Saturday, September 01, 2012

A rose is a rose

Until it's not. This one is no more. The petals have all gone, but the hip has yet to form fully. I try not to let the hips form so that the plant will continue to flower, but I'm not always good at remembering to prune them off.

Pink roses in our back garden.

I now have a sort of mystery on my hands. Something is going at the roots of the Swiss chard I planted in the vegetable garden a couple of weeks ago. I've lost two plants. They've wilted down to the ground. Around one I can see evidence of something having pushed up dirt. I don't think they're moles, as moles don't eat plants. And I swear I saw one of the wilted plants move one morning, as if something were tugging on it from below. Argh!

11 comments:

  1. I love mysteries....I hope this one is solved soon.
    Keep us posted on what you find out. The next time the culprit is pulling the swiss chard from below, pull back and don't let go....you may be able to find him.

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  2. Oh, I have images of cartoon gophers underground pulling the plants right through the dirt. Our woodchucks didn't eat a lot of what they destroyed. They simply gnawed the stems to mark their territory. Destroyed the garden just the same. Hope you figure out what's going on (and get pictures).

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  3. You may have voles! Get Bertie on the case and see what he makes of them - short work, possibly.

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  4. I'm with Mitchell here. Get the Loony Tunes people over to the house. You need Elmer Fudd.

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  5. What other animal burrows and eats plants from the bottom up?

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  6. It does indeed sound like voles. Here is a link that might help:

    http://www.ehow.com/info_8005994_do-voles-eat-plant-roots.html

    ~Margaret

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  7. Hi, Walt,
    Do you have chipmunks in your yard? I once watched as one of my parsley plants got sucked straight down into the soil. A few moments later, a chipmunk scampered away from the planting box.
    All the best!
    Mary Lorenz (Bill Dettman's wife)

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  8. I always love mysteries! I can't wait to find out 'who dunnit' - I know you don't have a butler so I'm at a loss!

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  9. virginiac, I'll give it a shot. :)

    mitchell, all's quiet on the garden front for now... I'm still watching.

    pollygarter, I wish he would. Today he brought a mouse or a vole in from out in the vineyard. I would like him to hunt a little closer to home.

    bill, argh! The blade that was broken has been remade. Those orcs are in peril.

    ellen, elmer could probably do better than me!

    starman, I don't know!

    margaret, thanks!

    mary l., I know it's not chipmunks, as they do not exist in France. Glad to hear from you!

    mary, I may never know.

    michael, morlocks! According the Vulcan Science Directorate, time travel is not possible.

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