Christmas Story

 ¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

 ²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

 ³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

 ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

 ⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

 ⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

 ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 ⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

 ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

 ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

 ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

 ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

 ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

 ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

 ¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

 ¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

 ¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

 ¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

 ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

 ²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

 ²¹And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

 ²²And when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were accomplished, they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord;

 ²³(As it is written in the law of the LORD, Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;)

 ²⁴And to offer a sacrifice according to that which is said in the law of the Lord, A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.

 ²⁵And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.

 ²⁶And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.

 ²⁷And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

 ²⁸Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

 ²⁹Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

 ³⁰For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, (Luke 2, King James Version)

Chickens in the Garden

If you’ve been out to our garden, you’ve probably seen the chickens. Barney the Rooster was an Easter chick a few years ago--a gift from our little girl's classmate.

When we decided Barney might be lonely, we obtained a mate for him and named her Thelma Lou. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, providing delicious fresh eggs regularly. Each day we let them out of the greenhouse which serves as a night time shelter from predators.  The chickens scratch around all day long, eating bugs and fluffing the mulch.

One day we decided that our garden was just too much work for 2 chickens, so we added the Fun Girls, Daphne and Skippy. Together they wander around the garden all day long, keeping insects under control.

Last summer we noticed a definite reduction in the number of Japanese Beetles. I’m certain that is a result of the chickens enjoyment of them the previous summer when they would rush to my side each time I walked near the arbor where grapevines grow. At that time, the grapevines were covered with Japanese Beetles, and if I tapped the vine, what seemed like hundreds of the pests would drop to the ground. I wish you could have heard the clucking of the chickens as they enjoyed each one! 

In addition to providing eggs and helping with insect control, chickens are a great hobby, offering amusement and fun in the garden for children and adults. In other words, the chickens make me laugh. I just get tickled when I see them running to catch up with the others when they find something tasty!

Bats: Biological Insect Control

Bats are a valuable creature for everyone, but especially gardeners.

Bats help control insects. Most people know that bats eat mosquitoes, but did you know they can eat as many as 1000 mosquitoes in just an hour? They also eat beetles and moths.

The thought of bats conjures up all sorts of fears, myths, and superstitions. The truth is, only a small percentage of bats are vampires. Vampire bats live only in Latin America, and they do not attack humans. Bats living in the United States are predominantly insect-eaters. In fact, most bats eat insects, and most of the rest eat fruit and nectar. Only a very small percentage of bats feed on meat, fish, or blood. Bats living in the Southeastern United States eat only insects.

Bats use sound to find insects, and in total darkness they can locate something as small as an individual human hair. Just exactly how they do that is something scientists still cannot fully understand. Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind, and some bats actually have great eyesight.

When it comes to mosquito control, we can use all the help we can get! It would be wise to do what you can to encourage bats to live in your garden.

Growth and development here in Georgia has brought about much change, and bats here are in need of some help with their habitat. Caves and large dead trees are the preferred nesting spots for bats, but these comfortable homes are diminishing. That's why so many bats are finding homes in buildings and houses. 

You can help provide a habitat in your garden for bats by building nesting boxes for them. Careful consideration must be given to insure the box is built properly, giving the bats a safe place to nest. You can find excellent detailed instructions at Georgia Department of Natural Resources.

Once your bat house has been installed and bats have made it their home, they will thank you in many ways. In addition to eating every mosquito, beetle, and moth they find, they'll also reward you by donating nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden. They will simply drop it beneath the bat house for you, and you can take it whenever you want for spreading around your garden.

Deer: How to Keep Them from Eating Your Garden!

Whenever visitors come to our nursery and garden they always ask, “How do you keep the deer from eating all your plants?” Well, we did have a problem years ago, but have found some things that worked for us—maybe they’ll work for you too! 

First, we planted things the deer don’t like. Deer love hosta, pansies, and daylilies--if it's edible for people, deer like it too!  They don't like plants with strong odor like herbs, except for basil. We planted lots of Rosemary, Sage, Thyme, and Oregano, Ageratum, Florida Anise, Daffodils, Holly, Iris, Barberry (they usually won't eat anything with thorns), Buddleia, Mock Orange, Spirea, Lilacs, Dogwood, Magnolia, Boxwood, Leucothoe, Pieris, and Yucca. Remember though that when deer get hungry, they’ll taste of anything! I know you’ll still want hosta, daylilies, and pansies, so try surrounding the tasty plants with some of the plants deer do not like.  

Of course you can build a tall fence to keep out the deer, but since they can jump very high, your fence would need to be at least 10 feet tall. This can get pricey, especially if your garden is large. 

If you have visited us here at Shady Gardens, you have already met my most effective deer deterrent. Her name is Shadow—a big black lab who works hard to keep deer from eating my prized plants. That's her in the above photo--taken a much needed rest break (we have many, many deer!) She also does her best to keep squirrels off the birdfeeders! Of course she does a little damage--she tramples plants sometimes, and she digs a hole when she believes a chipmunk would be tasty, or when she smells a rat. And when she was a puppy she chewed a little bit, but she never did as much damage as a family of deer can do in a single night! So probably the best thing you can do is run down to the animal shelter and ask them, “Who’s the friskiest dog you have?” (That's the kind you need--a playful hunter with a loud bark!) Take him home and love him. By the way, the big dog will eat alot, but I believe feeding him will still be cheaper than buying all that Deer-repellant spray! 

For a complete list of deer-resistant plants, visit Shady Gardens Nursery.

Kittens by the Mailbox

Gardens need animals, for various reasons. In our garden, we have a dog for chasing off critters that eat the plants, chickens for eating insects that eat our plants, and cats for keeping away mice (which also will eat plants.) Every garden needs a cat, but not too many.

We do have too many cats. Much too often, someone else decides we don't have enough cats and another kitten is dropped off at our front gate. Most recently my husband found a cute little critter asleep right beside the road at our mailbox. Instead of doing the responsible thing and have their cats spayed or neutered, some irresponsible @$$#*!~ just allow their little cats to keep having litter after litter and they deposit the little babies on the side of the road when they no longer want them. This activity is one of the worst things a person can do, and it angers my family much more than I can say.

We are animal lovers here, and it's difficult for us to get attached to a cute little baby and then give it away. That's what we have to do every few months, because we can not possibly provide a home for every little baby animal we find up at the road. Leaving a baby kitten at someone's mailbox on a busy highway should be a crime punishable by law. 

Each time this happens, we do the best we can to find a good home for the little thing. If unable to find the kitten a good home, we keep it. We now have 5 cats--3 toms and 2 females. We love them all. 

We gave away the most recent little baby to a wonderful girl who responded to our advertisement on the local Christian radio station. (We list the babies on that station only, praying that only good people would be listening.)

It ripped out my little girl's heart to give away the kitten in the photo above. Children grow attached to cute little baby animals so fast. If I could catch the person who keeps doing this to us, I'd sock them in the nose. 

We all should do what we can to prevent the cruel neglect and abuse of allowing cats to have litter after litter of kittens to just deposit on highways all over town. We plan to install a video camera at our gate so that next time we can get a tag number!

Mice Cube: Humane Pest Control Safe to Use Around Children & Pets

Our concern for animal welfare is apparent upon visiting our garden. Most of our pets were just dropped off here and we let them stay. Even critters often thought of as a nuisance are welcomed here to a degree. My husband, normally thought of as a tough guy policeman type, has been teased for being too tenderhearted toward mice and spiders, and has many times caught them indoors, carried them out to the briars, and let them go safely on their way.

Several months ago, mice became a problem in the greenhouse. Small little field mice can do much damage quickly, munching on simply everything! One would think mice would not be a problem here with Crisco the Cat, but it's hard for him to catch mice during his sleep. (He sleeps about 23 of the 24 hours in his day, and the other hour is spent eating.)

That's when I discovered the Mice Cube. I couldn't believe how well it worked! The Mice Cube is a small clear plastic rectangular container with a trap door on one end. The mouse can enter to eat the bait, but cannot exit, since the door opens inward only. Our bait is a cheezit with peanut butter spread on one side. Within just a few hours we had caught a little guy who we safely deposited at the fence. The next morning we found 2 little mice inside.

The only problem we've seen with the Mice Cube is Crisco the Cat--If he gets to it before we do, he lets the mouse out, and then we have to catch it again!

To find out how you can purchase Mice Cube, click here.