Hi! I'm Margo. I rent a cute duplex in Houston with my bf Jay. Our outdoor space consists of a mosquito-ridden backyard and this nice little balcony. Thanks to influences from my mom, I've become quite a fan of plants. Thanks to influences from Miami vacations, I particularly enjoy bougainvilleas. One in particular I've had for about a year, and although he was a bit scraggly over the winter he came back in lush boug loveliness this spring. This particular boug inspired the whole garden on the balcony that until very recently contained azaleas, miniature roses, ferny guys, pointy leafy guys (I'm obviously such a botanist), marigolds to keep the mossies at bay and a sort of perpetually ill-fated herb garden.
Do you know what happens when you go out of town for three weeks and leave your modest balcony garden in the hands of an automatic waterer? I'll show you, but fair warning, it isn't pretty.
For three months we have been using this really nifty automatic waterer on a timer to water the plants. It worked like a charm! We could adjust how much water they received and at what times of the day. Most of my plants flourished under these well hydrated circumstances, with the exception of the marigolds and ferny things that were sacrificed to squirrel appetites. Of course, when Jay and I were out of town for not quite three weeks, some mystery person in their infinite wisdom decided to shut off the water supplying the hose. Add to that 100+ Houston summer heat and the result is incredibly crispy plants and a sad Margo.
The chaos continued with the remains of a full-fledged S attack (we have to call squirrels "S's" in our house because our corgi Butters has learned the word "squirrel" and becomes ferocious at its mentioning).
The chaos continued with the remains of a full-fledged S attack (we have to call squirrels "S's" in our house because our corgi Butters has learned the word "squirrel" and becomes ferocious at its mentioning).
Granted it was a little dumbsies to leave the extra bird seed in storage outside, but their powers of seed-seeking destruction are impressive nonetheless. They managed to chew through the the door and the back of this cool box that Jay built. The box was originally meant to hold our grill but it transitioned into plant stand and storage nicely. Or so we thought.
Above you can see how they gained access. The door hung on two nails and also velcroed to the face of the box to keep it flush. Eventually I'll post about how you can make your own not-at-all-squirrel-resistant box if you so desire. I know, I'm really selling it right now.
Oh and to add insult to injury the jerks decided to shatter my citronella candle. I heard them cackling in their tree as I was eaten by mossies cleaning up their mess.
Oh and to add insult to injury the jerks decided to shatter my citronella candle. I heard them cackling in their tree as I was eaten by mossies cleaning up their mess.
So of course you can see that this now means war. It's a Balcony Pearl Harbor. For me and Butters at least this day shall live in infamy. So what about you guys? Any crazy things happen at your house while on vacation? Any S attacks?
It is important to note that no squirrels or dogs were harmed in the making of this blog post. Although I did shake one S loose from a tree. Small victories.
It is important to note that no squirrels or dogs were harmed in the making of this blog post. Although I did shake one S loose from a tree. Small victories.