I was out in the garden this morning and discovered there is a job I don't have to put on my 'to do' this coming spring.
I won't have to trim/mow the dwarf mondo grass I planted this past summer. The rotten rabbits have been doing this for me as you can see.
I wonder why they chose the mondos I planted in between the bricks that make up the brick pad we put our bench on?? I wonder if they are drawn to the bricks to warm their little toes, then discover a snack awaited them. The rotten little fur balls.
The only rabbit I want in my garden is this Rabbit's Foot Fern. I have the mother plant here in the house. I keep it in the conservatory/terrerarium during winter. It is most happy with these winter accomodations.
The piece I had growing on a log in the garden survived until the cold winds came blowing through. I had put a blanket of pine needles and leaves on it hoping it would survive. Oh I guess I knew it wouldn't but I just had to try.
The one here in the house is growing by leaps and bounds. You can see its furry little feet creeping over the edge of the planter. This is how this fern propogates itself. It sends out these furry little feet and then the fern frond pops up on it. You can root them in soil or onto a log as I did last summer and off they grow.
The piece I had growing on a log in the garden survived until the cold winds came blowing through. I had put a blanket of pine needles and leaves on it hoping it would survive. Oh I guess I knew it wouldn't but I just had to try.
The one here in the house is growing by leaps and bounds. You can see its furry little feet creeping over the edge of the planter. This is how this fern propogates itself. It sends out these furry little feet and then the fern frond pops up on it. You can root them in soil or onto a log as I did last summer and off they grow.
These furry looking little feet are one of Mother Natures oddities. I think of this plant almost as a pet. I keep wanting to stroke the furry little tendrils they call foot. Do all of these rabbits feet make me lucky?? I hope so.
Your references to the little rotten fur balls made me laugh. I gave up on pots of petunias last summer after waking up the following morning to bare pots.
ReplyDeleteYes, one would want to pet the furry feet stems. Rabbits have been chomping on various plants here, Kitty gives them a good chase occasionally though. It is entertaining to see the large rabbit, as big as Kitty, leap so high into the air through the paths and beds. Kitty is no match for him, not hungry enough and slack muscled from indoor life.
ReplyDeleteThe rabbits foot fern is cool. I wasn't familiar with those.
ReplyDelete"little rotten fur balls" LOL! You ought to add field rats (yes, they eat vegetation and especially use it for nest building) and cows (they not only eat the vegetation but break the pots, too).
I love rabbit's foot ferns and agree that rabbits are a pain. The deer actually eat my liriope, no black mondo here. Doesn't Luna chase them? That is one creature that Tucker would chase. He wouldn't know what to do if he caught one but his presence is enough! Loved your prior posts also and congrats on scoring the manure!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting they choose mondo grass. I love that rabbit foot fern.
ReplyDeleteThe rabbits irritate me, too. Jinx used to keep them in check, but since he was killed, the other cats don't do as good a job of that.
ReplyDeleteI have a kangaroo fern that has those fuzzy stem things, too.
Giggle...rotten little furballs, indeed. Well, I have to bring my black mondo grass indoors for the winter, as it's not hardy here. And the catchildren find it completely irresistable, and prune it every time I forget to put it out of their reach (which is to hang it from the ceiling...)
ReplyDeleteCool fern, Lisa!
ReplyDeleteThere may be rabbits in Austin but I've never seen one - and even though they're cute, as a gardener I do not miss them.
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
Mary you would have to raise your pots to keep them out of your pretty petunias.
ReplyDeleteFrances, Luna chases the rabbits when she see them but often they come out in the cover of darkness so she doesn't see them since she is an inside dog for the most part.
Marvin I can't imagine cows getting into potted plants. Your cows must have broken out of their pens. Or were they the neighbors cows that got loose?
Oh yes Layanee Luna chases rabbits but they know she isn't outside much at night and that is when they seem to be doing the damage.
I don't know what Luna would do with a rabbit or a squirrel if she caught one.
Kylee does your kagaroo fern have the same green fronds as my rabbits foot fern?? Mine didn't come with a tag with a botanical name on it so I don't know what mine truly is. I just remember the Rabbits foot part.
Jodi, a friend of mine can't have any live plants in her house becasue of her cats. They eat everything.
Thanks Annie. I wouldn't miss rabbits if they would happened to go bye bye. Rabbit stew might be nice too.
Drat those pesky wabbits! Fortunately you still have the mother fern safe and sound inside. Love those little furry feet of hers. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNo, Lisa, it doesn't have the same fronds. You can't really see the fuzzy things in this photo, but you can get a look at the plant as a whole in this post.
ReplyDelete"Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits..." Sorry, I couldn't resist. You really do have my sympathies. :-)
ReplyDeleteOne year the squirrels ate over 200 of my newly planted tulip bulbs. To them they were manna from heaven no doubt. It's hard for me to imagine what it's like for the little creatures to try to survive in the harsh winter without the benefit of a grocery store. Still, I would have preferred they left my tulips out of the equation. The next year I planted daffodils which fortunately the squirrels found distasteful to their palettes.
Lisa, I love the rabbit fern. I wish I had a bit of shade for ferns. I've never been bothered by the rabbits until this year. They have chewed one burning bush to the ground. Pesky things!
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteI love yuor rabbit fern, and I applaud the great photos. So far, we haven't had much trouble with rabbits, but deer, which we also consider field rats, are a plague. I know, I know, those great big brown eyes. And those hungry hungry mouths.
Oh you are lucky to have such a nice Rabbits Foot Fern! I haven't seen one in person for a long time.
ReplyDelete(and if no one is looking...I'd pet it a few time ...for luck, you know...)
I have a huge rabbits foot fern that I know is pot-bound, but I can't even see the pot anymore, the little "feet" have grown over the edge and down the sides. I am not sure about how to go about repotting it, and it is so pretty, I don't want to ruin it.
ReplyDeleteI like those rabbit feet of the fern.
ReplyDeleteI seem to have fallen behind in my blog reading ... I'll be back to do some reading of your earlier posts.
Since it's late, I'll just let you know that Lytton tagged Luna for a meme. The Bliss team had invited Lytton to participate and he had fun. I thought Luna might enjoy it too...
Loved this post! how can you not love
ReplyDelete"furry little tendrils" inside the house or out in the garden!
I think the ~furry little feet~ outside did like the heat of the bricks!smiling NG
I've always thought those ferns were unique. Yours have the longest "feet" I think I've seen. Are they hard to grow?
ReplyDelete