The Seen And The Unseen

Some times I have so many garden plans and then found that we had lots of unseen things that we had no idea what was going on in the yard and gardens.  Oh I had lost of plans this year, but so did others and it took some time to figure it all out.  I have not written on this blog in quite some time.  I was so disenchanted with my whole yard, on my acre, in the middle of the big woods, on the side of this mountain, that I just could not bring myself to post anything.

The beginning of Spring, I planted lots of things and they were all doing so well. I had 2 Tomato plants and one of them was a patio tomato and wanted to see how it would do in my raised garden. Planted to green peppers and one hot one to make some salsa.  We had some squash that came up on it's own, cucumbers, and cantaloupes, and my favorite Purple Beans and lettuce and spinach.  They were growing so good and I was so happy. I was going to be able to do some canning and freezing for the summer and the winter of this year.  Dreams of a full pantry were on my mind.

DEER

Then we had a kind of beautiful/disastrous problem in just one night.  No kidding it was beauty and nature and I do love that part, but it was also so devastating that happened in one single night. We are graced with many deer on this mountain and they are such beautiful and graceful creatures and I just love to see them,

but.....and a big BUT.....they ate all the gardens that you see above and left me with nothing. I planted things that they are said to not like and they ate all of them too. I almost wanted to cry.....seriously.

Our grocery bill has been higher because of this and it saddens me greatly that I could not go out and pick some beans and lettuce and garden vegetables for a fresh salad.  Oh, I did try and plant more seeds, but for some reason they did not want to come up at all.  Though it was the middle of July, but still nothing.

VOLES

We also had voles and I thought they were moles.  They eat different things and that is the difference that I was told. They eat bulbs, which I had bought and planted in my front garden last fall.  Only 2 of them came up.  Really, I had no idea what killed something like 50 or more bulbs.   We live in the woods and lots of trees and weeds and all kinds of things and flowers that we planted and they really did clean out the yard and gardens.

We were told to get some Vole no kill repellent and that would fix the problem.  HA!  We used 3 bags of that stuff and I still see some new holes. At first the holes that I saw I thought were made by snakes. Notice in front of this Rose Garden how there is no grass or clover or anything growing there.  We had seeded lots of Clover there for the bees to get to, but all the grubs ate that and of course the favorite food for the Voles is....grubs.

These are the main Bearded Irises's that I divided and put many up front along the road. They had eaten every single one of the bulbs in that garden.

We were on the war path during most of the summer, trying to get control of our yard and gardens.  Very sad to say that will take another year, maybe more.

GRUBS, BUGS, FLEAS AND MORE 

Then I remembered that we didn't put Fast Acting Pulverized/Powedered AgriLime down this year!  We had something stored in one of the Metal Trash cans that I use lots but couldn't remember what it was.  Oh and Next time I will put the bag in there to let me know what it is that is being stored in there.  Just before we put that and a heavy coverage of it down we have a major flea problem.  So we are still dealing with that, but not as bad outside now that we put the AGLime down.  It has been a hell of a year around my house and in my house. I mean one has to be creative to get things to grow and keep growing and not eaten or kill anything.  We spread the AGLime to kill the bugs, grubs and to keep the Voles out.

FENCING

The Deer problem is more of a community effort as the neighbor that we have wasn't aware that feeding the many birds around here also feeds the Deer.  There is one Momma deer and she has twins this year.  Oh they still had their spots and that is unusual this late in the summer too.  I am not sure what is going on this year with all this.  I do know that we had a very warm and wet Winter and Spring this year, so far.  I am not sure what this Fall will bring though.  People do not get it when I tell them that every year around here is a new planting schedule and seasons.  No two are alike that I have found out by living and working in the yard and gardens since 2002.

Here is a new project to keep the Deer out of the Vegetable Gardens. It has taken us a while to get it all together because of all the setbacks that we have, but it is 90% finished. Though Lowes had many of the things that we thought that we needed some of the supplies weren't exactly the right sizes,  So we had to use our thinking caps and came up with something that would work. We also had to hire someone to do the work because I had hurt my hand badly and could not hold anything.

I will be hanging something light on the top of the fence to scare the deer and other animals away and make it pretty. During Christmas I will hang Christmas balls and during Easter I will hang some of those colorful plastic eggs on it.  They will match the colors of the raised garden inside the fence.

I do hope that my plans work out for next year because I am a whole lot more knowledgeable.  

THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN

It was a really quick SEEN and the UNSEEN adventure this past year.  When putting some of that repellent in one of the holes one of the voles ran out. My cat, Frederick, caught it and then let it go. They have huge claws.  I think it got him and he had to let it go.  That thing was the size of a fat hamster.  It dug back down into the ground in less than 20 seconds!  My husband and I looked at the surprise on Frederick's face.  Frederick looked at us too.  We were all very surprised at how fast that creature went underground.  

What else will be SEEN AND UNSEEN in my yard and gardens the rest of the year and how well this fence does?

Types of Fencing for your Yard and Gardens

Zig Zag Fences With Plants To
Embellish 

Types and Examples Of Garden Fences

Fencing can be a beautiful piece of art.  Wrought Iron is made in many sizes and contours.  Wood Fences can be painted any color you wish and have various tops you can choose from.  They can be as simple as a picket fence to as private as a Stockade type of fence. Oh and we cannot forget the beautiful stone fences you see around the countryside.

       

 

Hedges are a type of fence that allows nature to peek in and out of and can house many kinds of small animals from birds to bunnies.  In this article I will discuss these types of fences and give you some ideas as to the beauty of some and some that have a purpose besides just being a boundary to your property.

Evergreen Border Fence

Spruce Privacy Fencing

Before planning your fence and fencing needs it is best if you first of all check your property boundaries, Zoning Laws and your Neighborhood’s Covenants.   You do not want to encroach on your neighbor’s property.  That could lead to court costs if they do not like the type of fence you choose and is encroaching onto their property.  Usually there is a right of way between boundaries and it would be advised to stay on your side of that right of way.

Man-Made Fencing

Stockade Fence

The Stockade fence was once popular for forts and such and was used for protection from outside forces. Today it has changed into providing privacy from the outside world. They can be left natural or painted and they come in other materials other than wood. The plastic fencing in these allows for a much longer life expectancy of the fence

Picket Fence and
backside of a Stockade Fence

Picket fences are cute and are used in many neighborhoods around the smaller yards of homes found there.  They can be painted to match the colors of the house it surrounds or left untreated.  Most of the ones that I have seen are painted white.  They can be straight across or in a swag type top.  With the invention of plastic they also come in that material as well.

Split Rail Fence

Split Rail fencing is a simple and economical fence.  It requires little maintenance.  It can have as little as one tier or up to 5 depending on what you are enclosing in that fenced area.  I have seen people attach Chicken Wire or other Wired Fence onto the back of this fence to provide extra protection for their animals.  It is pretty and functional.

Wooden with Wire Fence

Wood and Woven Wire are the most popular here in my area where there are many farms that need the protection from Deer eating their crops to keeping in their small pigmy goats to horses and cattle.  They look simple and easy to set up and maintain.  Most are not painted but I have seen some that are.  I guess it all depends on how much work you want to invest in maintaining them.

Video about Planting A Living Fence

Living Fences

These are the most decorative and yet functional fences that I have seen.  You can have them structured or supported on another type of fence or you can have them stand alone. Trees and hedges are used as stand-alone fences to divide your property up or enclose it for privacy.  They can be a creative as you can imagine.

Some plants that make great stand-alone living fences include:  Boxwoods, Forsythia, Poplar Trees, Spruce Trees, any dwarf trees such as Dwarf Burning Bush, Bush-type Roses, Butterfly Bushes, Privet hedges, Douglas Fir, Spireas, Siberian Elm and lots more.  These have no need for support.

There are so many plants that you can use for supported fences these days.  You can have fruits and vegetables to flowing vines and non-flowering vines.  You will have many birds and small animals live, grow and reproduces in these.  Nature will astound and abound in these fences. 

Some Plants That You Can Use  

Grapes.  Plant a crop of low
growing vegetables
under the gaps of the grapes

Blackberries or other climbing,
vine-like fruits for a thick
fence for all to enjoy.

Fruits such as Berries can be grown on supports such as Blackberries and Raspberries.  Honey Suckle is another great vine that can be grown on fences and look very beautiful in your garden or yard. They also have a very sweet scent that will waft in the air in the summer.

These Tomatoes grew way taller than
this could handle and would be a good crop
along a 4-6 tall fence.

Vegetables that you can also grow on fences are: Zucchini,  Cucumbers, Tomatoes, Beans and Peas, Cantaloupes and small varieties of melons, Gourdes too and the selections of these are almost endless. 

Beans have tiny stie flowers.
Plant seeds 3 weeks apart
for a longer season.

Mandevilla

Flowering Vines Any vine, climbing or trailing plant can be used such as; Mandevilla, Clematis, Climbing Roses, Morning Glories, Nasturtium,  Bittersweet and Bougainvillea, Passionflower, Trumpet Vine, Winter Creeper just to name a few.  Wisteria is a very pretty vine but requires lots of care and pruning.

Boston Ivy

Non-Flowering Vines: the most popular is the Boston Ivy.  You can also use Climbing Euonymus and it serves another purpose as a screen when you want to hide other parts of your yard.  Grape Vines also work here and are evergreen. Grape Vines, if they get enough sun. will produce grapes.

Your fence does not have to be plain or drab.  With the many ways that I have listed here you can have color, food and functionality all at the same time.  You can even mix them up.  Vegetables have beautiful flowers too and can be grown with other flowering or non flowering plants.

Bushes such as: burning bushes, plus lilac and rhododendron also are a nice natural fence

Block and Boards Fence
Blocks and Boards put int the holes
of the Cinder Blocks.  Blocks are painted a Brick Color.
No Need To Bury Posts!

For More Fences please visit my article for Fences for Animals

What creative ways are you going to incorporate into your borders?

© Debra K. Allen a.k.a Lady Guinevere

I researched and wrote this article. Please do not copy and paste any part of this article, picture included for your own use. I will find you and report you for stealing.  It is my right to change any information therein at any time and/or change the location of my article.