deer update

I've posted a few times about the damage the deer do to my garden, my roses, and other plants in the yard, but I admit, it's hard to stay mad at the little ones.

As Nancy and I go for an evening stroll, we spot the two young ones checking out my antique machinery display. We see their momma close by and the three of them eventually scurry off into the trees.

But only a minute later they appear a few yards to our left. They aren't too frightened. They know their momma outweighs us.

Mother and twins check out the plant life on the community drain field. 

Then they move on to see what kind of plant life the neighbor's place has to offer.

Pictures by Nancy A. Fredrickson

Deer damage again and popping poppy, II

A few days ago Nancy and I planted a small apple tree that we thought was tall enough to resist deer damage on the top branches. We were wrong.

The tree was well over eight feet tall before the deer broke off the top piece.

Next, we checked to see how the buds on the roses were coming and discovered mama deer had eaten those off as well. I find it remarkable that such a large animal messes with trying to fill up on the buds of roses. On the other hand, humans eat marsh mellows, hard candy, and potato chips because we want to, not because it's practical. 

While I pouted a little as I weeded around the rose bush, Nancy commented that she would make more deer repellent and spray it on the roses. I continued to weed after she left.

Then I heard her yell, "Hey, Gord, poppies are popping!"

The flower is beginning to force the green covers off. The process takes about 15 minutes and if you are patient, you can see the movement and the blossom emerge.

Last year ( June 21, 2010, to be precise) I posted a short piece with pictures detailing a poppy blossom popping into full bloom. I was fascinated then and was equally fascinated once again as the birth of the blossom took place before my eyes.

The poppies easily managed to change my pout into a grin. I hope they made you smile.

All photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson 

To see more flower photos,  please click below on Read More.

Wild Gardener

As I walk out to check my roses in the morning, I take along a  small clipper to cut the withering blossoms, which encourages the bush to produce more buds. Although I love to visit my roses, cutting the old blossoms is not a job I relish.

I tell my wife, "It's just not like me to discard a beautiful  living  thing just because its beauty is fading." Nancy just smiles and shakes her head.

Hiding the small cutter behind my back, I approach my favorite pink rose. She blossoms daily and produces buds packed together as tightly as kittens nursing. I position my nose and inhale. Sweet!

But a former beauty sags, her petals starting to fall. Gently, I gather the old blossom in my hand and snip it off below my fingers. I repeat the process on other fading blossoms until I have a handful of petals, which I discard into the nearby tall grass. "Rest in Peace," I say as I scatter the soft remnants.

I walk two steps to see that my small yellow rose has no blossoms. "What happened to you? Yesterday you had a beautiful new blossom."

A bit puzzled, I take a step toward the red rose, which was loaded with blossoms yesterday, but today only the tops of cut stems look up at me. Not a blossom adorns the knee-high stems and no petals are on the ground. What could've happened??

I rush inside to share the news with my wife, who looks out the window to confirm my discovery. "Maybe a deer ate the blossoms," she offers. "I know they eat other flowers."

Later that day, Nancy comes into the shed to see me as I am working on a project. She shows me the display on her digital camera and grins. "I may have found your gardener. I spotted this little guy eating daisy petals before I ran in to get the camera."









Maybe the rose petals were sacrificed for a better purpose. What do you think?









Photographs by Nancy A. Fredrickson