Garden Woes

One word that describes my biggest gardening challenge:  deer.

When we moved to our house in 2020, I thought I escaped this risk to my plants. We had moved from the woods into a subdivision right off the highway.

For the first couple of years, I dabbled with some vegetable plants in a waist-high raised bed and left the rest of the landscaping as is. No issues.

Then, I added tomato plants in pots on the patio. Imagine my surprise one morning when I headed out to water the plants and they were gone!

I was determined, though. I intended to grow a few veggies, and I yearned to grow native flowers and shrubs in the yard. There was not a thought in my head that I should research what may be deer resistant before I started turning soil.

The purple poppy mallows were thriving…and then were gone later in the day. The New England Asters were next. Then, my coreopsis (which was labeled deer resistant). 

I had never actually seen a deer in the yard, and my frustration grew.

Then, I excitedly installed a camera birdfeeder to capture video of my bird friends. One day, I scrolled through the videos when I saw a long tongue appear in the shot, scooping out large amounts of birdseed. I was attracting the deer with both my plants and seed.

My mission to choose deer resistant plants began.

I learned they did not like tomatillo plants. (Great news for my salsa verde loving self!) However, it has been trial and error with every flower and shrub I have planted, regardless of the deer resistant label. I have realized that if they are hungry enough, they will eat anything. 

While some of the plants chewed on by the deer were lost causes, some survived. The following year, the asters and coreopsis grew again a little bit bigger…and then were eaten. And repeat the next summer. This year, however, the coreopsis bloomed for the first time. I may have squealed a little when I saw the first bright yellow flower open on the stem.

That little guy grew for three years before it ever had a chance to bloom. Even though the stems kept being eaten to the ground, the root system continued to develop. Today it has about a dozen flowers on it, and I smile each time I see them.

Roots matter.

The plant was not placed in an ideal situation. I thought it was safe, and I was proven wrong. I tried to protect it with deer repellant, and it only helped for short periods of time. However, the deer couldn’t get to the roots.

It is not coincidental that scripture speaks about the need for us to be rooted in the best thing – Jesus.

“So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:6-8

My coreopsis is planted in good soil, but the stems and flowers are exposed to extreme situations. Sounds like life, doesn’t it? 

The source of our nourishment determines how we weather the storms. A diet of little nutritional value weakens us and leaves us vulnerable to the threats of this world. What we do on our good days determines how we survive the hard ones. 

Strong roots do not eliminate horrible situations. (Oh, how I wish they did!) But being rooted in a good, promise-keeping God provides the hope we need to endure them.

Jesus, help us strengthen our faith in you. When we’re tempted to rely on our own power or the promises of the world, remind us that being rooted in you is the best place to be. No amount of doom scrolling or chasing distractions will build us up, but only growing in you will be beneficial. Thank you for your faithfulness. Amen.

by Leslie M. Holdegraver