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36

LIFE

Oct/Nov 2011 www.esb.ie/em

Do we hedge our bets when it comes to gardening in winter?

Deer, oh deer!

GERRY DALY

GARDENING

Until relatively recently, damage to gardens by deer was something to read about in American garden books and magazines – it simply did not happen here. In the past two decades, deer have increasingly become a problem in some gardens. Interestingly, the number of deer warning road signs has also steadily increased.

IT WOULD BE fair to say that the proportion of gardens damaged by deer is still in the small minority, but it is increasing and it can be very disappointing.

Damage by deer is greatest in areas where gardens are close to hill land and woodland. Deer are shy, forest creatures and, unless the garden is vast, they do not stay for long. But they increasingly visit gardens to graze on tasty shoots and sometimes on vegetables. One of the first signs is nibbled tops on shrubs, too high for anything like rabbits or hares. Watch out for the telltale twotoe tracks left in soft mud. Deer move quietly through woodland, grazing where they can, and it is not surprising that they move into gardens, which approximate to woodland habitat with trees and shrubs and clearings of grassy lawns — perfect.

Deer are great jumpers and can clear garden fences easily, in fact jumps of up to two metres are possible. The only guaranteed way to keep deer out is to build a two-metre high deer fence, but this is expensive and unsightly, and simply not practical in most cases. Otherwise, garden-owners tormented by visiting deer can really only grow deer-proof plants. These are essentially plants that are poisonous, which the deer will not touch, or that are unpalatable, which they ignore. There is no point in re-planting a plant that has been damaged by deer — they will be back for more. But, luckily, usually the level of damage is slight.

The use of stay-off products is not successful or, at best, only temporarily so. Human hair is of limited scare-off value. These products must be put out repeatedly and are easily washed off, if they work at all, which is in some doubt. The list of plants above has proven to survive the presence of deer, but they are others such as daffodils and snowdrops that are poisonous and not touched. An alert dog can be invaluable for frightening away deer by barking at their approach.

An alphabetical list of plants that deer avoid:

Aconitum
Anemone
Aquilegia
Bergenia
Clematis
Cornus
Daphne
Elaeagnus
Euphorbia
Gaultheria
Geranium
Helleborus
Hippophae
Hypericum
Ilex
Kalmia
Kniphofia
Laurel
Ligustrum
Polygonatum
Rhododendron
Rhus
Ruscus
Skimmia
Taxus
Vinca

When to decide about hedging?

when is the best time to re-plant dead hedges and should you persist with ones that are not quite dead but making some weak growth?

Many people lost hedges to frost last winter and now is the time to replace them. Decide first if a hedge is needed — there may be a good wall in place or you might build a new wall or a new fence. If all of the plants are making some new growth, just cut away the old dead wood and wait for it to recover. If many of the constituent hedge plants are dead, then clear them all out and plant a hardier species, such as beech, yew, holly or laurel. It is not essential to dig out stumps. Just cut back to ground level and plant between the dead roots, which will soon decay.

Crocuses in pots for next spring

If you pot up some crocus corms in a shallow basin or bowl now, you will have a lively show of colour next spring for several weeks. Crocus corms are very cheap to buy and they have a great show of flower colour for their size. Any pot will do, but pots or bowls that are broader than wide are ideal. Fill the pots within five centimetres of the rim with a mixture of compost or leaf mould and soil. Spread the corms about five centimetres apart, or a bit less, over the surface, pointed end upright and firm them lightly into the compost. Then cover with a layer of the same mix and firm the surface, leaving a couple of centimetres for watering if needs be. Cover with close-mesh wire if there is a danger of mice or squirrels digging out the corms. leave the pots outdoors and bring them indoors when the flower buds are showing, or leave them outside to flower, where they will last longer.

Travel Isle of Man

TONY CLAYTON-LEA

TRAVEL

We weren’t too sure about the Isle of Man, to be honest, but as we were driving towards Douglas, the island’s capital, from our base in the south, we passed two prominent signs at the side of the road. The first was for the Mann Cat Sanctuary, a self-funded, registered charity that is committed to responsible pet ownership and, as if that wasn’t sentimental enough, the second sign just plain tugged at the heartstrings. As we drove by the sign for The Home of Rest for Old Horses, we had to hand the hankies to each other. We could see them as we passed – retired tram horses put out, literally, to pasture. Another voluntary, registered charity? Isle of Manchester? The Veil of Tears, more like. So far, so good.

As most people probably know, there is an open-arms policy on the Isle of Man for motorbike racing and, in many ways, it’s all about the roads here. A small island, home to just over 80,000 people, equidistant from Ireland and Britain, it is 52 kms (32 miles) long and just over 22 kms (14 miles) wide. This means it’s a cinch to travel around by car. Take it from me – you always get to your destination quicker than you think.

The superb landscape is one of the major bonus points here. Time after time, as we drove around, the splendour of the island’s interior impressed us. If you’re aching for the best interior beauty spots, drive along the A18 mountain road from Douglas to Ramsey. The verdant vistas and valleys here are as stunning as anything you’ll see in Kerry or Connemara: the roads rise, dip and swerve as you strain to keep your eyes focused on the miles ahead, but now and again you’ve just got to stop the car, get out and soak up the panoramas laid out before you.

If you want a bit of a buzz on your visit then visit the larger conurbations of Douglas (population of less than 30,000) and Ramsey (population of less than 7,500). These places benefit from a quaintness factor that is very English – if you’re looking for bowling greens, promenades, entertainment complexes, marinas and the sound of seagulls then you’ll be well looked after.

What surprised us most of all, however, about the Isle of Man was the close proximity of an underrated and clearly taken-for-granted destination. This place is a bit of a gem less than an hour away from Dublin by air.

FACT FILE:

HOW TO GET THERE

Aer Arann operates twice daily flights from Dublin Airport to Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man, Mon-Fri; once daily Sat/Sun. Flight time is approximately 40mins.

The Isle of Man Steam Packet company operates regular ferry sailings from Dublin and Belfast to the Isle of Man. Crossing time is approximately 2hrs 55mins. All scheduled ferry journey times are approximate and subject to tidal and weather conditions. For further information, log onto visitisleofman.com