Critters in the garden are a mixed bag. They add an extra element of surprise and liveliness but they can wreak havoc as well. This week I've had demonstrations of both.
I wish all my visitors were this pleasant.
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| The birds have been having regular pool parties in the fountain |
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| although they've been hard to catch on camera even from inside the house |
Unfortunately, not all my visitors are so pleasant. The raccoons have returned and are no longer confining their activities to messing with the backyard fountain. On Sunday morning, I discovered they'd rampaged through just about every bed in my garden but I was pleased that they hadn't actually damaged any plants. On Monday morning, I discovered that they'd dug up 3 plants I'd installed only 2 days before but none of these were damaged so I took their digging in stride. However, on Tuesday morning, I found evidence they'd paid me another visit.
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| A series of muddy paw prints was the first clue |
But there was no evidence of their carousing around the backyard fountain or in the backyard or front yard beds and I breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that perhaps the sprinklers, which ran in the wee hours of the morning, sent them packing. I strolled through the area in front of the garage to see if they'd made a ruckus there. Everything was as I'd left it the night before. Then, while heading back to the house via the cutting garden, I discovered that I wasn't so lucky after all.
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| The drip irrigation system apparently isn't as intimidating as the sprinkler system |
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| The raised planters didn't put them off either and, even though the dahlias and zinnias in those planters are packed in pretty closely, they didn't have a problem rummaging in among the plants |
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| They even tore out a couple of the zinnias, most notably this plant that was about 3 feet tall |
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| I briefly considered replanting it but this one was grown from a plug and clearly not deeply rooted. It also showed the first signs of mildew, which usually signals the end of the zinnias' run, so I dropped it in the green bin. I expect to pull out the dahlia tubers and zinnias by the end of the month anyway to clear the way for winter bloomers. |
When it comes to nature, I guess gardeners must accept the bitter with the sweet. But I can't help wishing those raccoons would take their business elsewhere, preferably before I replant my cutting beds.
For more Wednesday Vignettes,
visit Anna at Flutter & Hum.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
