Salad by Moonlight
He didn't sleep well last night. We probably should have turned on the floor fan in our bedroom to shelter Tsuga from the curse of excellent canine hearing. How many times--six? ten?--did he jump up in the dark, spinning his wheels on the hardwood floor, racing to the window at the back porch to bark in his labrador baritone like a Hound of Hell. He could hear cloven hooves on the walkway that we peacefully would have slept through.
This morning, the Hostas by the footbridge have been masticated to nothing more than a bristling porcupine-ish ball of clipped stems. Ah, the country life.
Comments
With us, these days, it is raccoons feasting nightly in the mulberry trees that causes the canine symphonies. First we teach the dogs to be watchdogs. Then we yell at them for doing their jobs. Sigh. Yawn.
Posted by: Deb from Iowa | June 28, 2004 9:29 AM
We tried some deer repellent that contains coyote urine among other things, and so far have been able to save the rest of our hostas. It's too expensive and doesn't go far enough, but then what doesn't?
Say, Fred, click my name at the bottom of this post and see what it does to "Stand Tall." My 3-column blog looks like Tsuga poop in your little window. Should I adjust something on my blog? Can you allow readers to adjust the size of the window in which you present comments?
Posted by: Reno | June 28, 2004 10:28 AM
one wonders how coyote urine is collected in quantities large enough to sell. It must surely be a hellish existence for the coyote. Rather than buy repellents that cause suffering in another creature, why not dare to be different and plant something other than hostas? Hopefully your 'ah, country life' comment comes straight from the heart. Besides, just imagine what coyote urine will do to Tsuga's territorial instincts!!
Posted by: Lisa | June 28, 2004 12:25 PM
maybe some white noise will mask the trippings of tiny cloven hooves?
Posted by: lyn | June 28, 2004 1:11 PM
It's simple enough to collect coyote urine. Just disguise a receptacle as a quaint, clematis-covered mailbox and they'll pee on it everytime. There are a number of homemade substitutes for animal urine. One is to break a raw egg into a quart of water, shake well, and spray on the plants. But one wonders about the chicken that might have evolved from that egg. There, I've gone and ruined my whole day.
Posted by: Reno Bailey | June 28, 2004 1:41 PM
Human hair clippings worked for me...the deer hate the hair in their mouth...who doesn't? A visit to the Barber shop will provide a bag to try...and yes, the locals will have a good snicker at your expense...but I saved a bougainvilla by dusting it with hair clippings. Your county may have disposal regs that classify hair as human waste...some do...so you'd have to collect/clip your own...but it doesn't take much.
The other thing I discovered by accident is that the anti-frost spray "Cloud Cover" repels deer, they don't like the slippery mouth feel and it's non-toxic.
Seems deer are real picky about mouth feel...which is way funny given that brambles such as roses are a perferred browse.
Posted by: feste | June 28, 2004 2:03 PM