The crepe myrtles that I worried has been wiped out from the late freeze are alive and kicking after all! All four plants have new growth on them this weekend. Two of them are even sprouting fresh new stems. Its good to see things recovering. I was worried I’d never see green on them.
Oddly, the runt of the landscaping, the Japanese maple tree, is thriving this season. It looks better than it ever has in fact. The first spring we were here, the stupid deer chewed it down to the ground. Now that its fenced (and being watered regularly) its doing fine. I think we may have it providing some decent shade in the next summer or two.
The stupid deer referred to above have enjoyed munching on the azaleas I once fetched from my grandmother’s yard. Our neighbor decided to divert attention from his roses by pouring a bag of corn in the back corner of his yard. This has provided a niced balanced meal for the deer: they get their greens from my azaleas and a good dose of carbs from the corn.
After nightfall Saturday night I heard a vicious growling coming from that area. A raccoon was enjoying a corn feast and obviously wanted to dine alone. The next morning two deer were snacking in the area. I tell ya, there’s no better way to attract wildlife than with a bag of corn.
Spray some deer repellent on your trees and shrubs. They’ll find something tastier to munch on after that.
Yeah, I’m putting together some homemade deer repellent this week to spray on the azalea that’s too big to fence.
Once I’ve mixed it up I’ll offer some to my neighbors in the hope that they’ll get rid of the corn.
In the long run, feeding the deer is a bad idea. On the one hand, you give them something other than your trees and shrubs to munch on. On the other hand, you’re attracting the deer to your yard. When you stop bribing them with corn, the deer will strip your yard bare.
I am not feeding the dear, Mike. My neighbors are.
I saw them out on their porch last evening and had a chat about the corn. They agree that things haven’t worked out like they hoped and will put no more corn down. I didn’t even have to suggest that to them – they realized it themselves.
I still need to protect my azaleas somehow. I find it funny that in a huge swath of woods, those deer insist on snacking on my plants.