After years of losing the battle against squirrels, I finally have a full harvest from my 2 espaliered apple trees, unmolested by the furry-tailed terrorists. Here's a recounting of my failures and ultimate success: Squirrel Defense Year 1: ziplock bags on each apple once they were quarter-sized. This kept the coddling moths at bay, but the squirrels just laughed and thanked me for packing their lunch. I found the torn and empty bags and partially eaten apples all around my yard. FAILURE. Squirrel Defense Year 2: put cloth cotton drawstring bags on each apple once they were quarter-sized. Where possible, I even tied the drawstrings to branches. The squirrels still stripped a majority of apples from the tree leaving the bagged apples around the yard, or left with broken stems hanging by the bag drawstrings from branches. FAILURE. Squirrel Defense Year 3: covered the entire espalier with 22% white shade netting in early summer. The squirrels had already begun filching the very unripened apples even before I put up the netting, and because I wasn't vigilant about sealing the perimeter, they occasionally got inside the netting and took about half the apples. PARTIAL SUCCESS. Squirrel Defense Year 4: as soon as the apples were quarter sized, I covered the entire espalier with the 22% shade netting, sealing the netting perimeter with clothespins every 12". Squirrels didn't bother. VICTORY! A couple notes: I put a narrow strip of chicken wire on top of the espalier to discourage squirrels from running along the top (which they had been doing before) and tearing up the netting. I'm still bagging apples, not for squirrel protection but against coddling moths and other insect invaders. I soaked the bags first in a Surround kaolin clay slurry and somewhere between 90 - 95% of my apples are unblemished. Next year, I'm going to use try-on footies instead of cloth bags for better sunlight penetration. Even with the combination of 22% shade cloth and cotton bags, however, the apples still had a lot of red color.

I've lost 3 more privet. They were here 45 years ago. I have to replace them, but I need an evergreen shrub that can be kept narrow, grows in shale, tolerates drought and cold winters (not so cold the past few years--climate change), and is not poisonous to birds. It might have to be yew. It's tough. The drupes have a stage when they are very sweet and edible--birds and squirrels love them. They can be brutally pruned and come right back. I have yews that were here when we moved in. We have dug them up and transplanted them many times. I keep one trimmed in a 5 ft dome to keep it dense. This year blue jays nested there. My neighbor has junipers overhanging our garden where a catbird nests every year. One nested in the weigela (not native, but loved by bees and hummingbirds). We put a nest box high in the arbor vitae and wrens nest there regularly. A cardinal nests nearby but I haven't found the nest. When the privet was dense cardinals nested there. I'm in a town in an area overflowing with people and houses. This year we hosted painted lady butterflies, monarchs, viceroys, admirals, sulfurs, skippers, and small blue ones whose name I forget, along with the cabbage whites. My privet hides fledglings and adults, too, when they see a hawk. My lot is only 50'x100' and the house takes up the most room; an embankment limits our front garden but. it's loaded with life. The privet doesn't spread elsewhere. I live across the street from a river park. A privet has never shown up anywhere. Plants aren't good or bad. They just need to grow where they are wanted and leave other people's gardens alone. Love that privet.

One more Bigfoot story, and I hereby SWEAR I will stop. Localeater started it! Ok, so we saw the life size metal one at that Talavera place. Well, my dad recently bought some treed acreage and decided he wanted to build a shop with apartment. It’s coming along nicely, just got framed last week. We are so tempted to buy one of the Bigfoots and set him up by a tree. Off just enough in the distance to be confusing. And the next time my dad goes out there, he’ll be all, “Wha ... ! What is that!” 😂

Thanks Peren.all - I am going to divide it and put it in a few places and see where it does best. That must be great to have a moisture retentive soil. I have clay that I suppose is moisture retentive, but, so many trees close together, I think that dries out my soil. I couldn't grow an Astilbe and other moisture lovers at all I just bought a Rocket City daylily but it's very small and doubtful it will bloom this year. Looking forward to it.