Rogues' GalleryHow to determine who is the culprit? Aside from the obvious circumstantial evidence of tracks in the snow,
(deer tracks)there are other subtle clues which can reveal the miscreant's identity. Anything eaten above three feet high was probably attacked by a deer. Things eaten all the way down to the ground, completely buzzed off, were probably a rabbit snack. Flowers and blooming stalks clipped off and left lying on the ground were most likely victims of squirrel mischief.
If the damage consists of newly installed plants dug up, which happened to my sapling Redbud two years ago, blame the squirrels.
They're always digging in the beds, in the planters, in the containers, in the lawn.
There's no need to continue being a victim of these sneaky criminals, and the best defense is to be prepared. Don't wait until the hungry thieves discover the goods in your garden. Start at the first sign of new growth a consistent regimen of spray repellents. It's best to vary them so the critters don't get used to the scent. When I plant new things, I always cover the planting area with chickenwire for several days until the soil settles and hardens a bit, as the squirrels like newly turned soil in which to dig. With these measures, damage can be kept to a minimum and peace and harmony can reign in the garden.
They're always digging in the beds, in the planters, in the containers, in the lawn.
There's no need to continue being a victim of these sneaky criminals, and the best defense is to be prepared. Don't wait until the hungry thieves discover the goods in your garden. Start at the first sign of new growth a consistent regimen of spray repellents. It's best to vary them so the critters don't get used to the scent. When I plant new things, I always cover the planting area with chickenwire for several days until the soil settles and hardens a bit, as the squirrels like newly turned soil in which to dig. With these measures, damage can be kept to a minimum and peace and harmony can reign in the garden.This post is part of Gardening Gone Wild's Garden Bloggers' Design Workshop.
19 comments:
Oh, Those pesky kritters glad I have
dogs they just love to chase them
out! I wonder how many bunnies nest
will I find this year? Last year I
found 5 different nests in my garden.
Pests! I have decided that if they weren't cute and capable of great acrobatic feats that are greatly entertaining......they would be hunted and trapped like the rat cousins they are! But they are cute and so we will try repelling them!
Gail
Rogues indeed!! They are so destructive.
Very timely post(and cute!), MMD. I walked around the gardens today looking for tulips and daffodils-they are coming up everywhere. But I also found several tulip bulbs laying on top of the ground. Most of them have turned mushy so no replanting. Now I wonder which miscreant did that? :)
In my garden, the rabbits are always responsible for the crimes committed against any plants.
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Cute. I've had some of those same hooligans hanging out around here. The rabbits ate the brand new dogwood's branches, the squirrel's been snacking on the coneflower seeds that I left outside on the plant, and the deer has been nibbling on my ornamental cherry tree. SIGH.
With all those photos of the criminals and their crime scenes, you should have enough evidence to bring charges and prosecute.
Will you be taking saliva samples from your "rogues" for DNA matching? Put 'em away for life, I say! Grissom would be proud.
Those pesky critters! Wish they could get along as they are so cute!
Cathy - 5 nests x 3 or 4 kits per nest = way too many rabbits!
Gail - they are cute & entertaining, but it's lucky for them that I'm a pacifist.
Hi, Janet, they are nasty beasties.
Beckie - that stinks! I can guess who's responsible.
Carol - I hope you can keep those rascally rabbits in line this year.
Cinj - I would imagine in your area the critters are even worse than around here.
Garden Girl - I'm going for a conviction!
Donna - I'm willing to scapegoat here & make an example.
Tina - they become less cute as the damage mounts.
Those crazy animals! We have deer that eat everything, this year it was really cold so they ate all of my hydrangeas, I don't think I'll get any blooms this year, GRRRR. Makes me enjoy eating those venison burgers :)
We all share your pain. Maybe you should change your name! They are taunting you.The squirrels have been particularly bad this year. They stripped every single Pyracantha berry from my espalier. I don't know if they had just never found it before or they were so desperate with the dry summer we had. I am tired of digging up oak trees from my beds. I did retrieve 4 the other day which I potted up and hope to plant out there somewhere where they belong. I have managed to keep deer out but cotton rats are my problem.
You would make an excellent detective, MMD:) I'd still like to know who took all those crocus bulbs I planted--not a trace of evidence has been left behind.
The cats and dogs here have been good about keeping the squirrels at bay, but they create some problems of their own. Not only am I teaching new pup Sophie "Sit" and "Stay", but also "Not in the garden!!"
The deer don't make it to the line-up in my neighborhood, but the rabbits and squirrels hang out thinking up crimes to commit to my flower beds and veggie garden. The tomato chewing was bad last year.
I use Liquid Fence. I like your idea of using different kinds. Do you have other recommendations?
Hi, Chiot's Run - I wish I liked venison, it would be such great revenge.
Lancanshire Rose - the garden was named Squirrelhaven in a fit of irony. I don't think I could deal with rats.
Rose - squirrels love Crocus bulbs. I think they stole all my C. tommasinianus, & they're supposed to be squirrel proof.
Sue - I also use Plantskydd, Bobex & Deer Off.
There's always a challenge, isn't there?? At least it's not a neighbor's dog...
The squirrels always attempt to wreck havoc around here while digging all Winter for their stored acorns (remember how I tried to deplete their supply last Fall?) ;-)
Anyway, I'm thinking that perhaps their digging might be a good aeration and mixing of the existing top soil and compost. I'll be adding a little more "goody" this spring. So, are they helping me at all?? lol.
I just found several branches of my new pagoda dogwood chewed off. It seems too low for a deer (and I never see them in my yard anyway), so what could it be? And I found the branch parts in the dirt below, maybe it was just the climate??
Shady - you're too generous to the little buggers.
Rosemarie - it probably was squirrels. I think I'll go spray mine right now.
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