Oh dear, not the deer again!

Although most gardeners in rural Nova Scotia are familiar with the dietary habits of white-tailed deer (croccuses, tulips, eunonymous and yews), some deer in the Chester area have expanded their culinary regimes. This spring, their favourite salads have included day lilies, bearded iris and even hyacinths.

A common feature of gardens in our area is the chic "square tip" leaf that is seen on selected spring-flowering bulbs. In the photo below, note the exact line of the cut made at the growing tip of many the spears on this clump of iris. Our deer aren't slackers when it comes to precision work!

We welcome photos showing the pruning techniques of deer in your area as well as any gardening tips which we can pass on to followers of the blog. This week we have two tips submitted by members of the CGC.

First, when planning a new garden bed, remember to consider the amount of sun and shade it willl receive, the size of the flowerbed you can maintain and, of course, the height and the colours of the plants you want to grow.

Second, for those with established gardens that include large clumps of perennials, remember that summer-flowering perennials can be divided as soon as growth appears in the spring.

Sounds as though we can start right away (as soon as we spray an anti-deer potion around the beds!)

_________________________________________________