Refusing to die, many of the plants in my garden that have been ravaged by deer, are producing secondary shoots and leaves and new smaller buds. The large heads of sunflowers that were breakfast for this hungry buck who hangs around here have licked their wounds and have managed to find a way to carry on. Their second attempt to reproduce a flower and consequently their seed is weaker but a valiant attempt to continue living is taking place right now. My love of sunflowers started long before the war in Ukraine. In 2019, I filled two old boats with Russian Giants and a few smaller varieties. It was an experiment that succeeded in some ways and failed in others. The boats were like massive plant pots as I saw it and I could net them and stop the deer from eating them (or so I thought). With Mick's help we erected framing and deer netting around and over these boatloads of sunflowers until the Russian Giants were trying to poke through the top of our elaborate cocoon, so at that stage, we removed the netting and let nature take its course. We did lose about 40% of the crop, but the density of my planting was more than the deer could eat or reach in most cases. I lost another 10-15 % to a big wind storm that blew through just as they were reaching their peak bloom. I had staked most of them but the wind was such that even the stakes failed on some. In addition to the deer and wind, they were thirsty. During heat waves, I had to water them twice daily and if they didn't get hydrated, they complained - their droopy leaves gasping for a drink. Still, I coddled and nurtured them and the bees adored them and every day I would awake to find yet another big floppy yellow head opening up to greet me. It was a true labour of love. I knew by the end of that summer, it would be the last time I would plant sunflowers in the boats. The following summer, I tried my luck with tomatoes and basil, and again, the results were hit and miss. The paltry yield of tomatoes was hardly worth the effort and as much as I love the wildlife here at Kyeema North, it is not my intention to feed deer and chipmunks perfectly good tomatoes. The idea with the boats was twofold. I would be able to keep groundhogs out and I would not have to bend to the ground to tend my crops, much like raised beds with a nautical twist. As valid as these ideas are, it has not worked out as well as I had hoped. The space is limited for starters. They look OK sitting in the yard - after all, we are on a lake and the theme is appropriate, but with frames and netting around them, they have become a bit of an eyesore. This year I decided I would plant nothing but deer resistant flowers and herbs thinking I could do away with the ugly netting. Nope. Turns out the deer, if hungry enough will eat the flower buds off Zinnias (a flower they usually turn their nose up at), and so the morning I caught that buck heading toward one boat after having munched on the other, I knew it was time to get the netting out again and try to rescue the remaining intact Zinnias and Castor Beans. The Castor Beans were to be the tall splashy feature in the middle of each vessel, like a sailing mast surrounded by colourful blooms and a few herbs. The boats flank the driveway as you approach the house, so symmetry is important and I try to match the plantings in each boat to create a grand floral entrance, like one would adorn the front door of their stately mansion with tastefully designed urns. The sunflowers in 2019 almost worked as I had hoped, but the Tomato/Basil combo in 2020 looked more like someone had abandoned ships in my front drive and weeds had invaded, and this year, (we missed 2021) I now have one full ship wearing fishnets and one wooden dory full of chewed off Zinnias and a Castor been stock with all the leaves missing - the only thing that matches is the netting. It looks like there was a mutiny. To make matters worse, I added a third boat - to hell with symmetry I reckoned...asymmetry is more eclectic anyway. (Always groupings of three darling!) The third boat would not even attempt to match the other two. And, let me assure you, it doesn't. It is currently wearing the same fish nets, but boasts the additional feature we fondly refer to as Scary Mary. (a Scarecrow masthead) Truth is, I think the only things afraid of her are the bars of Irish Spring ("Manly, yes, but I like it too!") scattered throughout the plantings considering how filthy she looks. You get that I suppose when the only time you shower is when it rains.. I must make a note to find her a new shirt next season, her Polo logo is completely faded by the sun. In case you are wondering, I have been told the stinky Irish Spring is offensive to the deer. I quickly bought a bulk box of the foul smelling, green bars from Costco when I heard that sage advice. It does tend to break down over time once it has been rained on so if the Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes I gift you later this summer, taste a bit soapy - well, My Bad. We are now starting to plan some sort of alternative garden beds for next year. It may mean we have to sell the "fleet". Anyone interested in 3 boats with holes drilled in the bottom? Besides, with the price of groceries these days, we are going to need to cultivate this empty acre next to the house to grow our own food and avoid bankruptcy. Either that or buy a bigger boat. #gardening #kyeemanorth
2 Comments
Peggy
7/24/2022 03:34:04 am
Remember the sunflowers boats well! Inspired me to plant my burst of colour garden!!
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Carla Sandrin
9/2/2022 08:12:21 am
I'd love to see a picture of those boats, Deb! Gardening for me is one big experiment. I too have been planting all kinds of things during the past few years, sometimes disappointed by a shabby harvest. Gardening is like life, there is no ideal blueprint, only guidelines. But it sure is satisfying when some things turn out well! :)
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DEBunked.I see nature as a metaphor for life. Please join me on this journey down the garden path as I explore life through story - a shovel in one hand and a camera in the other. Archives
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