February Newsletter 2024
Peckin’ away
at winter
“The icy northern blast sweeps by,
From wild wastes of the Arctic snow;
Above us droops a wintry sky,
A bleak white landscape lies below.
But, ‘neath the chilly Polar blast,
A low, sweet undertone I hear:
”The wintry storms will soon be past,
And pleasant Spring-time days are near.”
At this time of year even with snow on the ground we are thinking about what’s beneath. For our team, it’s a much needed time for reflection and planning the upcoming season.
We had a great crew in 2023! You will again see many familiar faces in the 2024 season. We are thankful for their plant passion and bringing their knowledge and experience to the gardens. We are focussing this season on setting up our third garden care crew with properties in close proximity to yours. If you know of any good people looking for garden care please send them our way.
This is a common time of year when deer and rodents become desperate for food. Deer will browse on nearly anything that peeks out above the snow. They are particularly fond of evergreens and young shoots, resulting in misshapen shrubs and barren stems. You can identify deer browse damage by stripped foliage or the frayed breakage on stems.
Rodents, on the other hand, will munch on the bark and roots of plants (like in the images below). If they damage the cambium layer (the nutrient and water transport system), the plant could be irreparably damaged.
We suggest using a combination of several go-to deterrents for deer and rodents. A simple diluted cocktail of soap and cayenne pepper (or that inedible hot sauce that’s sat in your cupboard for years) sprayed on the foliage and stems should do the trick. Hanging bars of fragrant soap is also an effective way of warding off the browsing deer. Finally, sonic repellants produce high-frequency sounds to irritate rodents (skip the solar- and battery-powered ones for winter). If the deer and rodents seem to outsmart all your defense techniques, we’d recommend hiring a pest control expert. For deer, there are local businesses who will spray a non-toxic deterrent that lasts several months.
Enjoy the snow while it’s still here! If you have any mid-winter dreams about your garden that you’d like to discuss, please reach out.
All our best,
The Garden Life Team
