We have a small herd of deer in our neighborhood. They love rosebuds, tulips and my daises. I keep them away with rotten eggs and garlic. I just put some eggs and garlic in my blender with some water and blend. Then I distribute the mix between several gallon milk jugs and fill them with water. I leave the jugs out in the sun to "ripen" for a few days. It really works well. I found it on the web labeled "Kopy Kat Liquid Fence" I usually alternate with blood meal every once in a while so they don't get accustomed to any one method. We just love to watch the deer as they stroll through the yard every morning and evening. There is an albino fawn that was born last spring, so pretty. Everyone in our neighborhood is very protective of "our deer", even the hunters! When we moved here and I planted a lot of roses, my neighbors teased me for planting "deer candy"

I'm not familiar with that variety of zoysia. We converted to a zoysia lawn about 12 years ago and I love it. We have a south western exposure in the front and got sick of having a burned lawn. Ours usually holds up through a few frosts and doesn't get brown until Dec. This year it stayed green until the end of Jan but it is slower than many varieties to green up in the spring. After the second year that we had the plugs put in we've never watered it and it's beautiful even during the bad summer droughts that we've had over the past 10 years. There's a turf farm on 198 near the intersection at New Hampshire Ave that carries different zoysia varieties. I have no idea if they have the kind you are talking about but they might at least know something about it. I'll look for the name the next time I drive by. Karyn

It's sometimes a process, rehabber46, just learning (sometimes the hard way) what to do or not do. I see it all around me, the destruction of habitat as the city encroaches on the more 'wild' part of a county. People fleeing the 'city' move into portions of the county that were basically flattened and stripped of trees and shrubs, acres of it. Makes no sense to me, to be honest. Those bare and manicured yards are often kept that way with pesticides. Heck, we don't even spray for mosquitos. We just let the bats do the job for us. Right now, my yard is covered in tons of leaves. Many people don't know this, but some 300 species of insects (butterflies, moths, native bees, etc) overwinter in leaves, many of them attached to the very things most rake, mulch, mow, and clip away. Leaving leaves on the lawn, undisturbed, means far more beautiful and beneficial insects in the coming spring, and it also means more food for the birds as well. We've planted 2 plots of garden for hummingbirds and butterflies (and bees of course), and we've also planted native shrubs (additional ones to those already out there) for birds. American Beautyberry was our most recent. We have oaks that drop an abundance of acorns, several black cherry trees, maples, pine, and tons more. Even holly is beneficial to birds. As long as it's native, it's beneficial. As they say... fresh food, water sources, and shelter (for protection against predators and nesting), and you'll be helping nature thrive. Honestly, it's a lot less yard work when the shrubs are left 'scrubby' and the leaves are left until the temps are back into the 50's consistently, when raking is less harmful to what's overwintering in those leaves. I see more and more people going for the 'cottage garden' or 'wild garden' look for both just landscape.. and even vegetable gardens. I prefer the more messy and wild gardens than the sterile landscapes of most suburbs.

Ok jay_6a - hit BACK and STOP READING THIS NOW!!! ;D Well, different strokes for different folks...but I second floral_uk, because one of the things I actually LOVE about plants and Nature is how every tiny piece of it...is just the tip of a proverbial iceberg. Each part has its own entire, multidisciplinary curriculum that delves into history, food, health (Purslane extracts have been shown to be toxic to breast cancer, lung cancer, cervical cancer, and sarcoma in scientific studies. And, recent scientific information also reveals that Purslane green Extract Kills 83% of Liver Cancer Cells in Vitro: An extract of purslane seeds was shown in this new study to kill up to 83% of human liver cancer cells in vitro within 24 hours.), culture, biochemistry, geometry, evolutionary design, game theory, etc. etc. 1) Anyhow, there are a few things to keep in mind when foraging Purslane. Firstly, what you really want are the wild varieties of Portulaca oleracea (with small, yellow flowers & 6X as much Vitamin E & beta-carotene as spinach or carrots). As the more ornamental Portulaca grandiflora (with larger flowers of different colors) supposedly contains much more oxalic acid. Now, I'm not that sure about Portulaca umbraticola, (often mislabeled as simply Portulaca oleracea)? The other most common (and toxic) analog is Euphorbia maculata (Spotted Spurge). It looks similar from a distance, but isn't a succulent and has milky white sap (rather than clear, mucilage gel). 2) It's often been sprayed with herbicide in efforts to eradicate it in urban settings. So, I wouldn't eat any unless you happen to find some out in the wild (unlikely) or have grown it yourself. 3) Like a number of veggies, Purslane does contain a high amount of oxalic acid, which is what gives it its slightly sour taste. Problem is, this "anti-nutrient" can cause kidney stones (oxalates) if consumed in high amounts in individuals with weak kidneys. So, to play it safe, a good traditional recipe is to combine it with a food high in calcium - like yogurt. This then binds the oxalic acid into insoluble oxalates before it gets to your kidneys...(the soluble oxalate content of the raw leaves was 53.0% which reduced to 10.7% when yoghurt was added). And like many other plants containing oxalic acid, Purslane itself already contains a fair amount of calcium (over a third of that of many leafy greens)...but some more certainly helps! Although, if you are just eating a few sprigs and have healthy kidneys, it shouldn't be much of a concern... 4) Tastewise, a mucilaginous texture might be an acquired taste for some Americans. So, it's recommended that: "The only thing to bear in mind with purslane is that you either want it raw/barely cooked through, or else you wanna cook the [heck] out of it, probably with an acid along for the ride," she wrote. "Anything in between is likely to seem unpleasantly slimy to the American palate." 5) So, in short, make sure you are harvesting: a. Purslane - and not Spotted Spurge! b. Portulaca oleracea specifically - for its lower oxalic acid content amongst Portulaca. (Not sure about Portulaca umbraticola, though?) And then the simplest, safest recipe is to just eat it raw with yogurt (or other high-calcium food) to help neutralize any soluble oxalic acid in it. Bon Appétit!