It’s nearly impossible to grow flowers or vegetables without ending up with a few animals in the garden. That can be super helpful at times, like when the birds snack on the slugs eating through your salad greens.
But some animals in the garden can be, shall we say, not so great. That’s what Bob McCray learned when his new puppy discovered the “flattened irises, mangled peonies, and crushed marigolds.” Let’s be honest, puppies might be the cutest thing ever, but you still don’t want them barreling through your flowers.
While Bob’s puppy was as cute as can be as it lay sleeping in the midst of the daisies, writer Emily Edwards had a very different adventure with animals in the garden. In her case, the animals weren’t cute at all.
Emily found that a horde of Japanese Beetles was greedily feasting on the “newly opened leaves” of her grapes when she decided she had the perfect solution to get rid of them.
Unfortunately, the solution didn’t work quite as well as Emily would have hoped. But thanks to her experience, neither you nor I need to suffer through the same mistake. Take a look at How (Not) to Get Rid of Beetles in the Garden. You’ll learn a thing or two about ridding your garden of beetles, and you’ll get a good laugh through Emily’s animated storytelling.
What about rabbits? They’re awfully cute, but also destructive. (You didn’t really want those strawberries, did you?) Usually, rabbits run away when you head to the garden, but writer Beth Surdut found out that sometimes, rabbits can be “very” friendly. When she goes to a neighbor’s garden to dig up unwanted plants to sell at her garden club’s fundraiser, hilarity ensues. Read Gardening Critters Gone Wild to find out just how friendly this rabbit was.
Feel free to stay a while and enjoy all the stories about animals in the garden we have to share below. And be sure to check out our Animals in the Garden Sampler while you’re here, which features a hand-picked selection of our favorite stories from this category.
Does the thought of backyard chickens appeal to you? City dwellers interested in country living or those tired of the rising cost of eggs at the grocery store might consider it. However, seeing how quirky and adorable they are, it’s easy to forget to weigh the pros and cons of chickens before bringing them home. […]
Maybe it’s because of the old Disney chipmunk characters Chip and Dale, but I’ve always found chipmunks to be incredibly cute. Maybe that’s why I don’t mind having chipmunks in the garden. I understand they might not be an ideal addition. Chipmunks eat berries and fruit and greens, but I just can’t help myself. As […]
I’ve always wondered what pets think about gardening. What are they thinking when they hop up and dig holes in freshly planted beds? Is it that they’re chasing a little chipmunk who has burrowed, and are trying to be heroes? Or is the compost just so delicious-smelling that our pets want to submerge themselves in […]
There are some interesting relationships in nature. For example, plants nourish birds by giving them seeds to eat. In return, birds spread those seeds, ensuring the plants flourish. Some relationships are far more exclusive, however, such as the relationship between the Tropical Milkweed and a very specific garden caterpillar. The larvae of the Monarch butterfly […]
If you build it, they will come. This oft-quoted line from the movie Field of Dreams* references the idea that if you put in the work and build something (figuratively or literally), it will pay off. The people you build it for will come. It turns out that this isn’t always true. It’s especially not true […]
I am not a person who uses the word hate very often. It is just not a frequent part of my vocabulary. But I will say that I HATE flying squirrels. It has not always been this way. For years, I was actually quite ambivalent. I never even gave them much thought. That all changed […]
Is there anything cuter than a puppy in the garden, ears flopping as it discovers the wonders of the world, like butterflies and dhalias? Perhaps not. Some pups will even help keep the garden free of critters that would be more than happy to make a party meal of your petunias. Sometimes, though, dogs and […]
You know the little white bunny from Alice in Wonderland, right? Or say, Thumper, the one from Bambi? Cute… white fur… pink nose… you know the guy. This story does not feature one of these specimens of culture. In fact, the white bunny in today’s story, Is That a Rabbit on Your Head? Is downright […]
As almost any gardener knows, deer are beautiful, graceful creatures. But when you have deer in the garden, they’re evil beings set on destruction. Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. They do need to eat, right? I just wish they would stop eating my flowers and vegetables! Even if you aren’t out in the country, your […]
To quote a beloved author, “It was the wettest of springs, it was the coldest of springs.” This observation perfectly encapsulates my gardening journey this year. Delaying my planting until the end of June, I envisioned a bountiful fall harvest. Little did I know that my venture into cool-weather crops, particularly broccoli and cauliflower, […]
