Week 36 - "cleaning out an old flower bed"

Bill in he process of adding soil to our old flower garden

     Several weeks ago, Bill asked me if I wanted to go out to eat for my birthday - maybe to Champaign or Terre Haute.  I told him that what I would really RATHER do is spend the money on new bricks, dirt, mulch and plants and replace the old flower garden beside our driveway.  For the past couple of years, we had a basketball pole set up next to this poor garden.  Plants were trampled and the Rose of Sharon bush had the misfortune of trying to live with two boys, their friends and lots of basketballs.

     After digging out the old plants and trimming the broken branches on the Rose of Sharon, we
                                                                                        added bags and bags of potting soil, and made

The finished product with several Hostas

 three trips to Rural King to carry home bricks in the trunk of our car.  We were riding pretty low that day.  We guessed pretty closely on the number of bricks - we only had 4 left over.  Of course when we got the brinks in place, we realized we needed a lot more dirt and mulch.  So...back to Rural King. 

     We started out with just 4 Hosta plants.  I wanted to see of the deer that frequent our yard would leave them alone or not.  Often we wake and look out our kitchen window into the backyard and see a mother deer and two little ones lounging in the yard, half asleep.  It is such a peaceful sight, but I know Hosta is like deer

half-eaten plant

candy to them.  Sure enough, we woke one morning to the sight you see to the left - a half-eaten plant.  So a friend of mine emailed me a recipe she developed for deer repellent.  It seems to be working, so here it is:

Blend: 1 egg
           1/2 cup milk
           1 tbsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
           1 tbsp hot pepper powder or sauce
           a few dashes of rancid oil if possible
               (I didn't add any oil)
Pour blended mixture into a gallon milk carton and fill with water.  Poke holes in the lid.  Let sit in a warm spot for several days.  Sprinkle on and around plants you want to protect.  Will not harm the leaves.  Do this once a week or after each rain.  Will keep all summer without refrigeration and just gets more potent the longer it sits. Recommend keeping OUTSIDE the garage.  I keep mine outside close to the garden.  After 2 hours, humans can't smell it, but deer can.  So far it is working.  Once I feel the deer won't eat everything I buy, I will add more plants to the garden.  It was a really nice birthday gift, but probably more expensive than a meal out in Champaign!