Backyard Gardener

This morning the bees are busy at the Black and Blue Salvia planted near my back porch. I can hear the gurgle of the water as it jumps in the fountain. A few birds are calling back and forth. What will today bring to the garden in my backyard?

When we first moved into this home, rabbits had been living under the back porch. We brought into their world two miniature Schnauzers and a hobby gardener. I’m sure they were quite distressed. Although the bunhies were cute, they also quickly became one of my biggest adversaries. Exactly what flowers could I grow that my nibble master companions wouldn’t eat? I did the obligatory search on rabbit resistant plants and was somewhat dismayed. Several years later and after an introduction to rabbit and deer repellant spray, I have come to a happy resolution.
Currently, some of the plants that grace my backyard are hosta, verbena, all kinds of salvias, cone flower, black-eyed-susan, zinnia, and daylilies. I’m trying a few lariope plants in the back this year. The lariope out front has been clipped down repeatedly by the bunnies. I have sprayed the daylilies religiously with repellant and so far it works great. I first used repellant after deer topped all of the just ready to bloom daylily buds. Apparently they’re a delicacy.

So what is happening today? As I sit and write this, a goldfinch has landed on the zinnia my daughter planted in a hanging basket. They love to sit among the flowers and eat the seed. It doesn’t always leave a beautiful flower, but it’s fascinating to watch. I first saw this behavior a few weeks ago in my zinnia planting. Some of the positions the birds get into to reach the seed are amusing. They jump about, usually in pairs, looking for the tastiest bits. Their color camouflaging perfectly with the flowers. It’s their movement that gives them away. Next year I’d like to put in a mass grouping of sunflowers for the same reason. I’ll have to remember to get started on that early in the season.