Deer Versus Garden

Here's the "Before" Photo...More Pics Coming Soon

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     The extent of my gardening experience can pretty much be summed up in a paltry little paragraph: 

     I used to plant seeds in styrofoam cups in elementary school to give to Mom for Mother's Day. (After I got that seed or two to sprout, it was all on her now, baby.)  I've cared for and maintained potted flowers given to me as gifts over the years with about a dismal 30 percent success rate.  And I never really had any kind of luck with those little plant kits that used to be in Sugar Smacks (the cereal with the frog on the box) back in the seventies.

     Does anyone remember those plastic little boxes with the green sponge and packet of seeds?  Maybe you didn't have much luck with them either then.

      Well, all these little historic failures growing and keeping flowers are not going to daunt my plan to build a garden at the cabin.  I am intent on adhering to the Michael Jordan school of thought on failure: "I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." 

       I am also singing and sticking to that oh-so-true Beatles tune:  "I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends."

     Without the direction of the many people in my life who actually do know what they are doing when it comes to designing a garden of flowers without cursing them to inevitable doom, I would not have even begun this venture of planning a natural little haven of peace in the cabin yard.

      So, the first challenge has been to determine what plants will co-exist with the lovely deer who come to visit me regularly.  We've built a good, trusting relationship, and I don't want to blow it. 

     Many of you who actually know what you are doing got me on track with contributing to creating a list of flowers deer are likely to ignore ~ unless they have nothing else to eat.  (I ty to feed them well so that does not happen.)

     Anyway, I built my first raised flower bed using rock I collected around the cabin and planted purple salvia in it.  You can see from my video, Deer V. Garden, Part 1, that, no sooner had I planted the flowers, two deer came to inspect my work.  They looked it over and left.

     After a week, I went back to the cabin, where I found the salvia there, clearly untouched by the deer, but not really looking so hot.  They weren't looking so, well...purple.  As I said, I am no expert, but for a flower named purple salvia, that can't be right.

     I guess I will get a better sense of their well-being when I go back next week to have a look at them.  If they need some doctoring, I know just who to call ~ all you wonderful folk with years of growing beautiful gardens. 

     And hopefully a minor failure will turn out to be the beginning of a successful project.

     Have a wonderful week.