Aliums and strong smelling plants (herbs like rosemary and mint), and strong scneted flowers (stargazer lilies), are said to cunfuse pests, so they have a harder time finding theyre favorite foods. ALiums seem to work according to what I have read and seen (squirrels seem to HATE onions). You can also plant daffodils in with your fall bulbs, because it is said that burrowing animals (say, voles ), HATE them, because daffodils are extremely poisonous to them. I planted one daffodil bulbs with my tupils and crocus bulbs last fall, and I had no squirrels digging up any bulbs, roots or corms!

Marigolds (species marigolds) are said to repel nematodes in the soil. THis has been done for a long time IIR, its from south american horticulural societies.


As for signs of spring... SOme tree buds are starting to swell nicely here (willow and maples). IF all goes well I can finally get into the yard in a week or 2... except, we have a massive alberta clipper passing over tomorrow, which will dump 5 - 15cm of snow.

It depends on what critters you have, how many there are, how hungry they are, and if you have any with strange tastes in the group. I'm not suggesting you don't try it, but don't think of it as a foolproof protection method.

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Alan.
My blog: It's not work, it's gardening!

That is a good point. I left one of my bamboos untarped, and the deer nearly defoliated it. They get really hungry in the winter here, even eating "deer resistant" plants

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http://bensbamboo.blogspot.com/

Yeah, deer are a bit more stubborn. Im in the city. My only pests are drunks, hungry teenagers, and the occasional skunk or squirrel. I do know there are plants deer dont go near like throny shrubs (trifoliate orange).

Shortly after record breaking cold front in Europe, we received equally drastic warm weather. Yesterday it was the warmest February day in more than 100 years (got to 70F). Spring is in the air!

The turkeys have returned i heard them in the trees earlier this week.

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M

A number of the Spring flowers are up, but haven't flowered yet. The maple tree in the front yard has swollen leaf buds.

I keep catching myself thinking it is Spring already.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

Here is my sign of spring:

Whats that white stuff?

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

That is courtesy of Alberta (alberta clipper). Tomorrow, round 2, this time, from colorado (colorado low), more lake effect, so we could get 5cm, we could get 50cm....

Thanks colorado Keep posting good southern spring pics for me guys lol

Surprise Lilies are starting to emerge. The plants in the basement also seem to be responding to the warm weather. The Fig Tree has started putting out new leaves, branches and at least one fig.

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Southern Indiana. Theoretically the same climate as 'needmore' & 'Eastlandia'.
My Bamboo List.

"Take Dog apart. Disinfect. Reassemble."

The daffies are in full bloom everywhere around here now. Also noticed new growth on the following plants this morning in my walk-through:
Equisetum hyemale
Chasmanthium latifolium
Miscanthus giganteus
Saccharum arundinaceum
Hostas
Tiger lillies
various variegated hederas

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God Bless,

Matthew

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Genesis 2:8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed.

Lots of plants are coming up now and they should make some real progress in the next 2 weeks as we are expecting much warmer temperatures. Here's just a preview of what I've been seeing from my flower beds. 28 feb

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/31489820@N02/

http://stevespeonygarden.blogspot.com/

Well...for sure the coldest month has passed. March looks promising...
I will plant my dead/dying bissetii next week...if the ground is not frozen still.

My bissetii has been potted indoor with no drainage with hardly any light. One culm was doing fine for the first few months, even showing new growth, but all a sudden, it's all dead. Don't know the cause was. I am hoping it would have at least some reserve energy left to sprout new culm(s). Sad...

If you share my tendencies at all then you'll plant it in a decent spot, avoid planting other things there and a few months out determine that it is not worthy of that spot and end up pulling it back out losing time you could have had a healthy plant establishing. The lack of drainage is suggestive and if it got boggy in the pot chances are it is dead. You might consider pulling it, rinsing all the soil off, look for viable roots and fresh looking rhizome and repot with drainage in light soil and keep it on the dry side - instead of planting it.

I've killed more bamboo by having pots that did not dry out than any other way. Too large of a pot/poor drainage on a small bamboo means wet soils and leads to untimely death.

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Brad Salmon, zone 5b/6 Southern Indiana
Winters -20 to -25C. Summers 30 to 35C , humid. 115 cm annual precipitation, frost free from May through early October. 259.3 meters elevation. Growing 150+ species. http://www.needmorebamboo.com/