Saratoga News
Gardening
'Zz plant' has become popular in recent years. The tropical evergreen is a very low-maintenance, fast-growing houseplant. Its "flowers" consist of an arum-like spadix and spathe.
Animals go wild over shallow bulbs, freshly planted annuals
By Tony Tomeo
Urban development began to appear within the Santa Clara Valley only about two centuries ago. Birds, rodents and other native wildlife were here long before that. It is no wonder they do not hesitate to exploit our homes and gardens. They steal fruit from the garden in spring and summer, and dig shallow bulbs and freshly planted annuals in winter.
"Exotic" or non-native wildlife that relocated to the area with people can be even more bothersome. The most destructive types of rats in urban areas, along with starlings and red squirrels, are not native. Even certain domestic animals can cause problems in the garden. Cats help to control rodents, but by sharpening their claws they can damage young trees. Dogs, man's best friend, can damage lawns or gardens by digging.
Most damage from wildlife and domestic animals is caused by their eating habits. Nesting, food storage, clawing and even chewing can also cause significant damage. Rodents need to gnaw continually to wear their constantly growing teeth. Their nesting and food storage can be quite destructive to the immediate surroundings. Squirrels and crows cause the most damage in the garden right now, as they store food for the rest of winter.
Squirrels and crows are actually not very interested in bulbs or annual flowers and vegetables. They merely dig them up to see what is underneath. These devious creatures are in the habit of stealing acorns and nuts that have already been buried by other squirrels, and perceive freshly planted bulbs and annuals as someone else's recently buried stash. They are not always disappointed because squirrels who acquire and bury their own acorns and nuts find that freshly excavated soil is easy to dig in, so may have actually buried something there.
I unfortunately have no better recommendations for protection of bulbs and annuals than I had for protection of fruit in summer. Crows may be repelled by flashes from reflective materials such as CDs (as a reader recommended a few years ago) or reflective strips that can be found in garden centers. Crows eventually become accustomed to such devices, but might stay away long enough for fresh planting to become established. As the freshly dug soil gets weathered, they lose interest.
Squirrels are not so easily repelled, but can be kept out of pots and freshly planted areas with chicken wire. This chicken wire need not stay in place for long--only until annuals are mature enough so that squirrels do not think the annuals were recently planted. Chicken wire does not need to be elevated far above the soil, but needs only to out of the way of developing plants. It can be elevated with forked twigs stuck into the soil. So that squirrels cannot go underneath, the edges should be weighed down or slightly buried. In pots, the wire can be wrapped to fit snugly around the rims.
Shallow bulbs, such as crocus, may also need protection. They are, of course, safe if they have overplanting (annuals planted over the surface) that is already protected. Otherwise, they can be protected by chicken wire placed directly over the surface of the soil. As shoots appear at the surface, the wire can be removed. Fortunately, most bulbs are planted too deeply to be vulnerable to digging squirrels.
Houseplant of the Week: "Zz"
No, that is not misspelled, nor have I fallen asleep while writing. "Zz" really is one of the common names for Zamioculcas zamiifolia, which is also known as "Zz plant" or aroid palm to those who prefer names to initials. Zz has become available only during the past few years, and is becoming increasingly popular as a houseplant because of its remarkably glossy, richly dark green foliage, and its resiliency to neglect.
Zz needs only minimal sunlight and infrequent watering. It prefers to be too dry than too wet, and should be fine if watered only as the surface of the soil dries. Zz might drop a few leaflets from its pinnately compound leaves (composed of several small leaflets arranged on a single rachis, or leaf stem) as a warning if it gets too dry. If severely dry, Zz might drop an entire leaf. Yellowing leaves typically indicate too much water. This can become a serious problem, as saturated roots easily rot.
Listen to Tony Tomeo's 'New Image Garden Report' Friday mornings at 8:10 a.m. on KSCO-1080 AM (or online at www.ksco.com). He can be reached at www.ttomeo@newimagelandscape.com or 408.358.2574.
