Dear LPG, 

In the middle of the winter, you can find yourself thinking negative thoughts.  The days are short and dark, and it is hard to remember that the spring is coming, but for gardeners at least the thoughts of our annual horticultural achievements are lurking somewhere in our heads.

I can imagine that, like me, now is the time that you are looking and planning for the plants and flowers that will add the colour to your garden this year.  However, depressing as the days seem, our winters are a lot milder as the years go by and while I await the first daffodil of the year to bud, that thought helps me to be a little more optimistic.

I live just up the road from a park and often spend time looking through the window as the people pass by our front garden and many do so to take their dogs for a walk.  I am lucky I suppose because I live with my son and his family now and it is as much as he can do to keep the lawn mower or the flower bed that flanks the drive and the path to the front door in check.  I think that they are happy to have me because they have no time (or real interest in doing much more than keeping it tidy) and I am happy to spend time during the long summer days enjoying a family barbeque and the fruits of my labour.

Our front garden doubles as a drive and so the fence has been removed which leaves me with one aspect of my appreciation lacking.  I wonder if any other gardener gets upset when they look through the front window and observe a dog loitering.  Some of those leads seem to have string that stretches from here to eternity and I am sure that the owners miss some of what their dogs are doing even if they are attached to them, and let’s not get started on cats.  Have you noticed how they always choose someone else’s back or front garden?    It is not always a case of poop (owners are quite responsible these days), and I know that what dogs and cats do is natural, but I still find their visits a bit upsetting even if they don’t leave a calling card.  

I have tried all sorts of products to deter them without a lot of success, but I recently read that a herb garden, the leaves of which I will never be using to cook with, might be a good idea.   it appears that they do not like many of the smells produced by them. I have also found a few gadgets that could be helpful.  I think that I am going to invest in a motion activated water sprayer in the back garden and I also found a Sonic cat Repeller that might work. There are suggestions that shredded fruit peel (orange, lemon and banana) can also be a good idea while I looked on the internet and learnt that our furry friends are not keen on strong smelling plants, like rosemary.   

This year I am on a crusade to beautify, and then protect my hard work with a new arsenal.   So, my plan is to get an army of the above-mentioned ideas established (both in the front and back) this year and add it to my arsenal of already bought pet deterrent products.

I have asked LPG to leave the details below just in case you would like to join me… 

HG, Ladywell.

HG shares what she has found…

(►►►)   (►►►)     (►►►)    (►►►)

(►►►)   (►►►)     (►►►)