers, either.

Once I was sitting on Chez Xeno's stoop (can't really dignify it by calling it a porch) at dusk in late Spring and saw this thing ambling next to the curb on the other side of the street. A cautious squint revealed it to be a rat;Sort of an rodent SUV. Brrr...

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Re: Squirrels, eh?
[info]al_schumann
2008-05-01 06:56 pm UTC (link)
Hmmm. I couldn't say whether rats would be attracted. I haven't had any, for whatever that's worth.

I will say this: when Clinton canvassers come by, you have to apply it directly to them to get any deterrent effect. You may also find they sneak back at night. A good compressed air pellet gun takes care of that, however, and doesn't frighten the neighbors.

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