Shade Gardens DesignFlower Gardening DesignFlower Bed DesignDina'S GardeningGarden Design ToolFront Garden DesignUnique GardeningDesign PlantingPlanting BedsForwardO.M.G! If you've ever wondered which flowers work best in your yard, this is the site for you! Burpee's "My Garden Designer". It's a mobile design tool made to take the guesswork out of flower color, height and compatibility. Even will create a shopping list for you!How to Keep Cats Out of Flower Beds and Gardens By Jennifer Sellers, Petfinder contributor As a responsible, loving pet parent, you probably know that the safest, healthiest lifestyle for your cat is one that’s indoors. Unfortunately, many of your neighbors may feel differently. As a result, your garden could be doubling as a neighborhood litter box. Not only is this unsanitary — especially if you’re growing produce — it can be destructive to your crop and unhealthy for you if your neighborhood cats are carriers of certain bacteria. Not to mention, digging can lead to potential root damage.
Of course, from a cat’s point of view, a bed with fresh mulch or turned soil is a welcoming spot to take care of business.[1] Fortunately, there are a number of ways to make your garden a feline-free zone: Keeping Cats Out of your Garden There are several tried-and-true strategies homeowners use for keeping cats and other critters out of their gardens. Here are some of the most effective and humane:These products emit an unpleasant sound at a frequency cats can hear but humans can’t. Many are motion-activated and only go off when an animal is nearby.Like the ultrasonic devices, these sprinklers are only activated when a cat comes near. An unexpected burst of water is a highly effective deterrent for cats, as most felines dislike getting wet. it’s not harmful, just momentarily unpleasant.If you’re just starting a garden, lay chicken wire at ground level or just below the soil. You can create holes in the wire large enough for your plants to grow, but the texture of the fencing will make walking in your garden uncomfortable for cats.
Just be sure there are no sharp edges jutting up out of the soil!Alley Cat Allies recommends citrus scents such as from lemongrass, citronella, orange or lemon peels. Coffee grounds, vinegar, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, and tobacco can also deter cats. Experiment with which scents or combinations of scents work. Just remember that whatever you choose will have to be replaced from time to time as the potency of the scent wears off. Also, be aware that some of these substances can harm your plants, so you should place them around, not in, your garden. Plant marigolds or rue. The jury’s still out on whether or not marigolds are an effective cat deterrent. Many gardeners swear by marigolds, but if they don’t work for you at least they’ll be a lovely addition to your garden. they’re not toxic to pets. Rue is recommended by Alley Cat Allies. Create a Cat-Friendly Oasis Elsewhere A clever way to keep cats out of your garden is to redirect them to an area of your yard where you don’t mind their presence.
You can do this by creating a separate spot that’s appealing to cats. Fine-grained sand, catnip and catmint are irresistible to most felines. Just be aware that cats like clean areas, so if you don’t remove their waste from time to time, they will eventually relocate to areas where they’re unwelcome (like your garden). Be a Good Influence on Your Neighbors When possible, and without coming on too strong, share with your neighbors why you keep your cats indoors. Mention to them the concerns you have about the health and safety of cats in your neighborhood. For instance, if you saw their cat have a close encounter with an automobile, tell them! And, finally, let them know that if they do decide to make their cat a full time indoor cat you have plenty of tips and advice you can share with them. Additional Sources for Reference More in Litter Box Issues 5 Cat Urine Odor Removal Tips Cleaning up your cat's "accidents" is the first step in preventing her from peeing outside the litter box again.
How to Keep Cats Out of Flower Beds and Gardens Why Is My Cat Peeing Outside Her Litter Box? Why Did My Cat Stop Using the Litter Box?Zinnias: The Hardest-Working Flower in the Summer GardenWhen you see standing water in your garden in the spring, but the same area transforms into a web of cracks in the summer, you have clay soil. There are several ways to improve clay soil in the flower garden, but as they say, when you have lemons, make lemonade: you should also plant flowers that are tolerant of heavy soils.Clay soil is made of fine particles that cause it to stick together, preventing normal drainage processes that keep plant roots healthy. If a gardener squeezes moist clay soil into a ball, the soil will retain that shape. Gardeners who regularly fight chicory, sorrel, and buttercup weeds are probably dealing with the clay soil that attracts these weeds.Some gardeners make the mistake of adding sand to clay soil, thinking that adding matter from the opposite soil type will moderate the problem.
However, sand and clay make a soil more akin to concrete than the rich loam all gardeners desire. The best soil conditioner for clay is organic matter, and lots of it. Gardeners should add organic compost, leaf mold, and green manures from cover crops to improve soil structure and tilth.Garden centers commonly sell gypsum as a soil amendment for clay conditions. However, unlike organic matter, gypsum does nothing to improve the fertility of soil. Furthermore, according to the Puyallup Research and Extension Center at Washington State University, gypsum negatively affects the mycorrhizae that enhance root health and development. Double digging is highly laborious, but it can be an effective way to remedy extremely heavy soils in small areas. The double digging method involves digging a 2-foot deep trench in the garden, filling it with a compost and soil mixture, and then returning the native soil to the trench and mixing it together. The toil involved in this project makes double digging a four-letter word for many gardeners.
If you go this route, plant flowers that won’t take your efforts for granted, like roses.Creating raised beds is an easy way to subvert many soil problems, whether sandy or clay-based. Gardeners can choose the type of raised beds they want, exploring lasagna gardening options, raised garden bed kits made of composite or wood, or even hay bale gardening for the back of the flower border. Raised beds have the added bonus of warming up quickly in the spring, for earlier planting.Clay soil is naturally dense and tends to waterlog easily, and these characteristics become exaggerated in the spring. Gardeners must take care not to walk on clay soil or work it with a tiller when it’s cold and waterlogged, or it will become nearly impervious to water and oxygen. Work clay soil gently with a pitchfork when it’s as moist as a wrung-out sponge, as this garden tool maintains the integrity of the soil strata. Plants that thrive in clay soil are those that can cope with the extremes of sogginess and dry cracked earth that clay can bring.