A little trouble here, a little solution there

Mon. May. 20, 2019

Click below to listen to my  2 min. Garden Bite radio show:  A little trouble here, a little solution there

I had one of those weeks last week where you’re dealing with little this and that’s.  A little trouble here, a little solution there.

Beet tops eaten by bunnies in 2018 – TROUBLE

I’ve had rabbits enjoy living under my back porch which has a lattice fencing around it, a great place for bunnies to hop on under.

Lattice that makes it easy for the bunnies to hop on in

After getting pricked by a rose branch or eight last week I decided, aside from the Plantskydd that I use around my vegetable garden, I was going to use those branches to deter the bunnies.  

A thorny SOLUTION

I figure if it hurts my skin, it’s not going to feel good to a rabbit either, even if they do have fur. I arranged the branches to make it very uncomfortable for them.  

I also had to replace some shrubs that were ruined by the roofing company. It’s a long drop from a steep roof to the ground where my button bushes were struggling and the final blow came from a tear off where they removed 2 layers of shingles.

Button bush trouble

Of course, that meant I got to go plant shopping!  I didn’t want the same thing but I wanted some flair, some flash, some False Spirea. This shrub adds texture, colors, some flowering and the right size.

False Spirea up close

It’s full name is Sem False Spirea and the emerging spring fern-like foliage is pink to red then turns chartreuse and as the seasons roll on, it’s green. Showy panicles of little white flowers also show up in the Spring. It will grow about 4 ft by 4 ft and will tolerate the part sun it will get at my foundation.

Planted False Spirea on May 11th

We were also supposed to get our streets redone by the City this year, that won’t happen due to other issues but I found out that my butterfly garden plants are too tall for the corner.  That’s TROUBLE – the SOLUTION is to prune the taller plants back in early June.