DO YOU HATE SQUIRRELS IN THE GARDEN?

SQUIRRELS ARE A PEST IN THE LONDON SUBURBS

Elegant protection against squirrels, the predators

 FLOWER BULBS, PARTICULARLY CROCUSES IN POTS

I have to protect them from the pesky squirrels, of which we seem to have several dozen frisking about the fences and trees.  I have put daffs and tulips, plus a few crocus and some little blue iris, in pots and have made them really decorative with these mesh things, from old appliances, which I found on the dump where I have my allotment.  Pretty ?

Little bulbs need protection from squirrels

Even so, I found one pot, where there was a couple of crocus bulbs left from last spring, had a large hole dug in it and the bulb eaten, drat!  I had to put yet more protection over it.

SQUIRRELS ATTEMPT TO  INVADE HOUSE

Damage done by squirrel getting into loft

You can understand why I don't like squirrels, apart from them eating the bulbs.  They tried and nearly succeeded in getting into our loft a few years ago, and did a great deal of damage gnawing the soffit boards etc round the roof.  It cost us a fortune to get it all repaired.

POND PROBLEMS

I wrote earlier in the year about the mega large waterlily.  The blossoms were lovely, but the waterlily had to be moved on.  I left the pot with the plant growing in it  for somebody else to use in their pond.  Maybe this is called 'pond-cycling'?

Alas, the waterlily got too big and had to go

There was a very big accumulation of leaves from the waterlily plant, which I had acquired from the allotment dump a couple of years ago. I had to brace myself and sink my arms into the pond to grab hold of the plant and heave it out.  Then I had to do the same with some very huge water plants that were also doing a take-over bid.  This is the result, not a pretty sight.  But maybe next year will be better (I always say that).

Pond minus plants and waterlily

CHILLIES

The chillies did very well, probably because it was a warm summer with lots of sunshine.  I planted the seeds in February, in my heated propagator in the house.

Beautiful chillies from February seed sowing

MICHAELMAS DAISIES

These were so nice to come home to, after our autumn holiday.  They brightened up the front garden and flowered for a week or two.  Now they have all gone to seed, and are not very pretty.

Dwarf michaelmas daisies, called Bermuda, I think

 

Wonder if I should cut the seed heads off to prevent unwanted plants?  Previous years I got lots of unwanted, self-sown michaelmas daisies of the huge type, those ones with very pale mauve flowers.  So I was stern with myself and yanked them all out earlier in the year.  It is satisfying to do this, because they pull up really easily.  Here is a photo of the garden in early October with the dwarf michaelmas daisies, but now its much less pretty!

Nice to look at, in the middle of dreary November