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christinmk

Keep OUT of the flowerbeds!!

I am sure every gardener must have something or somebody they want to keep out of their garden beds. Maybe it is a well meaning but woefully uncoordinated spouse or family member that steps where they shouldn't ? A rambunctious pet or destructive animal?

My problem seems to be the new mailman. Instead of taking the two steps up to the mailbox he goes alongside them, which means right through part of the flowerbed. The unfortunate thing is I have some fairly early rising Glory of the Snow planted right around this area and I worry that they might get crushed. Not to mention all the tulips I put in the front of the bed. It really bugs me since it isn't as if it is a couple flights of stairs to reach the box, it is TWO steps!! Geez! A few minutes ago I put an extra piece of leftover vinyl lattice out there, propped up by the carpet rose to block that area off. Hopefully he will get the message! Then maybe in spring I can find some of that little one foot wire border fencing, something a little more attractive. I also have a feeling the meter readers are cutting across the front shade bed to get to the side of the house. I really wouldn't mind that so much since I have a curving pathway running thru it, but the pathway is covered over with leaves so they are probably stepping in the wrong areas! Sigh...

Second thing is cats. Seems all the cats in the neighborhood come here for the sole purpose of pooing! They love the area in the back of the front shade garden, since it stays dry and the soil is sandy. There isn't anything planted in the very back, which is good. Trouble is they let the dirt FLY when digging around there, so even nearby plants can get buried. Only solution I have come up with (one that is somewhat permanent) is putting potted plants and containers along the back to deter them somewhat. Plus it may add something interesting to look at besides bare poo-ridden ground ;-D Some pavers might work okay too, though I don't know if it would look as nice.

Your turn. What is it that you have to battle to keep from your flower beds? How have you dealt with it?

CMK

Comments (16)

  • plantmaven
    13 years ago

    As to the cats, put down chicken wire. When they can't dig through it they will probably go else where

  • Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca
    13 years ago

    Hi! We have a similar problem with our mailman. Not only does he cut through lawns he also steps in my flower bed. I ended up having to place stepping stones so he didnt crush my plants. And when he was cutting in between our hedge he wore a path in between shrubs. So we replaced the shrub, only for him to decide he would squeeze between the fence and the shrub. So we had to plant another shrub up against the fence! I was told by a neighbor that mail carriers are to follow the walkway and sidewalk but ours does not. He's also crushed some tulips before as well, he's really a pain!
    One morning it snowed really bad and I slept in and didn't get the sidewalk shoveled right away. He put a note in our box saying the mail was undeliverable ! He's a great guy! lol

    Im not sure but maybe a large rose bush by the steps would be helpful. Or even try to politely mention to him, How fragile the plants can be?

    Because of my digging bulldog who loves a fresh plant, I had to fence in my back garden to keep him out. I like it a lot, feels private , but I feel like I have lots of lawn I could have conquered !

    Good luck to you! :)

  • girlgroupgirl
    13 years ago

    The City of Atlanta. While fixing up my neighbors sewage, the first set of workers were very careful. The 2nd set dug up half of a garden bed and TOOK THE PLANTS and good soil away for trash. I've ended up with a bed of solid red clay, no plants and it's full of huge chunks of cement.
    They did not remove their boards from their cement forms, the garden is trampled in many other places they needed not go near, and there are orange cones sitting directly on plants they told me not to move.
    I estimate that if all totaled, they did about $150 worth of damages. At least I can send a bill for the damage. It's hard to bill your dog :)

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    -plantmaven, never would I have thought of that on my own! One could even put down a bit of mulch on top to hide it a bit I suppose. Thanks for mentioning it.

    -lilyfinch, do you think they make humane mailman traps? ;-] That is terrible you have lost so many shrubs because him. Maybe you could make a sign or something- "Please Use Sidewalk" or "Keep out of the Flower Beds"? Was thinking of doing that myself except I didn't have the materials on hand. That is hilarious! The mailman doesn't even use the sidewalks and he complains if you don't shovel them right away!!

    -GGG, oh!! I cringed when I heard your story. That is adding insult to injury by taking and throwing away your plants! Sure hope you are able to get some
    recompense for the damages, though it doesn't even begin to cover all the hard work and carefull planning that went into the bed with the plants ;-(
    CMK

  • totallyconfused
    13 years ago

    I just want the newspaper guy to put the paper in the ugly plastic box they make us mount next to mailbox. Instead, he just throws the paper into the surrounding garden, smashing or breaking the plants in the process.

    Totally Confused

  • cottagegirl_tn
    13 years ago

    One word...armadilloes. They are starting early by digging up around my evergreen tree and 2 bushes I planted in a grouping last year and mulched with pine straw. I hate these little (*!#$)!!

  • tempusflits
    13 years ago

    I too have a trampling mailman. He walks across my lawn and through my flowerbed to my front porch mailbox. I'm stunned that the Postal Service allows this. However, a friend says the mailmen are told to take the shortest route. From what I'm reading here, maybe she's right.

    I know the garden's under snow right now, but I like to leave things natural for winter interest. There are stalks sticking up through the snow. He has to know there are plants there. I've left a note on the mailbox telling him that he'll kill the plants, but I don't know what good it will do.

  • Thyme2dig NH Zone 5
    13 years ago

    I don't have any issues with people trampling in the garden. I probably step on more plants than anyone!

    My biggest issue with intruders is wildlife. I have started scare tactics with the deer (although I think my neighbors call it the "crazy-lady tactic"). I let them get nice and comfortable and then I open the door carefully and bang a pot and ladle together which scares them right out of the garden and back into the woods. I've asked my DH to keep up this practice while I'm at work but somehow he hasn't signed on yet. Then there are voles, woodchucks, squirrels, etc. I wonder if the chickenwire idea would work with those varmints. That's a great idea.

    And a new crazy intruder is the blue jays. I'm not sure if any of you have ever heard of this but do you know they eat paint? I looked it up online and they prefer white latex paint especially in winter when there is heavy snowcover. I've been watching them on our front porch railing for a couple of weeks and I thought they were scooping up snow but then we noticed the paint is disappearing. Yesterday I watched them closely and they are scraping the paint up with their bottom beak and eating it. I guess they get some sort of calcium from it. It's a good thing we're getting everything painted this year or I wouldn't be too happy. Not sure how we're going to handle this with upcoming winters though.

    Christin, could you move your mailbox? I know it seems easier to "train" the new mailman to use the steps but is there a way you could get a pretty mailbox or use decorative covers and put it along your walkway? That way it could be semi-incorporated into the garden but not in a spot where he can trample plants? My friend had an issue with her mailman and unfortunately when she and neighbors complained to the post master the issues got worse, not better. When did mailmen get so lazy that they don't use walkways or steps?

    LF, I can't believe your mailman actually wore a path when there are walkways he should be using. I think you've posted before but can we see a picture of your little digger? Bulldogs are just the cutest!

    GGG, that is an absolute sin the complete disregard those workers had for your garden. You'd think ONE of the workers would have stopped to consider the homeowner. Throwing out plants?!? I would have been furious! I think you should pad your bill for the damage for all the labor you'll have to put in to get things back in order. It sounds like they left a real mess.

    Cottagegirl, I don't know a lot about armadillos but they do have really long claws for digging don't they? They must really be able to do damage. Are they common in gardens near you? Do you have more than one causing trouble? Maybe that chicken wire idea could be used for all sorts of diggers.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    13 years ago

    I'm going to have to go through something similar in the near future. A sewer line needs to be replaced, and a portion will go right through a bed with three mature Rosey Glow Barberries and daylillys. The guys said they can dig them up and re-plant, no problem; well, I have my doubts. Unless they have had experience or are sensitive to gardens and gardeners' feelings, workmen tend to dig and toss aside and tramp everything. Plus, I'll be interested to see how they handle the prickly barberries. :)

  • organic_kitten
    13 years ago

    DH. He claims the stepping stones are too close for him, and his big foot has clumped on more than one plant (dutch iris the last time). We have come to an understanding. He stays out of my garden and we get along just fine. He views it from the border, and doesn't damage anything.
    kay

  • plantmaven
    13 years ago

    Brownies iced with german chocolate frosting works wonders for workers digging on utilities. Also, acting silly, I literally got on my knees to beg the inspector to get them to dig carefully around some plants. He got such a kick out of that, that he did have them leave my vitex.

  • schoolhouse_gw
    13 years ago

    plantmaven has the right idea. My Canadian neighbor is a great baker, and every time they have work done by contractors I see her coming out with a plate of "butter tarts" or cinn.rolls.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Think it worked! The mailman used the steps instead of cutting across the bed today, lol!

    -Susan, that would be a pretty good idea if the mailbox wasn't attatched to the house!! ;-D
    CMK

  • mosswitch
    13 years ago

    Reminds me of the time a utility lineman came to the house...he was warned about walking in a perennial bed (which he didn't need to be in anyway) because there was a yellow jacket nest in the ground. He did anyway, with the expected results. I hope it made him think twice about putting his big feet where they shouldn't go!

  • lindakimy
    13 years ago

    Well...that time when we had to have a new well drilled was pretty horrifying. Only two little black eyed susans survive there near the swing. My husband was there at the time but did not suggest that they use their longer pipe (see the white thing beyond the shovel) to project the sludge into the woods instead of the flowerbeds and the lawn. So I insisted that he pressure wash the whole yard so at least the grass would survive!
    {{gwi:582291}}
    But it also annoys me when the dog we rescued a couple of years ago goes after moles. Unlike my other dogs who have learned to stay out of the flower beds he digs until he gets the little varmints no matter how many plants he destroys in the process. I have never noticed any damage caused by the moles but he often leaves huge craters behind.

  • newbiehavinfun
    13 years ago

    Squirrels, mailmen and dogs.

    I planted a lovely row of corn last year. Never again. I watched and waited for optimum sweetness and ripeness of the corn. I could have saved myself the trouble; the squirrels knew the exact moment the corn was ripe and they cleared me OUT.

    One mailman (I think he's a substitute mailman) pushes aside my neighbor's hedge of forsythia and plops his big old feet right down in my flowerbeds. He smushed a young foxglove and a baptisia before I caught him in the act and asked (somewhat politely) that he go around the hedge and use the lawn. I didn't even say the sidewalk, just the lawn.

    Everything in the backyard must be dogproofed. They will chase the chipmunks wherever they go, not really caring that my cannas are being trampled. The next garden bed I do back there will be raised lasagna beds with boxwood edging. Get into THAT, (lovable little) bozos!

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