Tag Archives: deer resistant

months 10-12: fall, perrennials, urban deer

The Peony – kicks the bucket in November

11/16/2011 svseekins 6 Comments

They make spring exciting: jumping out of the ground like cheerleaders & producing huge pom-pom flowers. They even stand up to deer all summer. Then it starts in September as soon as the fog & cooler temperatures arrive in Victoria It’s not as exciting as their extravagant blooms, but Peonies add great fall interest with their changing leaf color.

By mid November they’re looking pretty shabby & the foliage starts to go a little slimy. I’ve read that it’s better to cut these perennials back and not let the leafs rot on the ground. Apparently the old material can hold & spread disease or bad bugs. Either way, it’s the slimy foliage that convinces me to clean up.

crocosmia roots & all — photo by SVSeekins

There’s also something satisfying about rescuing the tomato cages that worked so hard to support the monster blooms last summer. They stack up & fit nicely in the dry garden shed for the rainy season.

It’s been a full year since the crocosmia were welcome in this bed. I carefully migrated the colony elsewhere to give the day lilies a fighting chance. With the Peonies cut back, and the soil nicely soft, it’s an excellent opportunity to pull out any rogue crocosmia. How many years will it take before the crocosmia is truly gone?

I’m leaving the day lilies alone until they die back completely this year. Hopefully that’ll send as much energy as possible down into the roots so they’re healthier & ready to grow & form a bigger clump next year. With all the spring crocus & daffodils in this bed, the lily leafs come out in time to hide the bulbs once their show wraps up.

I’m getting closer to being satisfied with this as a 4 season bed.

spring – action extravaganza – bulbs, peonies & Rhodos bloom
summer – solid border + day lily bloom
fall – fall foliage color
winter – hmm… A little barren. Any ideas?

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© SVSeekins and Garden Variety Life, 2011. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to SVSeekins and Garden Variety Life with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

attracting birds, months 10-12: fall, perrennials, urban deer

Hardy Fuchsia – still a delight in November

11/16/2011 svseekins 3 Comments

Recently a hummingbird visited the garden. Yup. November in Victoria & still the hummingbirds hang out. Here is one of the reasons why:

Hardy Fushia bloom in autumn — photo by SVSeekins

Hardy Fuchsia is one of my fall favorites. I like that the deer seem to leave it alone. And I really like to see something blooming so late in the season.

There are 4 decent sized Hardy Fuchsia in our garden to keep the hummers fed through the fall. Most years the shrub blooms straight through Christmas. Then our winter cold kicks in and it dies back fairly quickly.

Full sized Hardy Fushia in autumn — photo by SVSeekins

Luckily for the hummingbirds, that’s when other bloomers like snowdrops, cyclamen and hellebore show up to pick up the slack.

Occasionally, when I really feel the urge for a tidy garden, I trim the tired shrub back right to the ground. It’s always come back in the spring, and seems to easily reach mature height & be blooming again by July.

Hardy Fushia in spring — photo by SVSeekins

Some years I don’t bother to trim it back, but you decide. Here’s a comparison shot from one spring when it wasn’t trimmed back. Which do you prefer?

I’m still undecided.

hardy fuchsia in May — photo by SVSeekins

If it’s trimmed back, it’s tidy & my attention goes to the spring blooming Pacific Bleeding Heart that’s spread so nicely around its base.

If it isn’t trimmed back, it looks a little shabby, but nicely fills that air between the 2 clumps of cedars. Please weigh in on this one & let me know if I should bother trimming this winter?

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urban deer

Garden Visits – sharing the yard with urban deer

11/01/2011 svseekins 6 Comments

Bambi is an icon of my childhood. As a farm kid, it was common to see deer. They were delightful: so delicate and spritely; a scene from a Disney movie come to life.

Years later, having left the land for a university education & a career, I became a townie. Wildlife in the yard is not expected to be anything more than squirrels, birds, and the occasional dog gone AWOL. After all, I live close enough to the downtown core that it isn’t even the burbs. It’s only a 25-minute cycle to the Inner Harbour of Victoria. But here there are urban deer. Check out who visited on thanksgiving weekend:

urban black tailed deer — photo by SVSeekins

In fact, since May, I’ve watched the little one mature through what I’m guessing is its second summer. I’m still enjoying seeing them in the yard, but I’m torn about what they do here.

Feast.

This time, it’s a buffet of Russian Laurel (now I know why it hasn’t grown 12 feet high by now).

Last month it was the Sedum Autumn Joy (leaving the Aster untouched).

June, July & August these two lived on vegetation; specifically blooming vegetation. Given their druthers, they’re not just vegetarians. They prefer being bloom-etarians.

I could install high, unsightly deer fencing if I were selfish about keeping the flowers to myself and if I didn’t enjoy seeing the wildlife so much. I reckon they’re successful, early adopters of the 100-mile diet. That’s admirable, so I’ve decided to grow enough to share.

That was the plan until recently.

The other evening my neighbors were out for a stroll. They ended up on my doorstep, saying that they’d been ‘herded’ into our yard.

urban male black tailed deer — photo by SVSeekins

I would adjust my walking plans if I was followed by this fellow, too. Yikes! Maybe the photo doesn’t really do justice, but those antlers sure looked big & sharp in real life.

The 3 point buck stood less than 20 ft away while we talked excitedly on the doorstep.

He wasn’t aggressive, and I was really surprised how long he just stood there watching us. He didn’t move off until the camera had flashed a couple of times & I was within 10-12 feet (feeling a mixture between bravery & stupidity). My heart rate didn’t return to normal for at least an hour. The possibility of danger made me start thinking differently.

wild, black tailed deer — photo by SVSeekins

Now another part of my childhood comes to mind. Deer were delicious.

In our homesteading community, we depended on wild meat for food. It was a life rich in community, but poor in cash. Pretty much every family was starting from scratch, breaking the land and developing the farm business. We helped each other out and folk did what they needed to do to put a nutritious meal on the table.

I suppose it was also a version of the original 100-mile diet.

When it comes to hunting & butchering, I’ve always been a wimp. Happily, my income is not as tight as my parents’ was when we lived on the farm. I’m ok with spending cash to put food on my table. I know there are folks here in town that aren’t as solvent.

I’m not condoning hunting season in urban areas. Bullets whizzing across the yard or by the bus stop is not a comforting idea. Perhaps some sort of non-wasteful population control? (and which population to control? them or us?) I just don’t know.

With Casanova courting the local ladies, there’s sure to be a new fawn or two next spring to taste test everything that’s on offer in the yard. For now, I’m intent to enjoy the company & do my best to provide a nutritious buffet as a good host should.

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P.S. The deer saga continues: