Landscaping/Gardening Thread.

[wireframe]

Decided to pull the trigger this year on the “maintenance free” front yard. We did two years ago to our backyard and absolutely love it. Hopefully it works out for the front yard and looks good. No more watering or mowing lawns for me.

We were also looking into urban beekeeping, anyone do this here at CP?

I've kept bees in my yard for a few years. I don't have any right now because they died three winters ago and i didn't both getting a new colony because I had a newborn at the time. Still, PM me and I'm happy to share anything i know.


edit: quote button didn't work. Add a mangled quote tag instead

[hah]

I'm looking for a recommendation for a company that can do the following:


1) concrete pad at side of house for recycling, compost, and garbage bins (smaller Job)
2) fix two cracks ( if possible) in front sidewalk from drive way to house.


Thanks in advance for any recommendations or suggestions.


Please note that I am not a do it your selfer for this particular project

[Huntingwhale]

Bumping this thread for some advice. I live in a townhouse and I am limited in that I only have a few potted plants on my balcony. However, the neighbor beside me loves her bird feeders, peanut trays, birdbaths, etc, so it's always a zoo next door. I'm cool with that and it looks great, except the squirrels have now find out that I have plants on my balcony and are digging up the pots constantly.

I bought some mesh netting which worked fine in my previous home's garden where it had room to strech out, but with limited space here it looks stupid and squishes the plants down. My bb/pellet guns aren't really an option with neighbors being able to see what I'm doing. I have my balcony railing covered with wired mesh going around the side, but there is a tree in between mine and neighbors balcony, so the squirrels just jump over it making the wire mesh useless.

I have a cat but I can't leave him outside alone, as I don't trust him to jump up on the railing and potentially wander off. Frustrating waking up every morning seeing my plants all dug up and dirt everywhere, and that damn squirrel running off as soon as I open the balcony door before my cat can smack him. Google has some advice, but some people say it works when others laugh and say it doesn't. Does anyone have advice for this? Does the cayenne pepper trick work?

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Huntingwhale

Bumping this thread for some advice. I live in a townhouse and I am limited in that I only have a few potted plants on my balcony. However, the neighbor beside me loves her bird feeders, peanut trays, birdbaths, etc, so it's always a zoo next door. I'm cool with that and it looks great, except the squirrels have now find out that I have plants on my balcony and are digging up the pots constantly.

I bought some mesh netting which worked fine in my previous home's garden where it had room to strech out, but with limited space here it looks stupid and squishes the plants down. My bb/pellet guns aren't really an option with neighbors being able to see what I'm doing. I have my balcony railing covered with wired mesh going around the side, but there is a tree in between mine and neighbors balcony, so the squirrels just jump over it making the wire mesh useless.

I have a cat but I can't leave him outside alone, as I don't trust him to jump up on the railing and potentially wander off. Frustrating waking up every morning seeing my plants all dug up and dirt everywhere, and that damn squirrel running off as soon as I open the balcony door before my cat can smack him. Google has some advice, but some people say it works when others laugh and say it doesn't. Does anyone have advice for this? Does the cayenne pepper trick work?

Any squirrel deterrent plants you can plant in conjunction or add to your potted plants? I think daffodils, onion and garlic might be worth a try along with the hot pepper powder trick?

[puckedoff]

For my potted plants outdoors I just put large stones around the plants so that the squirrels can't really dig, seems to work.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

Any squirrel deterrent plants you can plant in conjunction or add to your potted plants? I think daffodils, onion and garlic might be worth a try along with the hot pepper powder trick?

RE: daffodils, they will still dig them up, just won't eat them. Not many things that will deter squirrels.

Best thing would be if your neighbor got a squirrel proof feeder. However, since you are in such close proximity to your neighbor, I doubt that would work either. They will still come and eat what the birds have dropped...and then they will visit your place...and dig.

[Fuzz]

I've had luck with of cayenne pepper. Try sprinkling some around, they don't like it.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

I've had luck with of cayenne pepper. Try sprinkling some around, they don't like it.

Would filling a squirt gun with slightly watered down tabasco sauce and spraying it at tree branches/base of the tree sorta help?

Could a fan with some cayenne pepper towards your neighbors side help a little?

[Huntingwhale]

I am going to try both the cayenne pepper method, and I found some slate rocks outside I'll put in the pots. Hopefully those work. Wish I could trust my cat to just hang out on the balcony as a deterrant, but if I'm not watching him as soon I turn my back he jumps up on the railing and I don't trust him to not fall.

[Ironhorse]

Don’t let your cat at the squirrels unless you want a vet bill. It might look like a good idea, but squirrels are vicious and will straight #### them up.

[Huntingwhale]

Yeah that is true. Moreso, the squirrels stay away when my cat is out, but I wouldn't want him scrapping them.

[MoneyGuy]

I have a lovely yellow potentilla but it takes so long for it to flower. Right now there are only a few flowers but in three weeks it’ll have many. Is this common? My neighbour gave it to me four or five years ago and his others are flower-filled.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Don’t let your cat at the squirrels unless you want a vet bill. It might look like a good idea, but squirrels are vicious and will straight #### them up.

Not if you enrol them in Fight Club and toughen them up a bit first.

[MoneyGuy]

When you deep water large trees for winter are you supposed to water at the drip line?

Edit: looks like you should water outside of the trip line.

[WideReceiver]

Our lawn is covered with leaves and we’ll be traveling for several weeks in the spring when the snow melts. If we don’t pick up the leaves now and they’re wet on the lawn for a few weeks in spring, will it cause mold harmful to the grass?

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by WideReceiver

Our lawn is covered with leaves and we’ll be traveling for several weeks in the spring when the snow melts. If we don’t pick up the leaves now and they’re wet on the lawn for a few weeks in spring, will it cause mold harmful to the grass?

I just wanted to congratulate you on your future-sight powers to know withing a few weeks when the snow will melt in Calgary, when it's anywhere from February to May. Cool superpower.

[Wormius]

My wife insists on keeping some plants inside the house and the soil and plant are infested with gnats. She threatened divorce if I throw the plants away and looks like the sticky traps are only so effective. If I get some ladybugs to work on the gnats, am I going to have a ladybug problem later?

[SportsJunky]

Just get some toads/frogs to kill the ladybugs in your home. You may run into a toad/frog problem later.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

Just get some toads/frogs to kill the ladybugs in your home. You may run into a toad/frog problem later.

That's what the snakes are for.

[puffnstuff]

A mongoose is good for those snakes.