It’s hard to be a flower. More specifically, it’s hard to be a flower in the modest flower garden near the deck at the back of our house. First and perhaps foremost, a flower there must be able to shrug off a harsh Montana winter, including sub-zero temperatures sent down from the Arctic. Once winter is beaten, a host of other perils must be faced. There is the possibility that Desiree will dig up some of the flowers and force them to set roots in a new location. And then we have the list of pests and enemies.
This
year has been especially brutal. A spider mite infestation swept through the
dame’s rockets in June, wiping out many of them. Shortly thereafter, a pack rat
nipped the flowers off the lilies and purple fuzzies (I don’t know their name)
growing at the edge of the patch. Throughout all of this, chipmunks and the
occasional insect nipped at things here and there. And now, at the critical end
of the growing cycle for this season, a vole has appeared and is wiping
everything out from a subterranean level. I am going to attempt to rid the
garden of the vole by means of a solar-powered electronic repellent.
According
to the product information for the repellent: “The device emits sound pulses
and vibrations in all directions, stimulating the central nervous system of
underground animals. This acts as a natural warning signal for moles,
encouraging them to gradually vacate the area.”
—Mitchell Hegman
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