gardening for the mums

for mother's day my mom asked that i come home and do something about her garden.  little did i know, the mint that snuck in 3 years ago with a rhubarb had completely taken over and it was forecast to rain for 4 days in a row.  also she claims to not be able to grow anything, and what does grow gets eaten by deer.  my solution was kill the deer.  but she doesnt like guns.  take up archery.  but the freezer isnt big enough.  well hell.

 

so i bought some flowers at the farmer's market and the local nursery/greenhouse - not necessarily deer proof, but not a deer's top 20 favorite foods.  more a deterrent than anything, and maybe a little bit of olfactory confusion.

but with some help from my dad, as well as a shovel, a trowel, and a long handled three-tine cultivator, [...i always called them you know that garden thing that you always buy with a trowel with the three teeth and the spikes and the digging action] we ripped out 90% of the mint.  there are still some runners in the gravel, but 2/3 of a yard bag later, i salvaged some roots and replanted them in buried pots.  no more escaping!

i also added some herbs, a couple bok choys, and some tomatoes in a pot that can be moved onto the porch when they get to be deer-bait sized.  since i pretty much go crazy and buy all the things at gardening places.. it was good my dad was there to help carry and pay.  i added the top left plant at the bottom to the garden as well - stonecrop dragon's blood.  not only does it have the most friggin epic name in the land, but it looks sort of like a succulent with much less needy care and treatment.

my mom also may have a bit of snail problem.  but her solution, atleast that i witnessed when i showed her the garden, is somewhat akin to a cricket bowler's windup.  huck those puppers right into the woods.  we'll see how long-term a solution that is..