I planted my two bergamot plants on Friday. Last night it frosted. I knew it was going too by late yesterday and was prepared. I cut the bottom half off of a milk jug and secured it down in the ground around the plants. I discovered this morning, that our neighbors' STUPID DOGS, one of the 4 dogs anyways, had pulled off my milk jug as well as dug out my marker I had for it. There's frost on the leaves now. Do you think it will survive or is it a lost cause? If it's dead, I'm DEFINATELY talking to the neighbors and they can replace them and will be warned about the dogs.
Monarda is a very hardy perennial and can be almost invasive in my Michigan garden, but I love it. I don't think you have a problem and it should be just fine. Mine has been sending up shoots since the first thaw in February and they have not been damaged by heavy freezes.
Howdy...if those are the monarda that I just sent you ...they should be fine if you just keep em watered really well! and....FIRE AWAY! heeheeheehee! I just hate it when I have to talk to the neighbors about their animals! UGH! We lost 7 calves to a neighbor's dog a couple of years back....it was AWFUL! So.....just thwack his backside and you should be just fine...not to mention entertaining for those slow days! heeheeheehee! If those don't make it let me know...we will try again!
Yep, ones in the same Nan. Thank you again. I did go out and look at them later yesterday and the leaves look like they have bounced back. I think finding and putting the milk jug back over it helped as it warmed up just a tad (if you call 43º from the morning low of 25º warming up). The milk jug was laying beside their house with dog teeth marks in it. grrrrr. I left the milk jug over them as it dropped to 19º last night and is just 29º right now. I caught their dog and the stray someone dropped off in my newly planted grapevines yesterday afternoon, tromping and peeing. We caught the stray and took it off somewhere else about 30 miles away. LOL I'm armed and ready this morning for some entertainment. :laugh: I did talk to the guy of the house last night and he offered to replace anything his dogs tear up. He offered to put a fence around my grapes, but that's not what dh and I want. I don't want a caged grape vineyard (24 vines) in my backyard. Besides it's their stupid dogs not ours. We shouldn't have to fence our stuff to protect it from them. They should control their dogs and fence their own yard in to keep the dogs on THEIR property. Sorry still a little ticked this morning at those dogs. Today I will be home all day, so those dogs had best watch where they go or suffer the consequences of my slingshot and gravels.
Mondarda is incredibly hardy... The tops might die off, but wait for a week or so to be sure that no new sprouts come up before making the neighbor an enemy! Whenever a frost threatens, simply water the plants - goes for any plant. This can save peppers and tomatoes from frost, too (though not generally when young).... Sue
Thanks Sue. I told the neigbors that I would hold off on having them replace them since it's still too early to tell if there's any damage.
It sounds like you are afraid to upset the neighbor...but you should be the one who is upset...the problem will continue until they have their dogs under control, which isn't likely from what you say. Replacing YOUR stuff isn't the issue...it is the dogs. And, in my opinion, I don't think sling-shooting the dogs is the answer either. You are punishing an animal. It is the neighbor who is responsible for the dog, and the neighbor, supposedly, should be smarter than the dog. Be polite, but firm. Tell them you want to be a good neighbor and hope they do also. Ask them to either walk the dogs with a leash, erect a fence, or be outside with them when they are out. Tell them you hope they'll take care of it, so it doesn't escalate to bad neighbor relations. After I talked with my neighbors several times, I finally called the dog warden and when he went there (they weren't home), he left a note which helped things for awhile. Every few months I'd call the warden. I finally threated to take them to the district justice and that pretty much made them decide to keep the dog on their property and under their control. Good luck. It isn't an easy situation. Oh, and I would have taken the stray to a pound or humane society. I interpreted your post to mean you dropped him off 30 miles away. You just transferred the problem to someone else, plus the dog may now be starving, poisoned, or whatever.
Believe me, I'm not AFRAID of upsetting the neighbors. It's my property and they need to train their dogs to stay on THEIR property. I'm actually being nicer than some neighbors here by using the slingshot. Most people here on the mountain would just shoot the darn dogs and not think another thing about it. If they aren't going to train their dogs to stay out of my gardens and such, I'll do it but it's not going to be painless to them unfortunately. They will associate that pain in the hind end with staying out of that area. There's not a dog warden for where we live to even contact. We live in the country, county roads, and on top of a mountain. It takes me to over an hour to even drive to the nearest pound/humane societ. Where the dog is, is quite acceptable as it's at a place now where he will be fed and cared for by someone we know.
Dogs are super easy if you have your hose hooked up yet.... DOUSE 'EM GOOD... then they can roll in the mud and muck of spring and get it all over their owner's house... (One of my favorite pastimes round here). I've sent home some completely SOAKED dogs... neighbor comes out to yell at me and then they get told where their dogs belong. Of course, I've also soaked a couple neighbors for not taking the hint and getting snotty with me, too... (The couple next door is from Cicero (they think their big maffia types, I guess...) and have TOLD several of us that they are 'in the country' and can do what they please. So - there were lots of bent curtains the day her and my hose had it out - HOSE WINS!!) Sue
:laugh: Sue you're too funny. I wish our only hose and hookup wasn't on the back of the house now. Hmm. wonder if dh would run me another spigot for it on the front. I could use one there anyways to water the herb garden. Of course the expense of the extra hose and spigot would be worth squirting some dogs with it.
