Cocoa Mulch: Poison to Pets

Cocoa mulch smells heavenly, just like chocolate, which is why you should not use it if you have a dog. Dogs, like many of us, love chocolate, but chocolate is toxic to them.

Shadow loves sweets

Cocoa Mulch is advertised as a method of keeping cats out of the garden. Cats usually are not attracted to candy, chocolate, or other sweets. 

Lady eats anything!

Cocoa Mulch is manufactured by Hershey's and sold at many home and garden centers in the United States. While Hershey's claims that 98% of all dog's won't eat it, most dogs I know will taste of anything that smells like chocolate. Our beagle pup, shown above, eats plain mulch, so I'm sure she'd eat it if it smelled like chocolate.

For more information, read the entire report on the trusted website for the ASPCA: Cocoa Bean Shell Mulch.

Poison Plants Mean Danger for Your Puppy

As a gardener, I know that many poisonous plants are widely grown both in our homes and in our gardens. This knowledge has never bothered me much. I just made sure poisonous plants were out of reach of my children, just like my cleaning supplies in the cabinet. 

But recently we adopted a new baby--a 5 week old Beagle puppy. And boy let me tell you, she eats everything! 

When I ran across a forum comment today about poisonous plants, I thought, this is something I better check in to. 

A 'poison plant' rating can be earned for many different reasons. Some plants are poisonous only if ingested while others contain or excrete a sap which can be irritating to the skin when touched. Upon reading up on the subject, I learned of at least 393 plants that are poisonous to my little puppy, and I have many of them growing in my garden! 

Many plants commonly grown indoors are poisonous if ingested, so if you have a puppy or a kitten, you should place all plants up out of reach of your little baby. Remember this though, kittens can climb very well. Since my little beagle is too fat for climbing, her short legs won't let her reach my indoor plants. But I'll have to watch her constantly when outdoors.

Holly is a common plant all over the country. If eaten, berries and foliage cause vomiting and diarrhea.

Yew carries more serious complications such as breathing difficulty, seizures, tremors, and sudden death, in addition to vomiting.

I was very surprised to learn that leaves and stems of the apple tree contain cyanide which, if ingested, can cause difficulty breathing. 

Nothing is more beautiful than a Red Maple in fall, but once wilting begins, toxicity increases and ingested leaves are poisonous to cats, dogs, and horses. 

Ingestion of Azalea blooms or foliage carries many symptoms from diarrhea to paralysis or even death. 

This knowledge makes me wonder if I should rethink gardening as a hobby. Our love for animals has always been large. And I wonder how so many animals live so well among all these hidden dangers? 

The truth is, most dogs and cats don't go around eating plants in the garden. But puppies and kittens are babies, and just like a ten month old child crawling and exploring the world around him, everything goes in the mouth. 

It is our job to protect that little puppy, so container plants must go up off the floor. And when outdoors, my eyes will be on that little pup (we haven't named her yet!) to insure that she doesn't come to any harm. 

The ASPSA website has an extensive list of both toxic and nontaxic plants. A whopping 445 toxic plants are listed, so you might want to follow the link below to find out which plants in your garden are toxic.

ASPCA Toxic Plants List

Beneficial Insects in a Georgia Garden

When many people see an insect, the first impulse is to kill it. But not all insects are pests, and many are beneficial insects, meaning they do good things like eat harmful insects and pollinate flowers. When we use pesticides to control insect pests, we also kill the good bugs. 

You probably already know Ladybugs or Lady Beetles are beneficial insects, feeding on aphids, scales, and mealybugs. But did you know that the larvae of ladybugs look like tiny little alligators and eat even more pests than their parents? 

Ladybug larva

Lacewings are fragile-looking insects with delicate, lacy green or brown wings, large eyes, and long antennae. Their larvae feed on aphids, scales, mealybugs, whiteflies, and young caterpillars. 

Lacewing

The Praying Mantis will eat almost any insect (yes, they will eat the good bugs too and will even eat each other!) 

Praying Mantis

Parasitic Wasps are usually too small for you to see, but you might spot signs of their presence. If you find a crispy-looking brown, inflated aphid attached to a leaf, it was probably the victim of a parasitic wasp that laid its eggs in the aphid so its offspring would have something to eat when they hatched. You might also see caterpillars, cabbage loopers or hornworms carrying around cocoons of developing wasps. Parasitic Wasps lay their eggs on the back of soft caterpillars so their young will have a convenient food source upon hatching. (Yuck!) This summer you might see the Tomato Hornworm eating up the leaves and even the green tomatoes on your tomato plants. The best control is to pick them off and destroy them, but if you see one with loads of small white things that look like clusters of rice, just leave it alone—the white things are eggs of the wasp. 

Larva of the Parasitic Wasp on a Hornworm

Granddaddy Spiders, or you might call them Daddy Longlegs, though perhaps not insects but arachnids, are indeed helpful in the garden. They eat aphids, mites, and other garden pests. I didn't feel like uploading a picture of a spider, even though they are beneficial creatures.

These are just a few of the many beneficial insects in our gardens. Beneficial insects can be purchased from mail-order sources, but you can attract them into your garden without purchasing them. The best way to attract these beneficial insects to your garden is to just plant more flowers and herbs!

Gardening Shady Style: Blog Encompassing My Thoughts on Gardening and Family Life

In an effort to consolidate my time into one blog, thus having more time to spend with my babies, all announcements, articles, posts, and updates will be entered on our main blog: Gardening Shady Style. 

I am a woman of many interests, but all center around family, gardening, and animals. Please visit me there when you get a chance, and read my thoughts which might be about any one of my particular interests. I hope to be a help to some and an inspiration to others. Please feel comfortable to share with me your thoughts. Please enjoy Gardening Shady Style.

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.