Today's Weather in Your Garden - 17

I completely sympathize, Lynn. It's totally maddening. I have bird's nest spruce. So far, so good.

No one could hate the deer more than I do.

They are such beautiful creatures, but completely out of control. And pirl, I understand why.....they are not sweet Bambis!

Hmmm, I wonder if deer are afraid of honeybees...

- Anyway I'm happy I don't have to worry about deer,
that's a 'big' problem, and there could be a lot of them!

Temp 47.6° wind S 0.0 mph. ☺

Deer are best enjoyed from the freezer.

52 here with clear skies and a waxing gibbous moon.

I never tried deer, it cant be that good, or else we'd have cow problems instead of deer problems... ☺

Problem is the hunters can't discharge a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling. They also need permission to hunt on someone else's land and most of it is posted.

They have my permission.

Ahhh, I always wondered about that! So you cant make use of a natural resource! Now I see... ( if the deer were smart they'd go to your house during the hunting season, like snowbirds going south for the winter!) ☺

Now you've got it! Bold creatures, believe it or not. I've had does stand their ground and stamp their feet to scare away intruders. The bucks are more reclusive.

Well, Mama, the hunters here can shoot them in our bedroom. In fact, although I hate the poachers, I have objected to the state game warden having a utility key to our fences. She and her cohort are regular visitors and they say it is legal for them to "inspect" our property for violators in our interest. I was told they have the right to ride our property. How can that be without a warrant?

Sounds like overstepping authority to me. I would not be happy about that. I'd have to do something that would embarrass them on their next visit!

Gee that's lousy Laurel, a mans home is supposed to be his castle. In that case a mans home is your castle and the game wardens - not cool!

- I wouldn't argue with a stomping deer, I've seen those things jump six ft high from a stance, those hoofs can do some damage (and I don't mean only to the garden!)

☺

Sounds kind of "fishy" to me!

Bow hunting is another way to thin the herd. They're finding that fewer and fewer young people are hunting these days and that's one reason the deer are over populating. There is also the lack of natural predators with human encroachment. Deer are survivors, believe it or not. They have learned how to live near man. The watershed committee I helped to establish acknowledges that the deer are a major factor in changing the forest understory with the amount of browsing they've done. Many native plants have been eaten away, leaving the forest susceptible to invasives.

Lack of predators, hunting curbs and suburban buffets are major reasons.

I'd get a bow then, they sell fancy ones at Walmart. Kind of bloody though and I don't think they'd drop instantly... Maybe a little too vicious for me. - Boy am I glad I dont have those critters, sorry you guys do! ☺

Poisonous tulips would be one answer.

This message was edited Apr 16, 2008 9:55 PM

Well let me know if you want to here the recent poaching, brain tanning, have hide and rack story. I'll DMail and spare the rest.

Good mornin.
How about a "splatball gun" with topical birthcontrole solution in the balls instead of paint.

JoAnn, that's a funny first post to read in the morning!

70's and sunny the next 2 days, and I'm finished with work until Tuesday!!

I am an early -to-bed person but have discovered the nite chat on DG is interesting , so I back read to the post times after 8:00 PM. They really go off in all directions,its fun to lurk.
The paintball idea came to me this winter.Still trying to protect the tulips, doesn't matter ,most of the tulips in tubs are rotted. Don't know what I did but same variety in the ground are doing well.
47* here due for 70's today.

40 and sunny. The birth control solution potential is always in the balls.

OMG--------------------That is a thread in another forum.
Something like that went through my mind while writting.
Count on Victor to bring it to light.LOL
Jo Ann

Glorious morning 47 now. Forecast.today...Sunny. Highs in the mid 50s. Northeast winds 10 to 20 mph.

Out to move a couple of big lacecaps as they get to much morning sun where they are. Need to move a spirea so I can put one of the hydrangea in it's spot. Musical plants. I have to finish planting some perennials and edge just two more bed. Then I am off to the farm to pick up a some violas and a couple of other things. I am going to try to get to the nursery to check on Japanese Maples, but I think their big shipment isn't coming until next week when we are in New Orleans. I can't complain. We had a meeting with the farm owner about helping us replace part of our deer fence with a better looking solution, but it would require bringing in a tractor with a pole driver. Far too invasive to the planting, so we will do it my hand when we get back. I am determined. We finished the stream except for planting yesterday. Very pleased. Lots of new kids blooming.

I Hoping the deer and rabbits have big ears and heard all the chatter on this thread last night and are scared to death of what might happen if they to venture into my garden. I give them the front yard. Greedy that they want it all.

I don't mind hunting, but I hate irresponsible hunters. I saw a hunter in my neighbors yard some years ago. She was at work and her kids at school, but in my house were 15 young kids (4 to 10 year olds) in a independent school we started who were about to go out to play in my yard only 200 yds away. He said he didn't think anyone lived in these houses in the winter. Duh, he had no right to be on her land in my opinion. Period. Sign or no sign. We live right on the fringe of hundreds of acres of open undeveloped land, but it was far easier or him to park in her driveway and stand on a nice lawn near a deer path than go into the brush. He didn't have the safety on either. Frightening. Birth control for the deer would be a blessing. Plus I want hunting only to be allowed on posted land that clearly states that hunters are welcome, not the other way around in areas that are so populated. It should be obvious that I don't want anyone trespassing for any reason on my property without a having to post an ugly sign, which the hunters just take down anyway, even if they want to shoot the dreaded deer. Patti

This is to be a fine day, with temps in the 70s! Love, love, love it!

I like the paintball idea, too. My sons would be willing to paintball the deer with birth control! And it would be a humane solution to the burgeoning population. I've seen where some areas plagued by the Canada geese find the nests and coat the eggs with cooking oil to control the numbers. Can't do that with deer.

Victor, you are too funny! I burst out laughing and had to recount this whole deer-thing so my husband would understand that I wasn't crazy.

Patti, I agree with you about irresponsible hunters. Our area used to be considered rural, and to the newest arrivals it must still seem to be. We have one yahoo that thinks he can sit on his back deck and fire his weapon of choice back through the woods. Although his property is adjacent to ours the homes are not. He doesn't get that we actually use our woods for walking and to enjoy the creek in the back. He's more about shooting the muskrats. In the summer, he and his kids set off fireworks over the trees. Morons. A few visits from the cops have helped. - Lynn

Temps going up 60 now.
Song Sparrow in the pines ,I have waited for this all winter.

Well, before I go out & rake AGAIN I have surely laughed---Victor, you have the quips perfectly! Laurel, I was not in the fine arts program at U of Miami--went down for a lark after my 1st year of teaching---took English courses, & had a prof from Wellsley who was at Miami for health reasons--she said to me on the 1st day something in German--- I look confused--she couldn't believe I was a grad student who wasn't familiar with that German quote--glad I didn't go to Wellsley--but I finished off my masters at Wesleyan--only went back to watercolor painting when I retired. Patti--you are the Energizer Bunny--Amy--after I reread my post I'm laughing about the pot--too funny--but those hermit crabs were NOT funny--I checked the bed every night!

74 today......
tommorrow 78-80.
where did spring go.

For us, Spring will be back this weekend and next week. This week is a bit of an anomaly for us.

Currently the skies are clear
62°
Wind: Southerly at 6mph
Humidity: 27%
Dewpoint: 28°
Pressure: 30.17 in. and steady
Sunrise: 6:00 am
Sunset: 7:31 pm

Almanac Stuff
Normal High: 58°
Normal Low: 33°
Record High: 94° in 2002
Record Low: 18° in 1908

Sunrise Tomorrow: 5:58 am
Sunset Tomorrow: 7:32 pm

Moonrise: 5:03 pm
Moonset: 4:35 am

Next New Moon: Monday, May 04, 2008
Next Full Moon: , April 19, 2008
Today's Moon: gibbous, waxing
Tomorrow's Moon: gibbous, waxing
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The babies are 'napping', and I'm going outside with my camera, and maybe a small rake.

How tall are your miscanthus Victor? What are you going to do with them????

They get about 6-7 feet. They've already been sprayed with Brush-B-Gone so they're dead. They get put out with other garden debris for the town to take.

sigh.

If I didn't spray them I would never have gotten them out. As it is, it was a major undertaking. They still weigh a ton. I'm waiting for the soil to dry out so I can beat the soil off them.

It has gone from OK to kinda hot. We New Englanders need a bit of time to adjust to hot.

Temp 73.5° Wind NNE 4.0 mph. ☺

This afternoon my Magnolia "exploded" ! ☺

Gorgeous, WC! The magnolias up here have also begun to bloom (I don't have one).

Beautiful, WC! How old/big is it?

Beautiful magnolia WC.

Too busy to look at temps today, but it had to be around 80 degrees. Now that the last cold blast is gone blackeyed Susan vine seedlings went into the window boxes with the yellow trailing lantana. I did garden prep, planted bush beans and Dixie butter peas. We were supposed to be back in Atlanta today. We're so bad. Must be back tomorrow. Next week we can start all the hot season plants while we're thinning the cool season plants. Garden life fast tracks here. Eggplants, okra, peppers, McCaslins (an old time Southern heirloom snap bean) will be going in.

Robindog thanks for the fill in. You must have cooked at U of M in summer. Hope you had fun. I hated it and wanted to go to the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I had seen snow once by then and the glamorous life of a northerner was for me! Skies, sleds and walking on tennis rackets. I had never known what people did with old tennis rackets until I went to the north. Anyway, the folks nixed my life plan as they were from the North and thought I was ungrateful for wanting to migrate in reverse. I blamed their repressive attitude on my rebelliousness and still have that old tennis racket strung in gut. Just need one more and I can move northward.

63 and clear. Beautiful day. Warmer tomorrow. Have my new plant order to get in the ground.