Who is winning, the gardener or the deer?
By Thea Steinmetz
Insights
Published June 3, 2009

There seems to be no end to deer stories. Lately I have repeatedly been told about five, seven or even nine deer (do they always travel in odd numbers?) showing up in back yards or the front lawn. One Westlake resident, Jane Peeling, likes them a great deal, so she consciously set out to live with them in harmony. One year she planted 100 tulip bulbs and, after the deer had their fun, she was left with only two flowers.

After that disappointing experience, she wanted to make a pact with them. So, 450 daffodils went in the same space the next year and not one was touched. Her home is surrounded by trees, and that is an invitation for the deer. Jane set out to learn what these agile creatures would not demolish. 

She knows that they do not damage her impatiens or her begonias. A beautiful  stag had come around for a few years but, he must have perished last winter and is missing now. A young one has taken his place. As these swift visitors  have become her friends, she believes she knows them and can tell them apart. Not knowing their identity for sure, Jane wishes there was a way to mark them. Nail polish is her medium of choice, but they won’t stand still for her to put a mark on them.

Her favorite story is the time when a mother deer brought her young doe around to show off the garden. The doe wandered into the rose bed and the mother made a certain noise her offspring understood. The young deer quickly turned around and scampered out of the rose bed. The deer population as a whole does not touch the rose bed.

Jane knows that deer like to establish their own walking path. Her motto is: ‘Feed them where you want them to go. To that end, at the rear of the property, she supplies them with treats. Apples are left behind, and a small salt lick gets replenished every so often. This, she believes, is the contract she made with them. She is quite adamant that deer and humans can live in harmony. If only people would arm themselves with the information on what plants the deer don’t like.

Many folks look forward to the variety of Home and Garden Tours that are offered every year. There are numerous lovely gardens in Fairview Park, and so the garden club is sponsoring a Home and Garden Tour on Saturday, July 11, from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Nine of Fairview Parks finest gardens are open to visitors. In addition, guests will have the opportunity to experience three well-appointed homes.

A couple of weeks ago, I received a postcard from Italy, telling me of magnificent hillside gardens. The card came from Gloria Kemer, the owner of the Emerald Necklace Inn. She traveled there to experience the European gardens. She found inspiration. Gloria now wants her own terraced garden, leading down to the Metroparks, behind the inn.

The terraces might be completed by  the date of the Home and Garden Tour, but most likely will need a few years to be as mature as those seen in Italy.

Advance tickets are $15 and  $20 on the day of the tour and are available at Plant Crafters, the Emerald Necklace Inn and other locations in Fairview Park. For more information, call Sheila at 440-356-9692.

Greater Cleveland is a wonderful place to live, especially when the weather is as pleasant as it was over the last holiday weekend. Visitors often comment on the lack of congestion that makes it far less difficult to get around than in other cities. Even with the Innerbelt bridge closed for repair, it was not the least bit of hassle to get to the other side of town.

It pays to keep an eye on the special events that are offered for free occasionally. The Cleveland Botanical Garden waived the usual $7.50 charge for the Memorial Day weekend and folks took advantage of the many special free offerings for the three day period. It was great fun to work in the booth for The Western Reserve Herb Society. This active group prides itself on offering informal educational information and finding frequent events to do so.

The weekend showed that there is no age limit to those interested in the outdoors and gardening. Tiny babies were wheeled around, often followed by older siblings, their parents and quite often their grandparents. The visitors’ ages could be judged from two months to perhaps ninety. In this sad story world, it was wonderful to see everyone smiling. This was the result of visiting nice gardens and helpful people. Even the weather cooperated. Remember, enjoy spring, as the summer does not officially begin until June 21.