Dear GHG

4/24/2017

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

Someone's on his way to the barber.

What have you done with my hair?

Really, dear, it's for your own good.

This Won't Hurt a Bit.

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

Kathryn link

4/24/2017 10:50:57 am

Good to see you post! Your garden looks beautiful, even if it is a constant battle with the critters.

Galloping Horse Garden link

4/25/2017 03:39:11 am

Thank you. It's trick photography, I assure you.

Joan

4/24/2017 07:03:17 pm

Haha!

Galloping Horse Garden link

4/25/2017 03:40:42 am

If I didn't laugh I'd cry. Sometimes I do both.

Indie link

4/25/2017 05:42:44 am

Dear Wretched in Raleigh, I know what you are going through. My current solution to the problem is to dream about sneaking lilies into my only fenced-in space, which is the veggie garden. Flowers bring in pollinators, which are good for veggie gardens, right?

Galloping Horse Garden link

4/25/2017 07:26:13 am

Yes, and mixing vegetables and flowering plants is trendy. So it's a win-win.

Jason link

4/25/2017 08:46:24 am

I agree with your advice! A garden full of Spirea and the like - ugh, what a depressing prospect. At Mt. Cuba Center we noticed there was a huge deer fence.

Galloping Horse Garden link

4/25/2017 03:36:27 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.

Jason B Kay link

5/16/2017 01:11:55 pm

Great! See you there!

Beth @ PlantPostings link

4/25/2017 06:01:26 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.

Galloping Horse Garden link

4/26/2017 02:28:19 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.

Sue link

4/26/2017 12:49:54 pm

My new neighborhood has a roving band of deer and last year the sprays worked but every year is different and I'm adding more garden space. Time will tell...

Great to hear you're going to the Fling! I look forward to seeing you there!

Galloping Horse Garden link

4/26/2017 02:30:00 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 02:42:47 pm

Sarah, the garden looks stunning! Whatever you are doing, it seems to be working. Good luck this year.

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