THE STRUGGLE IS REAL... SO PLANT SOME SMELLY BULBS

REMNANT DEVIL TUNNELS

The hand ringing has started early this year for me. Given the freakishly hot February (I feel like I'm saying this more and more) all the snow is gone and the ground has pretty much entirely thawed a month a head of schedule. I took advantage of the early and extreme thaw to do my usual walk through and survey the damage after being away for 2 months. Between the frost heaves, deer trampling, woodchuck holes, and the reaffirmation that I have some of clay-eyist soils around after digging around a bit, I immediately went into gloom and doom mode, but after a few deep breaths and repeatedly reminding myself that February and March have come and gone before and the plants manage to survive just fine, I avoided a panic attack... that is until I saw the voles, or more precisely, what the voles had done.

Over the past few years I've been waging a violet inspired battle. Trying and failing to protect my Liatris, Iris, Dalea, Baptisia, ect.) against the many critters that call my garden home. But the most villainous of them all, the one that leaves so little trace of its victims that you start to convince yourself that you never planted them to begin with, is the insidious vole. The list of plants I can't grow because of them gets longer and longer with each passing season, but the latest casualty (the few last remaining clumps of Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' that I have waited years to reach maturity) pushed me over the edge. I suppose I should have seen it coming, this was the last of several clumps that the voles have been working through since they were planted. While I've at least partially accepted that the remaining Baptisia probably won't last more than another season or 2, I'm still going to do my best to defend them against the invading onslaught of furry little devils (including the various non-toxic chemical deterrents out there, like Repellex and castor oil. So in honor of this very worthy foe, I figured I'd list a few plants that supposedly help deter all pests of the 4 legged variety, but that also don't mind or even prefer a heavier soil (something that's a must in my garden).




Allium suaveolense - Odorous Garlic or Fragrant Leek
Zone: 4-8
Probably one of the more random plants I've come across in the rabbit hole that is the internet. One of a handful of allium species that can tolerate saturated soils. European native. Growing up a flats of these to test this season to see how well it fairs in my wet clay. Update to follow... As with all alliums, a good all around pest deterrent.
Purchase from: Specialty Perennials, Jelitto



Delphinium tricorne - Dwarf Larkspur or Spring Larkspur
Zone: 3/4-8, no source out there seems to be consistent on this. Best guess.
I've been looking for an excuse to grow this species as they take a few years from seed to reach flowering size, but given this genus' high toxicity I think I finally found a reason. The literature seems to suggest this species might be more tolerant of poorly drained soils, hoping for this along with some level of pest deterrence. Native spring ephemeral.
Purchase from: American Meadows, Enchanter's Garden, Lazy S'S Farm Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Sunshine Farm and Gardens



Fritillaria meleagris - Checkered Lily or Snake’s Head Fritillary
Zone: 3-8
While unusual and exotic looking, this plant is by no means rare, and is offered by pretty much all the bulb companies out there. Appears to do well in any moist soil (provided it's not too acidic). Has the typical strong skunky smell of the genus and is great at repelling pests. Howeve,r asiatic lily beetles do love them, so if these are a problem in your area you may want to look elsewhere. But even with the lily beetle scourge these guys have persisted for 10+ years in a perpetually mucky spot.
Purchase from: Brent and Becky's Bulbs, McClure & Zimmerman, Van Engelen, K.Van Bourgondien & Sons, Etc.



Leucojum aestivum - Summer Snowflake
Zone: 4-8(9)
Probably one of the most versatile and adaptable bulbs I can think of. Falls into the same category as the previous plant (offered by pretty much all of the bulb companies out there), but still underutilized. As with all plants in the family Amaryllidaceae (this includes daffodils) pretty much vole immune. 'Gravetye giant' is a commonly offered variety that is larger and more vigourous than the species.
Purchase from: Brent and Becky's Bulbs, McClure & Zimmerman, Van Engelen, K.Van Bourgondien & Sons, Etc.


IMAGE SOURCES: TOP IMAGE; A. suaveolense (LEFT, RIGHT); D. tricorne (LEFT, RIGHT); F. meleagris; L. aestivum (LEFT, RIGHT);