Winter did a number on the screening plants in the NW corner of the back garden. That building (a two-tone garage, see the full ugly here) had been hidden by leaves and branches of Fatsia polycarpa, Pittosporum illicioides 'Strappy', and from this vantage point very dense bamboo.
Still, I was very happy to see fat new culms emerging.
I even tossed keys into the photo for scale, to show Andrew.
This had happened.
And another...they even dug down below the soil level to get this one. It's like they're training to sniff for truffles, or rather bamboo shoots.
The sneaky little bastards only come out at night (I've never seen one, well, except for a dead one [a neighbor had put our poison] some 10 years or so ago).
My first experience with bamboo-eating rats was the year I cut the Sasa palmata f. nebulosa back when it had mites.
The new growth was being mowed down as fast as it could shoot (that's this year's version in the photo), and smart friends insisted it was the work of rats. I didn't want to believe, but the more people I talked to, the more I learned I was fooling myself. I live in an urban environment. There are rats.
Back in January sub-freezing winds whipped the bamboo raw. It's been dropping leaves for months. A knowledgeable friend assures me that as long as the culms are still green (and thus alive) they should sprout new leaves, and in fact I can see some tiny little bits of green emerging where there were none.
Then the rats showed up. I should have protected it at this point, but I got distracted and the next thing I knew...
Here's a bonus late-addition to the post that seemed to fit the theme. See that healthy bunch of tetrapanax foliage? I picked it up off the sidewalk. I'm 90% sure the wind ripped it off (it was a very windy day), but there's always the chance it was squirrels.
There was a lot random tetrapanax die-back on my plants due to the winter weather madness and any new leaves was an exciting development, this is a sad thing. Before the wind event was over I also lost two substantial new stems on a Mahonia x media 'Marvel' and a branch of the Magnolia macrophylla. One step forward, two steps back.
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Quite a horrific title for a GBBD in May! Both Bamboo and rats can send me running, but the fungi is delightful. One can hope the rats would nibble and find them deadly poisonous.
ReplyDeleteThat fern table is so beautiful and seems untouched by winter (unless some renovation took place). It must give you great joy!
Chavli
I've so thoroughly left the GBBD mindset behind that the date didn't even occur to me. I have some flowers in Friday's post! I did make a few additions to the table planting this spring, but mostly it came through unscathed. I love it!
DeleteI did wonder where your head was at when I saw your post's title! It's hard to keep ahead of the critters under even the best of circumstances. I've had rats in my compost bin this year (which I've encountered several times when dumping fruit and veg scraps in the evening) and they've left their usual treasure trove of cherry laurel seeds on the top shelves of my lath house. I've also got long peppermint willow (Agonis flexuosa) stems strewn all over my garden by crows that use them to build nests.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the tiny mushrooms in your fern table give it a magical touch.
The mushrooms look so at home there Andrew asked if I did something to bring them in. Nope, it was all Mother Nature.
DeleteMy sympathies, Loree! It is interesting how some of my mahonias are putting out a ton of new leaves, others are barely holding on. Maybe it is rats here too. I know I have them. I have never seen damage on my clumper bamboos. Maybe because the culms don't get very big? Yes, it has been hard waiting for the new foliage to finally come out on the callistemons, grevellias. Ugh! Last year, it seemed like it was a tough year on agaves, cacti, this year it is the pittesporums, mahonias, fatsias etc.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the rats steer clear of your bamboo. In my experience the size of the culms isn't terribly important to them. The sasa has incredibly small culms.
DeleteI sympathize with you. Some days I think this is just too hard one step forward two steps back. Then the next day I go out to find something unexpected like that lovely fungi you found gracing your table top garden. As long as I keep having moments where the good outweighs the bad (and it always does) I can keep doing this.
ReplyDeleteYour right of course! All it takes is that one bright moment to help you forget all the bad ones.
DeleteHow frustrating about the rat damage!
ReplyDeleteI have mice in my back garden and they sometimes nibble on my plants. One year they nibbled on the stem of my Molly the Witch Paeonia and caused the flower to abort, that was annoying.
My Mum has problems with rats in her garden. Well, the rats originate from her next door neighbour's garden/house. They are bold as brass. Two summers ago I was enjoying the sun out in her garden and one walked past me :O
A tiny mouse once zipped across the patio when we were out enjoying a warm evening... it was disturbing enough, I can't imagine a rat walking past me.
DeleteThose mushroom photos are exquisite. The rat thing-I would almost be tempted to call in one of those pest control companies -but on the other hand have you ever considered an outdoor cat ? Not as sleazeball as the pest control peeps.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a pest control company would have any effect as they're not living on our property. As for a cat, the neighborhood used to be rich with them. Not so much anymore. Interesting to think about...
DeleteThose little fungi are adorable!
ReplyDeleteI've lost 2 yews and 2 arborvitae to tunneling this year, I feel your frustration! Of course I have arborvitae because cheap to replace, but still. Here is a new one for me- I've been picking up tufts of polyester batting (presumably pillow) all over my yard every day this week. As some has been in a tree, I'm assuming a squirrel "discovered" some somewhere and made themselves an extra deluxe nest that's been falling out of their tree since the windstorm.😄
"extra deluxe nest".... ha, cute, but frustrating for those living below!
DeleteAll of my new bamboo shoots in pots have been mowed down. I assumed it was the squirrels. I believe 5 out of 7 of my (8 foot trunk) Trachycarpus are dead or dying, plus two smaller Waggies, same for Mahonia soft caress, and 95% of my aspidistra from this winter. The yard is slowly coming back but many holes:-(
ReplyDeleteOf my five Mahonia 'Soft Caress' I'm seeing new growth on thee of them, the other two are definitely toast. I think my palms are okay, but I feel your pain as there are many other things that are dead. So many holes...
DeleteAustin is, ahem, rather ratty as well. As you say, it's an urban environment, with plenty to eat. But I definitely did not know rats would nosh on plants, specifically bamboo culms! What are they, pandas? Sorry about all the PITA stuff you're dealing with, weather included. Boy, do I feel ya. Gardening IS too damn hard sometimes, but we just can't help ourselves, can we? Gardening is also so damn good!
ReplyDeleteWhen it's good, it's so very good!
DeleteThat is horrific. We have rats around and I am grateful they don’t seem interested in any of my plants. Also grateful our coastal winter was milder than yours.
ReplyDeleteThere are more new culms and I've protected the ones I could, damn rats!
DeleteDang, I wish I could let you borrow Dr. Feelgood for a few days, (my little murderer, he's a great ratter). That's terrible damage, and I'd be ticked. On the other hand the little mushrooms are too cute, and the table is perfection.
ReplyDeleteWould he also take care of the bunny population?
DeleteThe rats here stick to avocados and oranges. :( We have a trap set frequently to keep the population in check. The owls and coyotes help, too. No poison here lest we poison an owl.
ReplyDeleteOf all, I sympathize most with your setback to screening an ugly view. We've got a huge, ugly shed next door that I would love to block. I've thrown every plant I can think of at it, and then they get mown down by rabbits, killed by drought or winter, etc.. Frustratingly slow, but at this rate, I should have the ugly completely blocked by the time I turn 75.
ReplyDeleteThe little mushrooms are cute. That is one of the hobbies I wish I had kept up on (mushroom identification), but with limited time, I decided to focus on plants. I'm glad you aren't freaked out by them. I used to hear from home owners that wanted to do everything possible to kill them.
The wind has been relentless this spring, seems worse than past springs. I had a huge food garden in Edmonds and the rats were a nightmare. They ate my figs, kiwis, pears and worst of all, tomatoes. Once a year I would fork all of the compost out of my bin, and inevitably when I got to the bottom a big mama rat would launch herself towards my throat. Shocking every time, even though I eventually learned, and was waiting for it. One time I was able to skewer the little blighter with my fork. Thankfully, no rats here, so far.
ReplyDelete-artinnature