March meeting

The first meeting of 2011 for the Grand Valley Rose Society will be March 15, Tuesday, at the Meijer Gardens at 7 pm.

If You Can’t Fight ’em, Feed E’m

“If you can’t fight ’em, feed ’em.” Yeah, I know what the DNR says about feeding deer, but the DNR is not going to protect my rose gardens. As long as my “herd” gets their corn, sunflower seed and suet, they leave the roses alone. If they don’t get fed, I awake to find the rose cones tipped over and stems eaten to the ground. Now then, when spring comes, the wildlife is on its own. I get out the critter repellent, load the sprayer and go to town on everything green! It’s necessary to spray the new growth as it comes along – deer simply relish those new little green shoots. Afterwards, the “fragrance” on my little acre keeps everyone away until a good wind blows the other way; once there is not so much new growth, I don’t need to spray as often – maybe once a month. So that’s my “tip” for deer control. I only have one rabbit at the moment – the fox keeps that population under control – the remaining bunny is just a crafty little devil.

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