Rabbits not welcome!
It’s our annual guilt trip: the annual Olbrich Gardens Home Garden Tour. Due to advancing decrepitude and diverse topography, the Lovely Lisa and the Head Groundskeeper visited only four of the seven on the tour Saturday 07-12-25 — enough to reach for the ibuprofen. No cure for Stage Four case of terminal garden envy, however. Cascading water falls, pygmy Japanese maples, half-acres of restored prairie meadows, even a Japanese sand garden! That 5-foot ceramic vase perched amidst a field of echinacea along alone must have cost — what? $800? These people have people to come in, right?
Not a hint of creeping bellflower amidst the astilbe nor a speck of charlie in the lush green Kentucky bluegrass. Almost surprised we weren’t asked to remove our shoes.
We took few photographs this year; we don’t need to be reminded that the ladies in the floppy straw hats will never put the Experimental Work Farm on their tour.
But a simple sign on (I believe) Madison’s Skyline Drive reminded the humbled visitor that gardeners rich and poor share the same issue: “Please Close the Gate. Rabbits. Returning home to our own slice of nature revealed that the five rows of Blue Lake bush beans planted in the asparagus patch, guarded by quarter-inch hardware cloth, were chewed down to the nubbins. Extreme words were uttered at high decibels.
In past years grew buckets of delicious Roma-style pole beans. Barles the barn cat prowled the grounds in those days. The apex predator (R.I.P.) uttered a peculiar high-pitched song when he brought down his prey. In the video, Barles shows off his trophy kill to our inside cat, Enzo the Baker.
Hawks, owls welcome
Until we can adopt a barn cat, we put out something called RatX Throw Packs — filled with pellets that kill only rodents due the unique nature of their digestive systems, it claims. If it worked, the pests died in their burrows; did seem to reduce their number. Were so numerous they were chasing each other for entertainment. Brought in the artillery: a $5 Victor Power Kill rat trap. Heard the “CLAP” outside through the closed window. Since that initial triumph on 07-07-25, the bait kept disappearing without any more CLAPs. Birds? Our persistence was rewarded Sunday with a second CLAP! Threw the tiny pelt next to the new bean planting under the hog hoops.
Yeah, the unlettered field hands planted more pole beans the third week of July. Should be eating the delicious buttered beans (steamed, never boiled) sometime around, I dunno, Thanksgiving? Rolled up a length of chicken wire 16 inches in width and placed it over the newly planted row. Theory is the emergent, delicate beans can get started before escaping the protection of the wire enclosure and crawling up the hog-wire hoops (as shown here).
Blaska’s Bottom Line: For the devastation of the bean crop in the asparagus patch we suspect a cute little bunny that is as elusive as it has been voracious. No gate in the world can stop him! As for you bleeding hearts, if we live-trapped it …
2 responses to “Green with garden envy”
You should contact RICE. Rabbit immigration and customs enforcement. I also see big money for building a wall coming your way. If that doesn’t work go to WHQV. donny and order the repellent. only $250 and the bottle is signed.
That cat photo is priceless (never thought I’d praise a cat picture from the internet). I imagine the indoor cat saying, “Fine job, Felix!” Though I have to say I pity the poor indoor cat who has to confine his predatory skills to squeaky toys rather than little live varmints who could give him a run for his money.
As for the garden tour … Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a tour that celebrated the horticultural efforts of people of modest means (as opposed to those who can spend big bucks on waterfalls and garden ornaments)? Not that such a thing would occur to the Madison elites who organize these events.