Newspaper Page Text
SATURDAY, JULY 22, 2006
2C
Mackinac Island is a place like no other
Describing life on
Mackinac Island is a
challenge. What my
Island friends and I so eiyoy
may seem a bit strange to
you who have never been
here, but I am going to give
it a try...
There are no automobiles
on Mackinac, so Island resi
dents and visitors wanting
to go anywhere must walk,
ride a bicycle, ride a horse or
ride behind one in a horse
drawn carriage.
The folks who live on the
East and West Bluffs of the
island in large beautiful
Victorian homes have lots
of property and most often
have their own horses, horse
paraphernalia, carriages and
space over the horse barn to
house a driver or two.
Choose plants that deer refuse
By CONNIE COTTINGHAM
Morris News Service
My garden in Georgia is
suffering through a drought.
Every weekend I water the
dozens of new trees and the
vegetable garden in an effort
to keep them alive. This
brings the deer out of the dry
underbrush into my garden
at night, where everything
seems greener and tastier,
a frustrating situation for a
gardener.
There are all kinds of tricks
and repellents available to
discourage deer and many
books and Web sites avail
able to assist. The repellent
I have heard recommended
the most by fellow garden
ers is Liquid Fence, which
is able to last through rains.
Deer have pretty much
avoided the vegetables since
we strung clear fishing fine
around the perimeter of our
vegetable garden. The best
defense seems to be fencing,
a significant expense many
gardeners resort to.
One line of defense for
your landscape is planting
deer resistant plants. Deer
resistant is a popular term,
partially because so many
of us have to garden among
deer, partially because
nobody in their right mind
would claim something is
deer proof. Daffodils and
rosemary are the closest to
deer proof I can think of.
Even deer resistant plants
may not be safe. Often a
deer will taste-test, pulling
a plant out of the ground
and spitting it out if it is dis
tasteftil. A new plant, laying
on top of the ground often
dies before the gardener dis
covers and saves it.
A friend sprays every
new plant with deer repel
lent, because her deer often
uproot new plantings in her
garden.
Below is a small palette of
deer resistant plants, start
ing with my three favorites
in each category:
Annuals
Snapdragons are cool sea
son annuals in Georgia, a
deer-resistant alternative to
the pansies they so love.
Marigolds are a recent
rediscovery for me. Once too
common, now I value their
sunny disposition, vari
ous forms, pest resistance,
drought tolerance and care
free nature. They are among
the easiest flowers to grow
from seed.
Fan flower (Scaevola) sur
vives our humid summers
with absolute grace, creat
ing a mat of fresh green
foliage and abundant purple
blooms.
Deer have munched on
my zinnias, angelonia and
coleus, but left the lantana,
verbena and shrimp plants.
Perennials
Salvias are not all as
drought resistant as I had
hoped, but are deer resis
tant. This fragrant branch
of the mint family has many
annual and perennial vari
eties to offer, with summer
blooms in blues, purples,
white, reds and oranges.
Lenten Roses are among
the earliest and longest last
ing blooms on evergreen,
shade loving plants.
Dianthus include carna
tions and mat forming ever-
I live in the downtown
portion of the Island in a
nice 101-year old two-story
Victorian home on the shores
of Lake Huron. I have no
place to house horses, horse
paraphernalia, carriages or
drivers, so I walk or bike
wherever I go.
The other evening I went
to the movie. There is no
theatre on the island, so a
local hotel shows current
movies in its auditorium.
The equipment is old, they
actually have to change reels
during the movie, and they
often experience “reel” tech
nical difficulties.
But, .if one wants to see
a movie on the Island one
must go to the hotel to do
so. So one Monday evening I
met my friend at the corner,
r y
Morris News Service
This Silver Sage Artemis in the Park Seed Trial Garden in South Carolina (www.park
seed.com) looks like a lamb’s ear on steroids, with huge, fuzzy grey leaves that can get
eight inches long. The fuzzy texture and salvia family heritage makes this plant a safe
bet for a deer resistant garden and can be grown as an annual or perennial.
green perennials. My new
favorite is the deep red
perennial Sweet William
(Dianthus barbatus OHeart
Attack’) I found at Plant
Delights Nursery.
Also try yarrow (Achillea),
Ajuga, Amsonia, Anenome,
columbine (Aquilegia),
Astilbe, Baptisia, Bergenia,
Coreopsis, bleeding heart
(Dicentra), foxglove
(Digitalis), coneflower
(Echinacea). Epimedium,
spurge (Euphorbia),
Lamium, Lantana, Liatris,
bee balm (Monarda, lung
wort (Pulmonaria), hens-n
--chicks (Sempervivum), gold
enrod (Solidago), lamb’s ears
(Stachys) and Verbena
Bulbs
Daffodils are among the
most troubleproof, carefree
and enduring flowers avail
able.
Iris in my garden are com
pletely ignored by the deer
and multiply like crazy.
Alliums, ornamental
onions, can produce dramat
ic blooms that are especially
effective when massed.
Other bulbs in my yard
have not been tested by
the deer yet, but they have
munched on the amaryllis.
Herb
Most herbs have strong
scents, so even if the deer
won’t let you grow vegeta
bles, you can have an herb
garden.
Rosemary, including
creeping rosemary, a great
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HOMEOWNERS! CALI. 24/7!
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Jane Winston
The Left Rail
JWlNSl939@aol.com
and we hiked around to see
the DaVinci Code at 9 p.m....
.still light. When the movie
ended at 11:30...n0w dark...
we, along with the many
others young and old alike,
hiked back to our respective
residences through the dark
streets illuminated only by
old-fashioned streetlights.
groundcover for a dry slope.
Oregano, which can spread
by underground runners to
form a mat.
Ornamental oreganos have
especially attractive blooms.
Basil, a summer annual
that comes in so many vari
eties and flavors, includ
ing dark red or variegated
leaves.
Also try just about any
fragrant herb
Shrub
Crape Myrtles, the clas
sic summer blooming trees,
are now available in a large
variety of dwarf forms. Look
for the new Razzle Dazzle
series, maturing at two to
four feet tall.
Abelia, including the
classic evergreen/semiev
ergreen that matures at
about four to five feet tall
and wide and my favorite
new abelia, OKaleidoscope.
OKaleidoscope matures at
two to three feet, with a
long bloom season, a bright
green/chartreuse variega
tion and pink new growth.
Viburnums provide
blooms, plus often offer ber
ries, fall color or evergreen
foliage. Among my favorites
are OShasta’, with gener
ous amounts of white spring
blooms in horizontal layers
on a large shrub that looks
beautiful in a woodland set
ting.
Also: butterfly bush
(Buddlia), quince
(Chaenomeles), Cotoneaster,
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LIFESTYLE
■
Way cool!!
When my six-pack (that’s
my six grandchildren) and
their parents visited for over
a week, we hiked...up and
down hills...everywhere.
One day we went duck pin
bowling ...and how long has
it been since you duck pin
bowled? ...as there is no
pineapple guava (Feijoa),
Juniper, Tea Olive
(Osmanthus). Wax myrtle
(myrica), Yucca (Yucca spp.)
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Sen,or ' His,or y Ma i or I
Be B■
Make Your Move.
Transfer students find Mercer University
the perfect place to complete their
undergraduate degree.
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* Nationally ranked for quality
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Transferring to Mercer is a move in the right direction.
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JL V JLu N IV E R S i T V
real bowling facility on the
Island like that new one on
Russell Parkway in Warner
Robins.
What I am trying to con
vey is that for nearly three
months I have been riding
my 12-speed Rosario bicycle
to the library, book store,
bowling alley, movie, post
office, small grocery store
and often around the 8.5-
mile island just for fun and
exercise.
And during these three
months, if I didn’t ride .my
bike, I walked.
For example, last week my
neighbors and I walked to
the Woods Restaurant for
lunih.
That was a 4.5-mile round
trip up a steep hill which
passes the most famous
Woof Stock ‘O6
set for Macon
Special to Journal
A “Rally to Rescue,
Rejoice, Renew and
Remember” companion
animals, will be held at
A 1 Sihah Shrine Park in
Macon on July 30 from
noon until 5 p.m.
Join area animal rescue
groups as they celebrate
the lives they have helped
save this past year while
remembering those not as
fortunate.
Local rescue groups will
be on hand with dogs and
cats that are currently
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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
island hotel, The Grand
Hotel. Another day my
brother and I walked six
miles round trip to the air
port to find the chief of the
volunteer fire department
(who is also the airport man
ager) to thank him and the
18 of the 20 volunteers for
quickly putting out the fire I
inadvertently started on the
sun porch of my home...the
Cable cottage!
And should you come visit
me on this magical island,
I will meet you...as I do
all of my house guests...
at the boat dock with my
cart, so we can walk back
to the Cottage with all of
your vacation gear in tow.
Next week...golf, grocery
shopping and more....
available for adoption.
There will be raffles and
give-a-ways to help raise
funds for animal rescue.
And, of course, Woof Stock
would not be complete
without music!
We will have a DJ there
playing tunes. T-shirts are
available for a S2O dona
tion.
Leashed, vaccinated
pets are welcome. For
more information: Email
fureverfriend@alltel.net or
contact Angie at 478-955-
1183.
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Learn more about Mercer.
Attend a Transfer Information
Session on Mercer 's Macon campus.
Monday, July 24 • 7 p.m.
University Center Coffee Shop
Space is very limited. Send an
e-mail to admissions@mercer.edu
or call (478) 301 -2650 to make your
reservation today!
Important Dates for
Transfer Students
Transfer Orientation:
August 11,2006
Fall Classes begin:
August 22,2006
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