cayenne warfare

Last year, the queen-mum found a gorgeous day lilly garden in Bethany Beach, with an obliging gardener who will occasionally dig up some of his prize day lilies for you, for a modest sum. She ordered all kinds and colours from him, some of which made their way to the greenwood. Not having seen the garden in bloom, I had to take the rave reviews on faith. We planted them last fall.

The first blossom was certainly not a disappointment. It looked like a cross between a honeydew and a cantaloupe - almost good enough to eat! The next morning, I went out to see what new blossoms might be open. They were all gone. The deer ate all the day lilly blossoms except for this one.

Man! That's it. No more mister nice-guy!!!

The colour suggests my recourse. Cayenne pepper. Just a little over $3 from Sam's Club. This would hurt, going down. So far, so good. They haven't touched it. And that's good news, as that means I'll get at least a couple blossoms this summer, even if they are all cayenne-coloured! Next year, I'll break out the cayenne at the first sign of budding.

Oh, and for the green beans, too. The deer don't eat the beans themselves, but they eat all the leaves off the plant, which effectively stops the plant in its tracks. . . . Everything in the garden now sports a reddish glaze. Here, you can see wee green beans left behind when the deer ate the green bean leaf canopy overhead. . . . I peppered the remaining leaves. All's fair in garden warfare!

(but I will remember to wash my hands after picking green beans. . . . I will remember to wash my hands after picking green beans. . . . I will remember to wash my hands after picking green beans. . . . )