Blocking a path through the garden
For a long time now I've been puzzled about a gap in my cannas and a *dead spot* in front of them. I added fresh potting soil, I checked that the area was getting water, I even planted a few small plants there. But nothing grew in.
And then one day I saw my dog go charging through. Normally, Macintosh, the good little wiener dog, walks gingerly around the garden, but there is a dog on the other side of that wall, in that corner, that upsets her, and she goes charging over there. And it explains why the little canna shoots don't get a chance, and why things like my flowers, and lettuce, have failed there. They got smooshed.
So, I did two things, I planted an elephant ear, and I put a small, heavy statue there temporarily. Of course, it's not enough to stop her if she does want to plow through, but she won't. She only goes where she sees an obvious path. It was a design flaw, and it was my fault. Hopefully this will fix it.
With a little bit of time, and the protection of this Moai, the area will grow in, finally. I'll let you know how it goes.
Update the next day. Looks like the Moai wasn't quite enough - I watched Macintosh zoom right past it at high speed. So I've added some simple plastic mesh that I had sitting around in the side yard. Hopefully that will do it!
Update four days later. It's working! I just saw Macintosh *hit the brakes* hard when she saw that she could no longer go charging through the gap. I did a closer inspection and am now seeing some tiny cannas beginning to appear in that area, where they never had a chance before. Wish I'd noticed this before! Live and learn!
And then one day I saw my dog go charging through. Normally, Macintosh, the good little wiener dog, walks gingerly around the garden, but there is a dog on the other side of that wall, in that corner, that upsets her, and she goes charging over there. And it explains why the little canna shoots don't get a chance, and why things like my flowers, and lettuce, have failed there. They got smooshed.
So, I did two things, I planted an elephant ear, and I put a small, heavy statue there temporarily. Of course, it's not enough to stop her if she does want to plow through, but she won't. She only goes where she sees an obvious path. It was a design flaw, and it was my fault. Hopefully this will fix it.
With a little bit of time, and the protection of this Moai, the area will grow in, finally. I'll let you know how it goes.
Update the next day. Looks like the Moai wasn't quite enough - I watched Macintosh zoom right past it at high speed. So I've added some simple plastic mesh that I had sitting around in the side yard. Hopefully that will do it!
Update four days later. It's working! I just saw Macintosh *hit the brakes* hard when she saw that she could no longer go charging through the gap. I did a closer inspection and am now seeing some tiny cannas beginning to appear in that area, where they never had a chance before. Wish I'd noticed this before! Live and learn!
Comments