Gardening Archive

A common landscaping problem mid-westerners face is how to control the local deer and rabbit population. These creatures, while beautiful to observe, can cause a lot of damage to your landscape. Try the following if you have a problem with rabbits and deer.

Fencing

If you want to keep rabbits out of your landscaping, you should have a fence high enough to prevent them from jumping over it. Three feet is typically a good height to keep rabbits out.

Rabbits may also try to dig under your new fencing. Be sure that your fence is buried six inches to keep this from happening.

Keeping out deer is another matter. A fence must be 10 to 12 feet high to properly keep deer from jumping over. This is unrealistic for many landscaping enthusiasts. However, there are a number of alternatives to fencing.

Repellent

There are a variety of sprays being made to deter rabbits and deer from nibbling at your beautiful landscape. These sprays typically have a bad odor and taste to protect your plants from becoming lunch for deer and rabbits.

Repellent sprays should be sprayed on and around your plants. Don’t be afraid to use a lot, and remember to spray the soil and objects all around your garden. Spraying your yard’s perimeter deters many animals from entering in the first place. Continue to spray every 3-4 weeks.

Many landscaping enthusiasts also use predator urine as a sort of natural repellent for deer and rabbits. Coyote urine will deter rabbits, while Mountain Lion urine is the preferred repellent for deer.

Plants

There are a number of plants that deer and rabbits detest.

Rabbits have strong noses and strongly dislike plants with strong scents. They particularly dislike earthy smells. Plants rabbits are known to dislike include, but are not limited to: lavender, sage, butterfly bush, artemesia, and columbine.

Deer dislike certain plants as well. They tend to stay away from trees such as blue spruces, common hackberry, and Douglas fir. Deer have also been found to dislike lavender, chokeberry, goldenrod, delphinium, and chocolate flower.

Conclusion

The perfect way to keep rabbits and deer out of your garden or yard is a combination of all of the above methods. It is important to protect your landscape throughout the upcoming summer. Check out Central Services’ other landscaping blogs to create your perfect summer garden!

Now that Spring has come around, you may be interested in creating a butterfly garden. Butterfly gardens add beauty and brilliant color to your landscape, but they also do so much more than that.

Butterfly numbers have been dwindling in recent years. Creating a habitat for these creatures in your very own yard will help the species survive. Furthermore, it can be fun and fascinating to observe butterfly behavior and identify different types.  

Butterfly gardening is not as complicated as you may think. Simply choose a sunny location in your yard and plant caterpillar plants as well as plants that produce nectar for butterflies. Try to avoid using pesticides and herbicides, take care to moisturize your plants, provide shelter with trees and shrubs, and learn to identify caterpillars.

Choosing the Right Plants

When deciding on which plants to use in your new garden, choose ones that are good nectar sources.

Plant large sections of each type of flower. You want to have a large diversity of flowers that bloom at different times to attract the most butterflies to your yard. The butterflies will enjoy having a variety of nectar sources to choose from.

You should also include caterpillar food plants in your butterfly garden.

Butterflies lay eggs on food plants, and caterpillars will rely on the host plants for food. When you plant groups of each plant species, any caterpillar damage will be less noticeable.

Creating the Right Conditions

Be sure to provide shelter and resting spots in your butterfly garden. Trees and shrubs are great places for butterflies to roost overnight and escape predators and harsh weather conditions. Pick a sunny spot for your new garden, and include large flat rocks. Rocks provide butterflies with a place to warm themselves in the sun.

Keep your plants well moisturized. When you mulch beds with composted leaves or shredded bark, you reduce the need for constant watering. This also adds nutrients to your soil.

You should avoid using pesticides and herbicides. Pesticides kill butterflies, caterpillars, and many other beneficial insects. Herbicides wipe out dandelions, which are a great nectar source.

Fill a small, shallow container with sand and keep it moisturized. Butterflies will sip water and nutrients from here.

Finally, do your research! Once you identify the kinds of butterflies you have in your garden, you can read up on their preferences. Some butterflies prefer rotten fruit or sap to nectar. You can place a dish of rotten fruit out for these special cases.

In Conclusion

Butterfly gardens can be as rewarding as they are beautiful. Take the time this spring and summer to create a safe space for endangered species in the comfort of your own backyard!

Gardens are beautiful to look act and a great way to connect with nature. Gardens that are pollinator-friendly take this one step further, creating a place for bees, birds, and insects to thrive.

Bees are vital to our ecosystem and a garden that is bee-friendly benefits both the bees and the gardener. Bee-friendly gardens help prevent colony collapse disorder, which is the phenomenon that is leading to a rapid decline in honeybee populations. Research has found that areas with more gardens have larger and more diverse bee populations.

Bee-friendly gardens also attract predator insects. These predatory insects are valuable because they keep pest insects from harming your plants. This, in turn, helps increase the quantity and quality of your fruits and vegetables.

How To Create a Bee-Friendly Garden

To create your own bee-friendly garden, be sure to do the following:

• Determine which bee-friendly plants will work in your garden. Consider the different pollinator plants that thrive in the Midwest region (Midwest Pollinator Plants List).

• Whatever you choose to plant, plant a lot of them. It is recommended that you have at least 3 x 3 feet of each plant species.

• Avoid using pesticides. Pesticides kill bees. Use compost to help develop healthy soil. Healthy soil creates healthy plants.

• Plan out what you plant. You want something blooming for as many months as possible. Native bees and honeybees need forage during the entire growing season.

• Create a habitat for nesting. Seventy percent of native bees are ground nesting. Leave some soil bare for these bees. You can also put up bee nesting blocks for crevice nesting bees.

• Provide a cover. Bees need a break from the sun and heat. Coleus is a great plant for bees to rest under between feedings and flying.

• Place shallow dishes of water in and around your garden. If you have a fountain, place stones or rocks inside it that bees can sit on while they rehydrate. Bees need water just as much as we do.

• Plant bee balm. Bee balm is a hardy perennial that looks beautiful while attracting various types of bees to your garden.

• Keep color in mind. Bees love blue, purple, and yellow plants and flowers. Keep these colors in mind when planning out your garden.

• Plant flowering fruits and vegetables. Tomatoes, zucchini, strawberries, and apples are a great source of pollen for your garden visitors.

• Be mindful of bees. If you have small children, teach them not to kill or swat at bees. If you are respectful of bees’ space, they will be respectful of yours.

The success of bee-friendly plants varies according to region, but some common choices that thrive in the Midwest include sunflowers, poppies, lavender, sages, and goldenrod. Having a bee-friendly garden is a great way to both give back to nature and have a prospering garden. For more information on how to create a bee-friendly garden, contact our team here.