Need Help with Functional and Thrifty

18 years ago

Mama squirrel just ate the roots and bottom of the trunk of my only garden tree -- a 2' Hardy Chicago fig! My garden is a container garden in a 16' X 16' concrete backyard, and we're both disabled -- so no luxury money, and no ability to do hard work.

I've just been told that she (Mama squirrel) could use some water (happened during a heat wave the last few days,) but my birdbath is cast-iron (rusting, despite treating it a couple of ways to avoid the rust), so the water gets hot quickly, and, during heat waves, evaporates quickly. I need something both birds and squirrels can drink out of that won't evaporate by end of day, and won't tip, if a squirrel walks on its edge -- like a plate. Any ideas?

Also, since I'm asking anyway, I'm a "bit" of a Teddy Bear lover, so would love my garden to be all things Teddy Bear (TB), some day. Made a TB topiary last year, and am growing TB sunflowers, but every where I look, other people have little statues of TB's in their garden, and I can't find any. (Will buy new, next year, if I can save enough money.) Anyone make anything TB related for their gardens, and, if so, want to post a picture? Could use the ideas for them, too.

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Here's my topiary.

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And, here's one of the Teddy Bear sunflowers, being admired by one of the youngest in my TB family. LOL

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Here's a picture of the entire TB family on my repurposed plastic, round children's picnic table (aka plant stand), disguised in their costumes for Halloween. The pumpkins behind them were grown in this garden. Yes, I have a trellis that you can see to the left, and, if you look carefully behind them, you'll see brown popcorn stalks showing up. We did get popcorn last year, too. Not bad for a 16' X 16' garden, huh?! LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: A Poem with Pictures of the garden last year (written by the youngest stuffed animals)

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Comments (4)

daisydal
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
sorry about your tree, I hate losing them as well. How about a large terra cotta saucer for your critters to drink from? you might have to put a sealer on it, but you will need to look and make sure it is safe for animals. usually, mine hold pretty good without one, but you have to check them everyday. i love your teddybear theme, especially the topiary, and the sunflower is so fluffy! blessings-sherri
amesly
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
My birds and squirrels drink out of a ceramic plant saucer... the squirrel has never tipped it over (it's just resting on a short piece of drain tile) but the cats did a couple times... then they learned to be careful. :) And because it's ceramic, it's already sealed! It came with a pot, but I want that pot to drain freely. Worked out quite well. :)

Amy
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luna_llena_feliz
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
I have missed your cute pictures valentinetbear! I always love watching the adventures of your little plush family in the garden. I am sorry to hear about the tree though. For being so little, squirrels can be very destructive. I know one gnawed through the wooden perch on a brand new bird feeder I bought. You might want to check out the site below for a new tree. You only need to pay the cost of shipping ($7.95). Love the teddy bear topiary!

Here is a link that might be useful: Free Trees & Plants
valentinetbear
Original Author
18 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Boy, you'd think it wouldn't take so long to check out all the answers, but got sidetracked on that free plant site. LOL (I have it under "Free giveaways" but forgot to check it out last spring. Argh! LOL)

Mama (I know she's a mama, since she's obviously being suckled by a few babies) also took down one of my brussel sprouts, and ate the east side leaves off it, so I didn't want her taking any other plants out, while I figured out how to give her water, so have been using the lids of some of my 6-gallon plastic containers, that Dad gave me, after emptying the wine making kits in them. (Same look as the 5 gallon containers most often associated with deli pickles or Dunkin Donut frosting buckets, except a bit longer.) Rather unattractive, though.

I simply cannot spend more on the garden this year (the year everything that can break down, has decided to -- frig, oven, dishwasher, and gas pump on the car -- or is in the process of deciding to -- TV, a/c in car, and other odd noises and behavior from the car), so am working with what I got before the appliances died back in March -- thankfully, right after placing orders for supplies, plants and seeds for the garden, so I feel guiltless. LOL

My only spare terra cotta dish, will be my butterfly watering hole; however, thanks to FreeCycle Network, I did get a couple of cache pots, and ceramic pots with a dish for one, last year. I now have a more useful use for that dish. Thanks. LOL

It ends up that the tree being uprooted was two blessings in disguise. I'm officially running out of room to plant some periennials, since I prefer using pots that are more attractive (5 and 6 gallon containers are for veggies), and, when I dug up the soil under the used-to-be fig tree, I discovered. it was already becoming root bound in it's 2' X 2' X 3' container. Trees have a lot more roots, then I ever thought! The old soil and roots are now covering the roots and bottom of an acorn squash that seeded in my compost bin -- one of the bigger sized plastic trash cans!

New soil has been added (got a $50 gift certificate for Home Depot after a year of "reading e-mails to get point for gift certificates"), and some of the Wonders of Staffa Asters are settling into their new home. They're about a foot away from one of those lids of water, in case mama gets thirsty, and sneaks in the same way. (The other is by the gate, where she usually sneaks in. LOL)

I've also trimmed the fig down to a thick stick, added root compound, and stuck it into a bottle of water, in case it decides it wants to become a tree again. If it does, I'll keep it in a slightly warmer location, during the winter and transplant it to a huge pot!

If he doesn't, but I decide to still be crazy enough to try and grow a tree in a container, next time it gets one of the huge containers out front, and I can use next year's $50 gift certificate (to Lowes, this time) to buy a third container (my "front yard" is really more sidewalk next to my steps.)

Thanks for the help. Much appreciated.

Lynn