Gardening as therapy.

More amusement yesterday and today from the local felines...

I wrote sometime ago that the neighbor's tortoiseshell and the younger sleek black cat began a venture together in my garden, but the tortie decided she didn't want any company and chased her younger sibling back out of my yard.

I guess she wanted to be the sole queen of the mouse squad.

Yesterday I saw that younger sis has now assumed the role of queen of the squirrel squad, as I saw her go after a black squirrel and chase it out of the yard. She really seemed to enjoy herself, but I was glad she didn't climb the fence and follow it into a neighbor's yard, as some of them aren't very critter friendly.

Eventually she surveyed and staked out her own dominion, then suddenly bounded away up back to the house and next door into her own yard.

I recall that my cats used to have spurts of energy when they'd run up and down the stairs, jump up on the refrigerator, and literally zoom through the house. It was always so much fun to watch them.

Then today one of the neighbor's 3 cats came to visit my father's house. A very friendly and loving cat, she was definitely in the mood for attention, hoisting her back end up to be scratched, laying down and rolling in the leaves, snuggling up to have her head scratched, and purring all the time. She really was a sweetie.

Regardless of what might be stressing me out, just petting and playing with a friendly feline takes away all the tension.

Windy, since you're joined us on this forum, I'm confident you too will become a garden connoisseur, so I used the species name for butterfly bushes.

Anti-dessicants are used to protect plants from moisture loss when harsh winds beat them about during the winter, and the ground is frozen so the plants aren't taking in as much moisture. From what I've read, evergreens are especially vulnerable as they have so much foliage that doesn't die back.

CWillie raises an interesting point I missed - the foliage on your butterfly bush will probably join the exodus from other bushes and trees, and your bush will be left bare over the winter. The burlap corral (as these wraps sometimes resemble) will help it retain some moisture and dry out excessively.

If you do stake and wrap, leave plenty of space between the bushes and the stakes - I used to create a little corral around all my baby evergreens, leaving maybe 1.5 or so feet around the edge to allow for mulch and breathing space. The evergreens at that point were probably no more than a foot tall.

It varies, though, and especially in your are where I'm assuming you get a lot of strong winds from Lakes Michigan and Superior.

You could also use the beach fencing that I've seen on some dunes.

LOL Buddleias are butterfly bushes Windy. They are probably going to die back to the ground like perennials where you live, so just be sure to mulch them well this Fall. And they are kind of slow to get started in the Spring, so don't give up on them too early next year.

Buddleias? Anti dessicant buffer?

Windy, mulch your buddleias well, very, very well. You can also create a wind and anti-dessicant buffer by putting in stakes to create a circle around the bushes; wrap burlap around the stakes, leave a decent sized space around each bush so that it isn't smothered by mulch, and add oak leaves inside. They don't decompose as easily as other leaves do and will last longer, especially in an Antarctic type winter environment like Northern Michigan and the UP have.

Oh, you will let go, trust me. If you get into the wiring in your house it's likely to be 120 Volts Alternating current. It pulses 60 times per second, hence 60 cycle term, and is for all practical purposes continuous. If hubby tosses you the hair dryer in the tub the voltage and current keep flowing. Your heart and other internal organs do not like their electrons being rearranged by electricity. Your muscles tend to lock up making it very hard to hand the hair dryer back to hubby and you can die.

An electric fence is direct current and it pulses, on and off. It's a very high voltage because in some cases the electricity has to travel for miles, but it's very low current which is the electrical property that kills you. The fence charger has a capacitor which is like a battery, the capacitor charges up, fires, then recharges about once oer second. When you grab the fence wire you get shocked at a very low current and then it goes away and you pull your hand away very quickly. It hurts but won't kill you. I don't think......

So there you have it: everything you've always wanted to know about electric fences but were afraid to ask.

Send, I can't lift things as heavy as I usta could but my wife keeps me around anyway. My motto used to be: I may not be very smart or handsome but I can lift heavy things.........

Btw, I planted some butterfly bushes beside my new tractor shed this spring and they came in like gangbusters. I wonder if they'll survive the long winter up here.

Garden, you mentioned having to appease mother nature with flowers and stuff for the critters to eat? Hold on a minute while I go and ask the burning bush.

Windy, glad you made it over to the therapy site. I don't have a rocking chair, do have a husband (a fellar), he can't lift heavy things so he leaves the heavier bicycle at home; our dog was well trained and housebroken, and could you tell me what happens if someone does not let go of an electric pulse fence?

GA-I cant find any Iris bulbs, they are all sold out. I should have started looking in August/ September. I had no idea they were so popular. Thank you for the website. Schreiner's and Springhill Nursery are sold out too. Bulbs Direct has some but a little pricey at $4.50 each bulb. I will look online some more tonight after work. I want purple or blue but may have to wait until next year.

GA....first, to answer your Q from yesterday re: berries in the winter on my serviceberries.....Alas, no, even in fall.....I see no more berries.....kinda bums me out but glad you asked....I am now aware....wonder if these plants are M/F and have to be planted as such to propagate (like hollies).....I'll have to look into it....
Second....Windy....you know a whole lot about all this general " gardening" stuff....I'm generally a "try whatever....see how it works out" person....(usually, not the greatest result, lol)...BUT, you are correct.....great thread....stay w/us.....thirdly....GA....wow....you have no deer? I have lots of deer (and this is probably NOT GOOD for them)....they run thru my backyard (backs up to woods)...and also out front...in fact, I've seen them (along w/my neighbors) just trotting down our street....more than once....

I wouldn't need cannons to create loud booms. One of the neighbors likes sports and turns up the radio to full blast during football season. His house is a good 200' away from mine and I can hear the plays being called out in my dining room. Maybe he should go into the animal scaring business.

Between that and a poor lonely dog that's left outside for about an hour at a time, and who barks constantly every time I go back in that area of the yard, I don't worry too much about critters.

I wasn't aware that the fences were pulse systems. I have visions of someone grabbing them, being stuck and unable to let loose and being electrocuted violently like in some of those horror or crime movies.

There are some plants that don't interest deer, and I believe I've read of plants that do repel them. In my area, we don't have any deer, so they haven't been an issue. Actually it would be exciting to see some, so I'd probably just plant extra for them.

Hey guys! This is a really cool thread. You guys know lots of stuff! I'm kind of a gardening dunce but after reading some previous posts I thought you may find some of the northern MI ag stuff interesting.

I'm up in the far north western tip of MI. It's cherries, apples and vineyards up here. We have everything from the family farm with a couple of orchards to the really big guys with hundreds of acres.

The discussions of critter control interests me. We used to put out small kitchen gardens but lost the battle very quickly to the deer and raccoons. So we gave up and just buy our produce at a farm stand down the road. Let him do all the work. But here's some stuff the farmers and gardeners do up here to fend off the critters.

The vineyard guys, large and small, drape all the vines with tight mesh netting as the fruit ripens, otherwise the birds, deer and coons would get it all. I see people also do this with berry bushes. Farmers even use orchard cannons which are propane powered and make loud booms to scare off birds and deer. I feel very soon for the retirees who bought the place next to these guys.

For veggie gardens up here you gotta have a rabbit and deer proof fence. The conventional method is posts and chicken wire but that's a pain if you have a large garden. Deer can jump an 8 foot fence if you have stuff they really like. Coons will dig under. Serious gardeners use electric fences similar to what I use for our horse pastures. A primer:

Electric fences don't kill people, pets or wild animals but if any of the latter ever come in contact with an electric fence they will never touch it again. This applies to the higher functioning critters like me, down to a possum with a brain the size of a pea.

The reason electric don't kill is its a pulse system. It charges in pulses so if you grab the wire the voltage goes away in the next second, you scream, jump back and vow to never do that again. Critters have the same reaction. We rarely turn our horse fence on any more. Our boys both got bit years ago and won't even get close. I even have some pasture with fake elec wire. It's not hooked up to anything but the horses ain't taking any chances.

For gardens the wires need to be closer to the ground, think racoon height. And keep the weeds trimmed to not interfere with the wires. You can get chargers that plug into an outlet but you can also get solar
chargers that work just as well. I used a solar charger on a small out of the way pasture for several years. I think it cost about $80.

You can get the stuff at farm stores like Tractor Supply or a bunch of on line sites, and there's plenty of instructional stuff on line. If you have a hubby, sig O, or anyone who likes to tinker with a little engineering tell them how much it would mean to you to have a nice electric fence. That's what my wife does and it works every time. I find myself getting into all sorts of challenging stuff. Some work, others.....don't want to talk about it.......

Mea culpa! Sorry!

Its black swallowtails that love parsley GA.
Your planting buckwheat reminded me of an incident with my aunt. Years ago she kept bees, and a new neighbour thought it would be a good idea to plant buckwheat in the spring. Of course it was flowering about the same time as the clover and spoiled her early honey, she wasn't a very happy camper! The neighbour was told that anybody with any sense knows to plant buckwheat as a fall crop! lol

Sharyn, I ADORE irises! They're just so beautiful and graceful.

So, what did you buy, and HOW MANY? It's hard to buy just a few. If you really want to be tempted, check Schreiner's website. Be prepared to sigh as soon as you reach the website.

Mina, I think the shade from the larger trees definitely blocked sun access to the serviceberries, especially depending on their location. The abandoned yard next door has 4 sets of massive trees just outside the south property border of my property, and completely block out sun all day long. Even the understory bushes are slow to turn color; the higher leaves turn the quickest.

But I think the cold weather should give everything a big boost toward the annual changing of colors. It would be interesting to measure the temperature at the base and top of these massive widowmakers, but I have no idea how to safely get to the top of the trees to take temperatures!


SendMe, if I recall correctly, you're in a California zone, so I'm not really sure what grows well there, but I do know that organic gardeners use chia seeds in cooking, in lieu of some thickeners such as cream of tartar. At one time I had posted on a gardening forum and got suggestions for alternates for sugar in freezer jams, and chia was one suggestion. They're really, really expensive here, so I should also be thinking about growing some next year.

So, yes, plant chias! If Zink likes them and you like Zink, plant more chias!

That gives me another idea. One year I planted buckwheat as a cover crop and also because it was early in my gardening life at this home and I had decided to harvest the buckwheat and make flour out of it. Lots of work, and I didn't even have a grinder.

But the surprise was the cardinals loved the buckwheat. I may have written this before, but it's worth sharing again. In a 12' x 12' buckwheat patch, one day I saw 12 male cardinals feeding. I've NEVER seen that many cardinals together at one time.

If you can grow certain varieties of clover (another cover crop), the bees will love you for it., and you'll be helping provide food for a pollinator species.

Assuming they'll tolerate your climate, you could also plant some of the low growing herbs such as creeping thyme. I've always liked sweet alyssum and absolutely adore Lambs' Ears. Sweet woodruff is pretty. Can you grow Lenten Roses, or is it too warm in your area? Some of the new varieties are really beautiful.

I would in turn ask what you'd like to grow for food or for color, and choose those.

I also had fun growing basil and sage varieties, especially the tri-colored sage. Rue had beautiful leaves but an awful odor. And I loved the mints - the more mints the better. Unfortunately, they never became invasive and often couldn't even hold their own against other herbs. Even my apple mint struggles to compete with lemon balm, another of my favorites.

Or grow parsley and provide food for monarch caterpillars. I've used Artemisia for wreaths. Once I also grew an herb that smelled so much like pineapple. I thought it was Sweet Annie Artemisia but it might have been pineapple sage.

When I plant next year, I'm going to put in more herbs that can be made into oils and lotions, especially the mints as they're soothing to tired feet. I'm also hoping chocolate mint will decrease my appetite for the real food!

Just strolling through the garden and pinching little leaves of herbs is a mood relaxer.



I'm PM'ing you a link for a nursery that provides California tolerant ground covers.

I've never tried to make wine from grapes; the birds ate all the grapes before they were harvest ready. But I did use the grapevines to make a dozen or so wreaths every year.

GardenArtist, don't think Windy needs therapy, but I need gardening advice.
Running out of things to plant, should maybe try the chia seeds to plant as grass?
Or a chia-pet for Zink, the Skink.?
It was my husband who told me that wine-making from grapes is very stinky, so I won't be planting any grapevines. (Fermenting the grapes/smells).

GA, you are asking a perfectly reasonable Q and I am rather embarrassed to say that I don't recall offhand if the berries stay thru winter. I'll check tomorrow in the daylight. I quite like the bushes tho....they flower in the Spring and then have beautiful orange leaves in fall. My burning bushes are just starting to turn red....rather late as I've seen brilliant red bushes for at least 10 days.....maybe it's their location....near some larger trees, perhaps too shady?

Mina, do the berries on the serviceberry bush last throughout the winter? I'm thinking of adding more shrubs that provide birds food during the cold months. I already have some yews, which the robins seem to like, but I'd like a lot more bushes, preferably deciduous ones to provide some winter color.

I'm surprised your burning bushes haven't turned yet; we saw some back in September that were already a cheery crimson.

I, too, took the knit hat survey....interesting because I've always lived so near Canada (Buffalo and Rochester, NY, Burlington, VT, Michigan) that I've spent a lot of time in Canada, and, being a skier (downhill and cross-country)....toque is a very common term to me. OTOH.....cwillie, picturing you w/toque and mittens completing a last lawn mowing before winter did make me laugh....I may have been there myself before I gave in and hired a lawn and snow removal service....
My seviceberries have hardly any leaves left and it's barely mid-October.....glad I took a photo last year: full and bright orange....gorgeous....maybe it's all the wind we've had the last couple of weeks.....my burning bushes have only barely begun to turn that brilliant red even tho as I drive around, they've been bright red everywhere....sure hope mine turn before all their leaves drop....
As far as hair....HUH....on the average day, I descibe my style as "elevated bedhead (meaning I've combed it thru and shook my head) with a spritz of hairspray".....and, since I've got a hair appt. tomorrow.....that is for sure what it's going to be until I get to the salon (yeah!)....ha!ha!

Caregiving brings on different issues. On the DYS. thread we talk about cooking and other things. I think if you are comfortable, talk about it.

Tomorrow I am going to look for iris bulbs to plant. It is still in the 90's here, ugh!! Bring on Autumn and rain!!

Thanks, gladimhere,
I answered the survey questions and signed up to get the results when it's finished. I learned some new names for these hats.

LOL! Looked online to see the difference between a stocking cap, beanie, toque... What an education! Google "The Great Knitted Cap Survey".

Toque? Knitted? Close fitting to the head? Stocking cap, beanie in US?

Makes me think I should change my avatar again.

Thanks for your answers! I'm getting an education. So my hat hair is nothing unusual. What a nuisance! It calls for a shampoo and hair drying.

I like the sound of Indian summer.

ROFL
Up here they call that hat hair, in the winter you always need to weigh the pros and cons of wearing a hat in the winter.
A toque is a knit winter hat, sorry I don't know what you Americans call them!
Indian summer is a period of mild weather after the first frost.

Hmmm..cwillie, What, exactly, is an "Indian summer"? I am no authority about it being pc or not! And, to further impress you with my ignorance, what is a toque? A jacket of some kind?
I'm glad to hear you don't have to get everything done before this weekend. That takes the pressure off. But cutting the grass in the cold sounds like it could be miserable. Especially if there's a wind where it seems to seep in every crevice of your clothing and make you feel the cold. I hope that doesn't happen.

The last time I was north and took a long brisk walk for exercise, When I came inside and removed my gloves, coat and hat, my hair was in big, wet clumps! Sort of like dreadlocks! I had no idea it was so wet or that I was sweating from my head. Very strange. Then I was stuck having to wash it. I don't wish that on anyone, including you when mowing your lawn.

LOL Colorsue, I don't have to do all my Fall work before the frost, it's just a lot more pleasant to get as much done as I can while the weather is nice! I hope we will have a lot more time before the snow flies, maybe a nice Indian Summer (is it still PC to call it that?), but in the past I have been seen cutting the grass that one last time in mittens and a toque!

GA-
Hooray for the wooley bear caterpillars' return!! It's always a pleasure to cheer nature on!
Sendme, I hope the trellis gets finished just the way you want it and the alarm does it's job!
And cheers for our cooler weather that's more than welcome here! We can actually start to wear some clothes that aren't for super hot weather. Niiiice! We just can't stay in the sunny areas for too long if we don't want to burn, and the shade is wonderful. Every growing thing is still beautiful and colorful here. I can't complain.
If anybody actually shaves a cat, I want pictures!! They should be funny. Humor is great medicine.
My hubby wants to go to the the University of South Florida's semi-annual plant sale. Lots of beautiful and unusual plants and trees there. Lots of tropicals. People come with their own very large carts (must bring on trucks) to shop and haul them away full of plants. Maybe we'll go. We'll have to take the truck. It's a plant lover's dream just to be there.
cwillie--sorry about the necessary fall work on such short notice due to expected frost next weekend. I'm not familiar with that work but it sounds frustrating when the plants are still blooming.

I spent the afternoon yesterday digging up the dahlias, pulling up annuals and emptying pots in preparation for winter. I had the clever (I thought) idea of putting sweet potato slips in with my flowers, so I had to dump out the pots to see what I would get... not much, unfortunately! I didn't have the heart to pull up the zinnias and marigolds yet as they are still so pretty, but they are now predicting frost by next weekend so that may finish them. The trees aren't ready to drop their leaves yet, so lots of Fall work still ahead.