Battle Against the Deer: trying an in-ground garden.

Our raised bed garden has done much better this year in terms of producing crops.  But I have gotten to the point where I am tired of the cramped space.  Raised bed may be more “efficient” to some people but I grew up with the traditional long row of single crops type garden my whole life and we did just fine. So I have taken it upon myself to give it a try, regardless of the fact that we have crazy amounts of deer in the area.  I’m hopeful though because a) it has been a wet spring so hopefully the deer are happy and have food in the woods, and b) I have a game plan. 

My neighbors Mark and Linda, are convinced that we have super deer that are impervious to all tricks we throw at them.  But since I’m young and (as my grandma would say) full of piss and vinegar I am determined to not be out smarted by them. I have been researching ways to repel deer so here is the plan:

1. Place garden fairly close to the house
2. Build an admittedly short, but hopefully effective fence around the garden made of garden stakes and fishing line.  My theory is that the deer will touch the line, but since they can’t see it is will freak them out and make them go elsewhere. 
3. Use spray and pod deer repellant, and possible some squirrel stuff too since they can be annoying. 
4. Put something that moves and is shiny like a windmill in or around the garden to deter pests.

I also had a crazy idea for this fall.  I know for a fact the deer never touch my daffodils since they are poisonous to them, so the idea of planting lots of buttercups around the garden has occurred to me.  Sadly they don’t last throughout the summer, so I don’t know why effective it could be.  But they are pretty so it couldn’t hurt. 

So this is the plan.  I’m hoping and praying it works so I can finally enjoy a real garden.  Even though it is June it is not too late plant some things like corn, green beans, carrots, and squash. I have a spot mapped out in my head and will post updates as things progress so stay posted

If you have any tips about how to keep deer away from your garden and plants you would like to share, post in the comments!

What's in My Garden? Bella Anna Hydrangea

I love Hydrangeas.  I think I can officially call them my favorite flower, which I guess is evident in the fact that I used them in all my wedding flowers.  Last year I decided to try a Bella Anna Hydrangea, not to be confused with the Annabelle Hydrangea which comes in white.  Technically the Bella Anna is a type of Annabelle.  I chose this one mostly because I loved the antique pink colored blooms.  Their blooms tend to be made up of smaller flowers in clusters, as opposed to the bigger flowers in cluster you see with the original mop head hydrangea.

Common Name: Bella Anna (part of the Annabelle family)
Scientific Name: Hydrangea arborescens
Brand: Endless Summer
Sun: Full Sun to Part shade.  Prefers morning sun with afternoon shade or dappled light.
Soil: Prefers acidic soil. To help acidify soil naturally, take used tea and place it under the plants. 
Size: 3-5' by 3-5'
Water:I always water them about twice a week when there is no rain, or when they look droopy.
Fertilize: Use a handful of fertilizer at planting and again in early March.  They make special acid loving fertilizers you add to water as well, but avoid using when plant is in full bloom. 
Pruning: Deadheading spent flowers will encourage new buds to set and bloom throughout the year.
Endless Summer flowers can grow on both old and new wood so there is no need to prune in the early spring with the Bella Anna.  Only prune if you want to make the bush smaller in early spring before blooming starts.
Wintertizing:  The first 2 years you have your plant,cover the base with extra mulch to protect from extreme weather.

I got the Bella Anna because I wanted something to in the part of my garden that is pretty much under my deck and thought a hydrangea would do well since they like dappled light and some sun comes through the deck boards.  Sadly I was pretty much wrong.  Bella Anna needs quite a bit more sun than that and I could tell it wasn't doing well when the blooms, which started off pink, started to turn green.  I kept it there through the winter, which may have saved it since it got some cover from the weather by being under the deck.  We had a terrible winter with temperatures below 0 some days.

I knew the Bella Anna wasn't happy where it was when I noticed all my other mop heads were starting to sprout and the Bella Anna was doing nothing.  So I decided to move it to a bit sunnier spot.   ended up moving it to the North west portion of my flower bed, where it would be a bit shaded by a trellis at times but still get a good dose of full sun during the day as well.

Even after moving I still didn't see much growth and was pretty sure it was dead,but then all of a sudden ...



So she's not dead yet! (did anyone else just think of Monty Python?)  She's taking her time, but it looks like slowly she will come back to life.  Sadly one thing I also did wrong was I pruned back the old wood so I'll have to wait till next year to get any real good growth.

Keep and eye out for updates!