Scoreboard reads: Midnight muncher 9, Campanula plants 17 and the game is not over yet!! I am watching plants closely these days as some will be entered into the 2013 Flower baseline study. Some of the Campanula are up to 2 feet with lots of blossoms. In a narrow edge garden, some of the plants are easy to get to without having to contend with neighboring bunches of daylilies. One morning on my stroll past the plants something was amiss! The plants!! Their tops are gone!! Curses, the midnight muncher has struck. 9 plants and oodles of buds were now in the belly of the beast. The naked stalks were but skeletons, reminders of what could have been. There were other plants, the muncher did not eat them all, only the easy to get to ones. :-( The days passed, other plants diverted my attention, still, the severed stalks, not wanting to be left with barren tops began to send out shoots from the closest node. From the 9 severed tops rose 17 new stalks. Will the new tops put out flowers? Perhaps, if the muncher does not return for a second course. Jerry
So did your campanula attempt to bloom? I used to have a bumper crop of campanula every year until last year when a resident bunny moved in. He seems to find the campanula utterly delectable! Now I only get an occasional blossom that he some how seems to miss.
In the recent game of munch before you are caught, the score is Muncher 4 Human 0 with one tie. The tie reflects the one white bloom that I caught the bunny with in his mouth. He dropped the flower which now sits in a vase. The muncher is now fair game for the garden hose. Most of the time he eats grass. Yes, campanula seems to be a favorite. Last year he did not bother them at all......perhaps this one is a different bunny. The garden hose is ready. :twisted: Jerry
Ouch. That is all too familiar here, only I KNOW who the midnight muncher is--MY HORSE !!! She was putting her head through her fence into my potato patch and eating the tops off. I fixed her little wagon yesterday. At least it seems to be fixed now. I found the evidence Thursday morning, and it took me a few hours to come up with the solution for me. I have some old sheets of paneling that are no longer fit to use indoors and I had not yet decided what to do with them. I rigged them to stay between her fence and the tater patch with some old dog chains and posts. So far, she has not gotten them down. Another option might be the garlic spray below: 1/4 lb garlic [2 to 3 garlic bulbs, whole] 1 qt of water 4 to 5 drops dish washing liquid blender or food processor 1 qt glass jar Separate the garlic cloves but don't peel them. Place the whole garlic cloves in a blender or food processor with 1 c water. Chop well. If you have lots of garlic plants, you can use the garlic leaves as they also contain the allicin. Add the rest of the water, and the dish soap. Blend until well liquified, about several minutes. Strain the mixture through a strainer, to remove bits of the garlic. Strain twice if need be. Store the concentrate in a glass jar with a tight lid until you are ready to use it. Yield about 1 qt of concentrate. To make the spray, dilute 1 part extract with 10 parts water. It takes about 1/4 c concentrate to 1 1/2 c water. Spray affected plants generously. This might work to repel your midnight muncher ? It is supposed to help with bugs and junk. I was looking for something else in my recipe collection when I found this one. I intend to try it this summer.
Thank you, an interesting recipe. the muncher must have a map of all the campanula in the yard as each plant I find has been munched. Campanula freely sow seeds everywhere so when I see stray plants I move then together. It seems that I have made it easier for the muncher. I will make some spray. Can I freeze it? Jerry
In that case half will be frozen and half will remain in the fridge. The muncher has to eat during the summer but I am not sure what. I will be ready. Jerry
