Nov 11

Nov 11 Protecting Your Garden in Winter

Tips That Can Help Keep Crafty Critters from Garden Grazing This Winter

By Diana Lockwood

Fish gotta swim, birds gotta fly, and mammals, alas, gotta sneak into your garden and chomp on some of your favorite plants.

From majestic deer to tiny voles, few can resist the tasty smorgasbord that you have so thoughtfully prepared.

In winter, especially when snow covers the ground, hungry mammals might be emboldened to venture closer to human activities and to sample plants that they would otherwise shun.

Here is an overview of some of the ways that you can protect your garden:

Repellents

Repellents work by smelling horrible, tasting horrible or both.

Made of gag-inducing ingredients such as rotten eggs and blood meal, they are available either as liquid sprays or as granules that you sprinkle around your garden.

You might be able to smell the liquid when it is freshly applied, but the odor usually isn’t noticeable after it dries.

Sprays typically need to be reapplied after repeated rains, and new growth — not a factor during winter, of course — needs to be sprayed ASAP.

Physical barriers

Because deer are excellent jumpers, an 8-foot fence usually is required to thwart them.

An electric fence is another option, as is a double fence — two parallel rows of fencing that can be less than 8 feet but sit close enough together to discourage jumping.

The tallest fence in the world, though, won’t discourage voles or rabbits. But a protective “cage” made of hardware cloth or mesh can protect a tree trunk or an entire shrub from their nibbling and gnawing.

To keep the resourceful little beasts from digging or tunneling, secure the bottom of the cage with bricks or bury it several inches deep to protect roots as well as the lower trunk.

Wrapping tree trunks with paper or plastic collars also offers some protection.

These barriers discourage not only deer browsing but also antler rubbing, which can disfigure or even kill a tree.

Mulch management

Heavy mulch is an invitation for little creatures that like to burrow and chew, such as voles.

Roll up their welcome mat by removing mulch — along with turf or weeds — from the ground around a tree trunk. You needn’t remove all the mulch; several inches of bare soil all around the trunk should do the trick.

The right plants

Although you might not want to rip out everything in your yard and start over, it’s never too late to keep critter-resistance in mind when you’re plant shopping.

Selections that are spiky, fuzzy or strongly scented often hold less appeal. Spruce, honey locust, sassafras and ornamental grasses usually are relatively safe choices.

On the other hand, rhododendrons, arborvitae, yew and fruit trees are among the plants that seem to shout, “Dinner is served!”