Urban Oasis

Enter a space that is inviting, filled with exotic influences --- bordered with bright, periwinkle-colored Clematis...

My friend Jennifer's gardening style is more intuitive and aesthetically-based than my own. I admire that. Although, my style is eclectic and open to change, as I learn more about the wide cornucopia of plants and gardening in general, I'm way more OCD. Jennifer just sees something she likes and organically senses how to integrate it into her space.



I'm going to try and emulate Jen's style in this post and limit the wordiness, and allow the viewer to simple enjoy the sights...







All photos in this post were taken by Jennifer Matthews, with my thanks.

A Turd in My Punchbowl (or Cats in My Garden), Part II

I worked like I was on a chain gang for a few hard hours to dig my Hosta bed. Removing grass, pulling weeds very carefully around the tender young Hosta, and creating space for additional plants. I even put down a layer of Jobe's Recycled Weed Blocker over the newly added Hostas. Then another layer of soil. I thought that I was finished, aside from adding decorative elements and finishing touches. So, I left it at that, overnight.

I woke to find a cruel metaphorical commentary on my gardening efforts right in the middle and along one of the edges of the bed --- cat poop! They had dug and disrupted quite a bit of soil in order to accommodate the release of their feline bowels. I was pissed! All I could do was remove the offending waste, and salvage the bed. I then decided perhaps adding a mulch made of recycled tires to bed might deter the cats, and give my project a more polished look.

The mulch hadn't been down but a few hours when the cats struck again! Just about all of you know what a soiled litter box looks like. So, I'll spare you the incriminating photos. Once again, I cleaned up the mess, this time rearranging the mulch and adding Cayenne Pepper powder.

You guessed it --- the pepper had no effect! At this point I was pretty angry and at my wits end trying to come up with possible deterrents.

I remembered seeing a product on gardeners.com that might be a possible solution. Cat Scat Mats. Prickly plastic mats that can be anchored into the soil of a garden bed or potted plant. These mats don't harm the cats --- just irritate them and keep them from using garden beds or large potted plants as litter boxes. I ordered them straight away only to find them on back order! *Sigh*

I went to local nursery/gardening center to pick up a bottle of dried Coyote urine or Liquid Fence. Anything!

I freshened up the Hosta bed --- again, sprinkling and spraying my deterrants. My fingers crossed. My mouth locked in a snarl with every piece of poop I picked out of the mulch, and every cat I spied.

The very next morning... Failure! Nothing I did had worked. The feral little beasts had bested me once again!

Well, at this point I'm going to have to redo the entire bed, short of uprooting the Hostas. With the Cat Scat Mats on their way, I can only hope that they work.

To be continued...

A Turd in My Punchbowl (or Cats in My Garden), Part I

I was very proud of my first flower bed, even though it consisted of just three Hosta plants. One of the Hostas (the smallest one), is the first plant that I have overwintered outside. It was purchased when Hostas were on sale last Fall. What I didn't know at the time was they can't be kept inside. When I showed it to one of my neighbors, she exclaimed, "What are you doing with that Hosta so late in the year??" I didn't really know myself.

Upon further research and trying to keep the poor thing alive indoors until Spring. I found that if it were to survive at all, before the ground froze, I would have to: cut off what was left of the leaves, dig a semi-deep hole and bury the entire plant upside-down. I insulated it with extra soil and hoped for the best.

In April, after the last snow, I dug up the hibernating Hosta. I discovered that it was in great shape. So, I proceeded to plant it right side up, and wait for the first leaves to emerge. After about a week, it began to sprout! My first success as an outside gardener since I was a child. Everyday, the Hosta seemed to grow larger, stronger and more beautiful.



After a couple of weeks of feeling like a proud parent, I decided to create a Hosta bed. This is when the trouble began...