The Battle for the Buds Begins

 This is the time of year when my main gardening preoccupation is deterring the deer from eating the daylily buds before they begin to flower.  The front battleline is our split rail fence along the road where we have conveniently designed an all you can eat buffet where the deer have only to stroll along in the dark and sample the many delights.  This is something to keep in mind when designing gardens.  There are some things that should never be planted in an accessible row.  My battle begins in March when I spread Milorganite fertilizer on all of my perennials.  Milorganite is a product of the Milwaukee waste water treatment plant and the smell will keep deer and rabbits at bay while giving your lawn and perrenials a wonderful, organic boost.

But when you get loads of buds up on stems at shoulder height, the only solution is to spray them well.  I use Repels-All every day or two depending on the weather.  If it is hot and dry, every three days is fine.  Heavy dew or rain showers will wash them clean.  I buy it by the gallon in concentrate and mix it in a large, pressure sprayer. There are some areas I spray every night regardless.  Mostly the ends and corners which intersect the deer's main route, and also things that are on my main route every day.  Nothing grates on my nerves more than walking past an empty stem ten times a day when I should be enjoying flowers instead.  If you spray well, they will sample then move on.

Second to Daylilies are Hosta, but they are easier to manage as I can cover them with a square of bird netting or a grow through grid.  But tall, prickly, stemmy things like Echinacea are impossible to cover.

As are Rudbeckia.  My Echinacea and Rudbeckias are looking amazing this year.  I am loathe to lose even one flower to a snacking deer.

Geraniums are another favorite.  This Rozanne Geranium is in an out of the way spot surrounded by trip hazards, and since it is a little less appealing, a quick spritz every few days is enough to save it.

At least the vegetable garden is well protected with a high fence and electric wire.

Our game cameras prove that our resident doe comes to the fence once or twice a week to calculate her odds of having peas for breakfast.

Snoppy McSnoopington
We see you too...

Yesterday afternoon we got a surprise, bonus, downpour of .4" of rain.  Thankfully I had put off spraying until evening.  Sometimes it does not pay to get your chores done early.  Although nearly half an inch of rain, which topped off my rain tank very nicely, would have been worth the trade off of having to go around and spray again.

It gave the garden a wonderful boost and this morning the pole beans had begun to climb.

The Penelope Peas are absolutely LOADED.  There will be more than enough harvest from just two rows and enough to save some seed for next year.

The Sweet Corn is doing well.  Today I drove in the T-Posts so I can run twine around the outside and prevent the stalks from being blown down in a rain and making a total mess.  

Tomatoes are setting fruit

Annuals are growing and still more are popping up

The Sunflowers have been in the game from the start and are looking quite nice.

A year ago in the spring I transplanted this blue clematis from another bed where it had been overtaken by myrtle and it seems happy in its spot.  It isn't as noticeable as the dark red Rebecca clematis vine, but it is subtly beautiful.

It is loaded with buds and should put on a show for many weeks to come.

And yes, the deer like to eat Clematis too.  In fact, they will at least sample anything from herbs to shrubs.  And apparently, a bud just about to open is the most delicious of all.  I often wonder why I chose a hobby which requires such a dedicated battle every year.