August’s Garden Update

September has suddenly graced us with it’s presence.  From the instantly cooler temperatures to the passing of Labor Day weekend, it’s clear that fall has made it’s arrival.

However, I really want to live in denial a little longer.  As much as I love the crunching of leaves and sweater weather, August departed all too early and I’m still longing for the warm summer sun.  Plus, I’d really like some more time in the garden – which has in all actuality turned to a weed plot with a few dahlia’s poking through.

If you remember in my last update, I had the beginnings of a few lush dahlias plants and a couple slow starters.  Throughout the last month, I watched some steady growth and then suddenly, the leaves started disappearing and were replaced by blunt ends.  I have a theif in my garden.  At first, it wasn’t quite obvious who the culprit was.  Perhaps a little groundhog or bunny rabbit.  But as the plants grew, I knew it was the handy work of our taller woodland friends, the deer were eating my dahlias.

Slowly, my little buds began disappearing from my plants and my heart sank.  So much time and effort had be placed into growing these and the deer were treating them like dinner.  I had read in serveral places that deer really don’t like dahlias or might eat them only if there weren’t better options availible, so I really didn’t stress about putting up a fence or other boundry.  There are 3 apple trees within a few yards of my plants, bursting with fruit.  We have 6 acres of other greens, grasses and treats.  And yet they were eating my dahlias.

However, I found a little home remedy that seems to be doing the trick.  A little concovtion of water, egg, garlic and cayenne seems to be teaching these pesky deer a lesson.  I now have several buds back on my plants and have actually seen two flowers bloom.  The anemone mix have produced two beautiful yellow flowers and my cafe au laits finally have buds and I cannot wait for these beauties to bloom.  My slow starters are growing but I’m yet to see any signs of flowers, hopefully they’ll produce something before the first frost – which I fear will be really early this year.

And those gorgeous white fluffy flowers there?  Those are not my dahlias.  But I did use them for a wedding a couple weeks again, gathered from a Grand Rapids grower and they were simply heavenly. The single yellow ray of sunshine is all mine though.