Have A Rock Garden….Last Week Three Of Them Died!
Victoria Day is a long weekend that is celebrated on the nearest weekend to the actual day of Queen Victoria’s birthday which is May 24th. That leads to a bit of a problem or what can be a problem as this year the long weekend is earlier than a lot of other years and the temperature a bit cooler. Although the temperature was predicted to be 4 or 5 degrees above zero areas with higher elevations could find themselves experiencing frost or like several places in Alberta and Saskatchewan waking up to several inches of snow. That would possibly be ok for cold weather crops like lettuce or peas for many other seeds that have sprouted that could be a problem. For bedding plants it could be fatal. The following weekend should be warmer and is still well early enough to plant most bedding plants however, it would still be wise to place covers over the area if the temperature drops a bit low again. The nice thing about bedding plants is you already have a head start and every year people are anxious to get the garden going.
Voles, Moles and Mice have had bumper crops this year and my husband’s trap line produces up to 4 or 5 a day. I have also spoken to several people who are already finding Aphids on some of their perennial plants and you should react to on the first indication of them as they can do damage to early leafing perennials. Often, if the plant will take it, a heavy spray of water from your garden hose will knock them off your plants to the ground where the will perish.
Examine the undersides of the leaves to ensure that you have eliminated them all. You can also spray the plant heavily with a mixture of 1 table spoon of dish soap to a gallon of water. This can be used once a week to ensure success of the ever repeating generations of Aphids and other leaf sucking pests. Now of course as we get our bedding plants in and our seedlings to a decent hight the deer will be back in full force and they will eat to the ground most garden plants including tomatoes. There are some plants that are aromatic or otherwise unpleasant to their taste that you can plant in and around other more susceptible plants. It is suspected that
Deer cause 250 million dollars in damage to landscape, gardens, fruit trees and orchards annually. Here is a list of companion plants that are recommended. I have found one of the better ones Snap Dragons, beautiful and effective, Butterfly Bush, Witch Hazel, Alyssum, Larkspur, Baby’s Breath, Lemon Balm, Status, Cat Mint, Sage, Dusty Miller, Rosemary, Tarragon and some say Marigolds. Fox Glove, Poppy and Daffodil are somewhat toxic to Deer and should be used where house pets and small children won’t reach them.
They also do not like prickly plants like Cactus, Berberis, Lamb’ Ears, Yucca or Oregon grape however to plant enough of these to be effective without making gardening a painful experience an issue. Two other methods which I don’t recommend are Moth Balls which contain naphthalene which is highly toxic substance to humans and pests. It will dissolve in rain and will contaminate the surrounding ground and eventually ground water. Also Sudden Onset Lead Poisoning. This is achieved by injecting lead into the bodies of the Deer using a high velocity instrument.
A little excessive within town limits and will probably upset neighbours and the police. Although I’m sure that after loosing your beloved plants to this menace one might use this this as valid option. It is not.
Happy Gardening!
Samantha Nason
BS Ranch & Greenhouses
250 547 6567
sam1nason@gmail.com
