Do your cedar and hew shrubs look like newly shaped Bonsai plants after this winter? Maybe you discovered your rhododendron has been stripped of leaves and buds approximately 5 feet from the ground. Or perhaps you are out on your early spring inspection of your gardens and discovered the emerging perennial or spring bulb greens are chewed to the ground! You my friend have been the host of a wildlife party. No COVID-like large gathering restrictions here………….deer, rabbits,chipmunks or voles have decided that your home property makes for a lovely late night social gathering and snacking party.
Wildlife garden foraging, most common in the more rural areas, has now become a major problem in areas within what one might consider city limits. Increased urbanization throughout our region has reduced wildlife refuge areas. More homes and less wooded parcels push wildlife into smaller and smaller tracts competing for food sources. There is nothing more frustrating than to spend time and resources on creating a beautiful home landscape, only to come out one morning and discover wildlife have destroyed your blooms and reshaped your evergreens.
Over the years I have tried a treasure trove of practices to deter wildlife foraging. I have planted deer resistant plants, only to discover they really don’t exist. If deer are hungry enough, they will eat anything! I took to the home grown recipes such as soap dangling from nylons, hair clippings and red pepper. Having little to no success there, I explored products endorsed by national “garden influencers”. I spent my hard earned dollars on products that did not deliver.
At the height of my frustration I came across a product that seemed promising: Planstkydd. This product was OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed as the first animal repellent suitable for use in the production of organic food and USDA approved for organic gardening. Plantskydd is made in the USA. Both the organic and made in USA elements are incredibly important to me as a small garden business owner. I have no fear using this product in my gardens where my Grandkids and the Garden Pup roam.
Last year the Plantskydd company gave me the opportunity to perform product clinical trials on their product to ease my skepticism. I tested the product in a variety of garden settings throughout the Saratoga Region. The product truly worked! As each property has different wildlife types and density of population, I needed to adjust application frequencies accordingly. You can check out my video with my 2020 overview of the product:http://gardengoddesssenseandsustainability.com/plantskydd.html
If you have read my garden blogs for any length of time…you know I don’t make a habit of endorsing products. But I believe in this product and use it in all my gardens. Want to purchase the product locally? I offer product delivery within the Saratoga Springs area and have a retail display at Dehns Greenhouse on Beekman Street in Saratoga Springs. Early season application can break that feeding frenzy cycle. Time to eliminate those wildlife social gatherings in your treasured gardens in 2021 with Plantskydd.
