Saturday, February 16, 2013

Spring is Almost Here!!!!!

Spring is almost here!!!! Took this picture yesterday of some Crocuses blooming in my garden, please ignore the weeds, lol.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Hellebores blooming, first signs of Spring

I noticed today that my hellebores were beginning to bloom. Spring is almost here. Yayy!!!!

Vole Control

Lately I have been having problems with voles in my garden. They have veracious appetites and have destroyed and killed several of my hardy palms, yuccas, and other plants. Voles are small rodents that burrow underground and eat bulbs, roots, and seeds. They usually eat landscape plants at there roots leaving the leaves and stems for you to find wilted and dead. They look like a short tailed mouse or a small grey hamster. I have set up mouse traps to kill these pesky critters before they cause anymore damage. There are holes all in my yard from there burrows. The most effective way to control voles I have found is with the good old fashioned snap mouse trap. Set several traps outside an active burrow entrance and bate them with peanut butter, diced apple or oats mixed with peanut butter. I use chunky peanut butter and it is pretty effective. To keep Squirrels from stealing the bate of your trap cover the trap with a large bucket or flower pot and place a rock or brick on top of it to keep it from blowing over with the wind.

New Cold Frame

I got this new cedar cold frame from Menards yesterday It was on clearance for $40. Pretty good deal I think originally it was like $60. What a steal now time to winter sow some seeds.