Gardening is often a singular undertaking, so when the local gardeners volunteered to help........well........The local ladies garden club flew in and immediately started in with the suggestions, which can be annoying if you have your own ideas about how to plant and arrange the flowers. They, however, were persistent always buzzing information into my ear, they are hard to ignore. As I would weed an area and smooth out the soil in preparation for flowers the resident chipmunk was right behind me digging holes where he thought the flowers should be planted. Random is one thing but I think the chipmunk should read some books on arrangements. A squirrel happened along and she didn't even ask where to plant seeds. After eating a few she planted the rest anywhere she felt. I wish the helpers would ask first. After I planted the flowers, some creature unknown would express their dissatisfaction by digging up the flowers they did not like. No suggestions, just dig it up and leave them there. Help is nice but I think next time I will garden alone.......ya....right.....oh no!! Here comes the garden club.....someone suggested a cologne they did not like, maybe I will try that. Jerry
I have only had a squirrel butt in on my garden design plans twice...once years ago I caught one about to move a Hen and Chick to the other end of the flowerbed where if I had wanted it there I would have put it there myself!!! Then most recently when one decided that part of the Baby SunRose Cheryl sent me and I had potted out front would look much better in someone else's garden and she disappeared with it.
I think the neighborhood (squirrel) garden club came to our garden a few times. I have been pulling up the tiny oak seedlings that they planted without my permission.
Squirrels inadvertently provide for generations to come, they dig holes and bury the seeds of future homes and food for decedents yet to be. Squirrels are what is called 'scatter hoarders.' Each seed or nut is cleaned and scented before it is buried. The scent helps the squirrel locate about 25% of the hoard during the winter. The other 75% remain in the ground allowing for regeneration and dispersant of the forest. The bushy tailed rodents are responsible for planting more trees than all of mankind. Gives new meaning to Arbor Day. Jerry
I've also tried to decline offers of help, but to no avail. The cats are guilty of totally removing a few plants, and the magpies sometimes tear up my newly planted treasures. They also like to play around with my plant tags, and with my bad memory I can't remember what was planted where...
Oh, The only help I have had in the last couple days was to have a taste of the strawberries...this one here and that one there and then , OH LOOK....there is another over there and so on and so forth, all through the patch. thank you miss chipmunk!
It's interesting how animals 'test' the first fruit, then, not satisfied, test another and another. I have watched squirrels spend hours in the canopy of an oak tree biting one acorn after another only to realize that the tens of once bitten nuts falling to the ground are green and have not yet ripened. Jerry
