 Is it worth it? Back yard, summer 2016. Dear GHG, I have a problem. I'm always falling for the wrong plants. Oriental lilies, phlox, heucheras - everything that deer and rabbits love, I love too. I've tried Liquid Fence, I Must Garden, Wireless Deer Fence, cayenne pepper, Schmoogie's hair, rabbit netting, wire cloches, and a fishing line fence, and still my heart gets broken. The garden smells like rotten eggs and the plants look like they are in jail. My friends and family think I'm nuts and my shrink gave me a copy of Oh Grow Up Already: How to Stop Lusting After Lilies and Learn to Love the Boring, Dependable Plants That Bambi Would Never Look Twice At. I know it's messed up but I can't seem to stop. What do you think? Am I wrong to hold out for what I truly want? Should I settle for spirea? Signed, Wretched in Raleigh
Dear Wretched, Imprisoning your garden in chicken wire and fishing line is perfectly normal behavior and a small price to pay for having an Asiatic Lily like Pearl Jennifer actually bloom, even with a few bites taken out. Fire your shrink. With the money you save, you could have a real fence installed. That fishing line fence of yours is joke and there are buds on Pearl Jennifer. Signed, GHG  Asiatic Lily "Pearl Jennifer." Very tasty.  Free me from my chains. My garden, summer 2016.
14 Comments
Joan
4/24/2017 10:03:17 pm
Haha! 4/25/2017 10:26:13 am
Yes, and mixing vegetables and flowering plants is trendy. So it's a win-win. 4/25/2017 06:36:27 pm
Deer fences are the way to go. Too bad I realized that only after the garden was planted. BTW, I enjoyed your Mt Cuba posts. I'm going to the Bloggers Fling and look forward to meeting you in person. 4/25/2017 09:01:26 pm
Oh yes, I feel your pain. Some plants find a way to survive with fences and ornamental onions surrounding them (and various other tricks). But others must find another garden and another day. Your garden looks fabulous, no matter what. 4/26/2017 05:28:19 pm
Thanks, Beth. At my old house, I thought I had it figured out - some dog hair and some spray and I was mostly fine (mostly). But at the new house it's a whole different ball game. 4/26/2017 05:30:00 pm
I like to thing of them as gangs of deer. The fling was a last minute decision on my part but I'm glad I decided to go. I'm looking forward to meeting you there.
Anne Himmelfarb
4/26/2017 05:42:47 pm
Sarah, the garden looks stunning! Whatever you are doing, it seems to be working. Good luck this year. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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AuthorThe Galloping Horse Gardener is a native New Yorker who packed it in in 2005 to live under the radar in Cary, North Carolina. In 2014, she removed to a new secure location somewhere in Raleigh. Archives
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