Happy Monday GPODers!
We started our week in Rotterdam, New York by visiting Maxine Brisport’s garden. Maxine has shared her beautiful garden with us many times in the past (check out some of her previous entries: Visitors in Maxine’s Garden, Blooms in Maxine’s Garden, and Celebrating End-of-Summer Beauty with Maxine), but today she’s going to discuss a more challenging and tender part of her garden that she hasn’t talked about before.
It is disheartening to wander through the garden each morning and see plants that have been eaten by rabbits and hares. Throughout the day, rabbits and hares can be seen foraging and even resting among the flowers. The rabbits seem to eat anything that is in bloom. They have eaten away at plants that are considered rabbit resistant such as marigolds, sage and black-eyed marigolds. (Rudbeckia hirtaRegion 3–11). However, there is no doubt that the following are some of their favourite birds: ‘Storm Cloud’ bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana ‘Storm Clouds’, Zones 4–9), Bell Flowerconeflower, spider plant ‘Concord Grape’ (transaction ‘Concord Grape’, Zones 3–9) and columbine ‘Black Barlow’ (Aquilegia Vulgaris used to be. full of stars ‘Black Barlow’, Zones 3–9). The plants that were consumed are struggling to grow back. It was frustrating to see our precious flowers devoured by adorable rabbits, but we decided not to actively chase them away. Instead, we happily enjoyed the flowers they left for us to care for.
Too tall for small herbivores to eat, this lily (royal lilyZones 4–8) still look gorgeous in Maxine’s garden.
I enjoy many pollinators but clearly not my rabbit’s favorite, butterfly grass (Asclepias radishZones 3–9) are ablaze with some bright white daisies.
This ‘Alexander’ Golden Barringtonia (lysimachia ‘Alexander’ (Zones 4–8) is an interesting combination of both: gorgeous showy foliage with lovely textured ripples and bright yet delicate cup-shaped yellow flowers.
I absolutely love how Maxine photographs the visitors to her garden as beautifully as she does the plants she grows. Even though they destroy her flowers and eat her plants, they are still lovely garden visitors that we must learn to share our environment with. Maxine seems to be doing a great job of striking that balance with nature.
And Maxine shows that sharing is possible with all the gorgeous flowers she still gets to enjoy! This is a ‘Tiger Swirl’ lily (Hemerocallis ‘Tiger Swirl’, Zones 3–9) glows in the sun.
And at the opposite end of the color spectrum, this cool-toned ‘Entrapment’ day lily (Hemerocallis ‘Entrapment’, Zones 2–9) adds a unique touch with its unusually ruffled petals.
Some gardeners find their young hostas eaten to the roots by hungry rabbits in the spring, but Maxine has had success planting a wide variety of these classic shade-loving plants. This bed has an amazing mix of colours, shapes and textures, all of which complement the mix of other classic shade-loving plants like ferns and astilbes.
Another great technique for dealing with garden herbivores is to grow tall! Climbing plants allow you to grow flowers at a height that is too high for smaller flower eaters like rabbits, groundhogs, and gophers. This blue passionflower (Passiflora caeruleaZones 2–9) is a beautiful vine with stunning flowers.
Finally, another visitor was lounging in the shade of a garden bench. Apparently Maxine had created a rabbit paradise in her garden!
And Maxine shared so many beautiful photos of her plants and visiting bunnies that we’re heading back to her garden tomorrow to see more.
Do you have a garden you would like to share?
Do you have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular plant collection you love, or a beautiful garden you’ve had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the photo and where you took the photo. We’d love to know where you are, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you’re proud of, failures you’ve learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
Do you have a mobile phone? Tag your photo on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with #FineGardening!
Have you received your GPOD via email? Sign up here.
