What the Deer Didn't Eat
I realized too late that I had planted some of my hyacinths too close to one of the main deer paths on the property. I watched with apprehension as the tips of the sprouting hyacinth leaves disappeared one by one overnight. However, the deer left the flower stalk alone. It's well known that deer will not eat daffodils. Perhaps hyacinth flowers share some of daffodils' deer repellent properties.
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Spring is several weeks late this year and getting later because of the unseasonably cool weather. Fortunately, the bulbs I planted last year and in 2021 are now up and blooming.
Not having grown the large variety of hyacinths before, I overestimated their shade tolerance. As a result, some parts of my modest flower beds look like the site of an experiment on the effects of low light on hyacinths. Unlike the specimens seen here, which are upright, others are almost horizontal to the ground in their quest to reach a sunnier spot. I would not be surprised to wake up one morning and discover my bulbs had acquired the skill of locomotion.
What the Deer Didn't Eat
I realized too late that I had planted some of my hyacinths too close to one of the main deer paths on the property. I watched with apprehension as the tips of the sprouting hyacinth leaves disappeared one by one overnight. However, the deer left the flower stalk alone. It's well known that deer will not eat daffodils. Perhaps hyacinth flowers share some of daffodils' deer repellent properties.
======================================================
Spring is several weeks late this year and getting later because of the unseasonably cool weather. Fortunately, the bulbs I planted last year and in 2021 are now up and blooming.
Not having grown the large variety of hyacinths before, I overestimated their shade tolerance. As a result, some parts of my modest flower beds look like the site of an experiment on the effects of low light on hyacinths. Unlike the specimens seen here, which are upright, others are almost horizontal to the ground in their quest to reach a sunnier spot. I would not be surprised to wake up one morning and discover my bulbs had acquired the skill of locomotion.