Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Tropical Garden #102, 1 by dyzzypyxxy

dyzzypyxxy wrote:
Candela and ardesia, what gorgeous new plants you two have! I need to make room in my jungle before I can go shopping for any more plants. I picked up a little pomegranate tree on sale last week and have no clue where I'm going to fit it in! It's going to have to be a container plant for now.

Jan, yes growing any fruit will attract raccoons and squirrels, but if you have dogs in your yard they will probably keep the wild critters at bay. I only have one cat, and she does defend her territory, but since my neighbor got a dog, the 'coons have been around much less often. Still, it's worth it to grow the fruit. I'm faithful about picking up any that falls so there isn't the smell of fruit around all the time. I just hate to buy mangoes at the store that came all the way from Costa Rica when we can grow them right here. On a similar note, I absolutely refuse to buy oranges that come here from California ! ! !

The squirrels are more irritating than the raccoons actually - they nibble the stem of the mango, let it drop to the ground then eat about a teaspoon of fruit and leave. Then when they come back they don't eat the same one that's already on the ground, they drop a new one. Very annoying. I use a spray product now - it's called 'Critter Ridder' - that has hot pepper oil and other scents that they really don't like. I also have fake owl decoys that hopefully will scare away the fluffy-tailed little rodents. So far so good, but the fruit isn't quite ripe yet.

On an up note, I have a passionvine 'Purple Possum' that is dropping ripe fruit now, and the critters are not the least bit interested. Lovely flowers and delicious fruit that you don't have to fight for . . can't beat it. It bloomed and set fruit in April, and is blooming again now.