UGGG! All GOD's Creatures

I love living in the woods, what I don't like is the destruction of all the animals that live here too.  I know, I know, it was their home first, but groundhogs are my arch nemesis, these guys are making me crazy.  They are so destructive!  They dig holes everywhere, have eaten just about every flower or bush I have planted, they come up on the deck and feast on plants there too, and have caused $100's of dollars worth of damage around my home.

So the hubby and I had to wage a war on these guys and borrowed a trap from a friend.  It took three days, some fresh strawberries and cantaloupe and we caught one! Boy did he stink.  I have tried everything over the years to humanely deter them, but they just became immune to all the things I've used.  I was so relieved when we got him, and now everything would have a chance to grow......

 Or so I thought! Yea, that didn't work either.  I found another one proudly "standing his ground" on my front lawn.....

 and another one without a care eating clover .....

 And another one in the back yard. Evidently this is HIS family's homestead and he's not moving. UGGG! I have been defeated, I think.

Garden of Weedin'

Me and the hubby got motivated by the warm weather on Saturday, and cleaned out the flower beds in the front of the house.  After three full wheelbarrows of weeds, it was rough looking, it is now ready for all the flowers that were pushing through to have room to grow.  I can't wait until all the color pops out, I am so excited.  I have spirea, knockout roses, azaleas, snowball viburnum, different shades of peonies, columbines, tick seed and lambs ear growing in this garden.

Ready and waiting for the sun to make them all grow.

Now, on the other side of this garden, I was pulling weeds and discoverd what I thought was dirt that caved in.  Well it did cave in, sort of, with the help of a very large ground hog!  He has his hole right up against the house!  I do have a sonar stake right there but obviously he ignores it.  The groundhog destroyed two rhododendrons and an azalea bush in the excavation of his new home.  He needs to find other living arrangements, far, far, away.

And now I know why he is so large, he is hanging out at the bird feeder!

Battling Nature - All GOD's Creatures Great and Small

This year I decided to fancy - up the shed.  It's been lonely without any plants and just plain blah.  So I put my husband to work with the rototiller and had him dig out two gardens, 18" wide and the length of the shed, I put one on the side and one in the back.  There is a sidewalk on the other side.  I wanted to plant deer and groundhog resistant plants, we have ALOT of those animals, so I went searching on the Internet and found that they don't like textured or fuzzy leafed flowers.  So off to the nursery I went and came home with Rudebeckia (Black Eyed Susan), Bee Balm and Montana Bluette.  Below are before and after pictures when you set out a feast for all GOD's creatures great and small! Nothing will stop them. I love nature, but COME ON give me a break here.

BEFORE - the side of the shed, just planted

BEFORE - the back of the shed, just planted

AFTER - the side of the shed, 2 weeks later

AFTER - the back of the shed, 2 weeks later.  The only thing left standing

 was a knockout rose bush.  Looks like they enjoyed the buffet

 I planted for them!  Guess what I will be

 planting  next year.

Also put in a new rhododendron bush, you guessed it -groundhog

ate through the roots and dug himself a home.

  Never underestimate the power of a groundhog.

Not only do deer and groundhogs feast, so do the bats!
We have alot of hummingbirds that fly to this feeder all day and into dusk
everyday.  I filled it one night and to my surprise was empty the next morning.
Bats sucked it dry.  Do you all get the picture of what I am dealing with?


I bought these citronella candles to keep the bugs away, but evidently it
doesn't keep raccoons away.  I didn't even have a chance to light them.
If you look closely you can see the claw marks
in the wax.  He was actually eating the wax! It was all over my rug
 and deck and the oil from the candle stained both.

I found this Spanish Lavender plant at Home Depot.  It was in a 6" pot 

it's growing like crazy and smells so good when the wind blows.

I moved the solar birdbath/water fountain (QVC) to a better place and gathered some

of the deck flower pots around the bottom.  Looks prettier now.

I also moved the ferns from the entryway. They were starting

 to get too much sun. When that happens they get burnt and brown.

I love ivy but never plant it in a garden, it is very invasive

and will ruin everything in its path.  I found three different

varieties at an Amish nursery.  All of them were only one small strand

 of ivy in a pot for .99 cents each.  I planted them all in one pot and 

set it out of the sun on the coffee table on the deck.

My husband and I built a base for our other fire pit.

 Purchased the pavers and sand ($48.00),

 the Fire Pit ($29.99 end of season sale)

and the Chairs ($7.99 each, also end of season sale)

all at Home Depot