Someone has asked me how to get rid of garter snakes in their gardens (not necessarilly
kill the snakes - just keep them away). I know they are beneficial since they prey
on rodents and bugs, but this is from a woman who has a garden in a country area
and is terrified of snakes -- she has bumped into them a few times while on her knees
gardening.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Julie
Free web-based email, Forever, From anywhere!
http://www.mailexcite.com
Send them snakes on over here, I love them, always have, always will :-)
Seriously, if she lives and gardens in the country she really ought to
just get over her fears. It can be hard, but practice makes perfect. This
may sound insensitive, but if you've got a nice, diverse,
pretty-to-look-at garden with lots of the critters, the snakey-poos (my
pet name for one of my favorite garden creatures :-) (stay tuned for the
revealing list of eliza's pet names for other garden dwellers) are going
to come round and stick around if they want. There aren't no walls or
fences in the country so far as the snakes see it and, I have to agree, it
makes sense. With no walls or fences from the snakey-poo's point of view
they'll be back, lest you make your garden an unihabitable zone...course
then it wouldn't be a garden it'd be a dump. (You could try to lessen
snake habitat, but (a) the results will be a less happy and pretty garden,
(b) you won't 100% eliminate them for reasons above and (c) if you're
going to live in the "country" my humble opinion says you need to live
with IT.
Easier to get the fear out o' person then to get the snake out o' the
grass, this said:
Some things you can do to help your neighbor/client/friend? get over her
fears are:
(a) Educate her about just how great snakey-poos are: just how many
benefits they bestow upon our gardens for "free". People then sometimes
overcome their fears on the basis of "Don't look a gift horse in the
mouth" :-)
(b) Have her learn about their amazing lives: People's fears are sometimes
quelled by knowledge and when they learn about how snakes live and die
and how they get around, what kinds of things they sense, they may find
their fear turned to awe.
(c) Round here (pdx, oregon) there ain't no poison snakes, When I tell
this to folks (who didn't know it) they sigh with relief. When I used to
live with the cotton mouths I found that giving people the tools to tell
the difference between the cotton mouths and the other common
non-posionous (little garters and one of my personal faves which I only
know from our childhood pet name, the infamous and much adored "black
racer" (Someone else may know their latin names, though, methinks the
black racer don't care much what you call her so long as you love her) )
both differences in looks and differences in habitat, folks felt empowered
to overcome their fears.
(d) Well, if all else fails, you may try to hook her up with a
herpatologist (sp?: studier of reptiles) who specializes in snakes. I once
dated such a person and though I already loved snakes, they did greatly
increase my awe and respect for the snakes.
(These same tatics work with other commonly feared critters such as
spiders and bats :-) Well, except for (d) which must be transformed
accordingly.)
eliza in a silly mood who has been mighty close to many a snakey-poo
Garter snakes are splendid in and around the garden, so maybe the best
solution is for her to transform the phobia -they are harmless. But having
said that: garter snakes love heat and hang out around hot objects like
stones and black plastic. She could make a snake lounging area away from
the garden and avoid those types of cover/heat absorbers in the areas she
wants snakeless.
Sudoa Farm, Notch Hill, BC
awarren@jetstream.net
I wish I had snakes! I have a co-worker who, like your friend, is
terrified of them and she finally had to just give over the gardening to
her husband. If your friend is unable to overcome her phobia and wants to
continue to enjoy gardening, I think the only sure solution is to move out
of their habitat. Even using lethal means (I hope she doesn't resort to
this) would likely be unsuccesful since others would just move in. Perhaps
the key is education. Is she aware of the many services that snakes
provide? Does she know that garter snakes are totally harmless to her?
As a young child my brothers would occasionally try to frighten me with
garter snakes. My solution was to pretend I wasn't afraid and take the
offered snake as if it was a cherished gift. Of course, it wasn't long
before they realized they were not going to get a rise from me and
discontinued tormenting me (and the snakes). In the meantime, by handling
a snake I realized it was harmless and was obviously much more terrified of
me than I was of it. Maybe there is some way your friend could become
better acquainted with a snake in an up close and personal manner. They
are amazing creatures and their skin is a wonder to touch. She'll probably
never get over being startled by their quick movement but perhaps through
education and interaction she can become accustomed to their presence and
not be so frightened. My best wishes to her in dealing with her fear.
Sheryl Highsmith
shighsmith@vines.colostate.edu
Fort Collins, CO
Zone 5
Much of human suffering has been caused by fear...next time she bumps into
one, have her pick it up gently, look at it eye to eye, and make friends.
B
Cheryl Valois and Bruce Brummitt
46N56' 95W20
Visit the Natural Building Gallery
----------
From: jmf
Someone has asked me how to get rid of garter snakes in their gardens (not
necessarilly
kill the snakes - just keep them away). I know they are beneficial since
they prey
on rodents and bugs, but this is from a woman who has a garden in a country
area
and is terrified of snakes -- she has bumped into them a few times while on
her knees
gardening.
Any ideas?
Thanks in advance,
Julie
Free web-based email, Forever, From anywhere!
http://www.mailexcite.com
Thank you for all the responses and suggestions. Although, it was nice to see everyone
voice my own opinion of garter snakes, I should have stressed that I have explained
all this, but I'm afraid it won't work in this case. Sometimes fears can't be overcome,
too ingrained maybe, as in this case, unfortunately. I, myself, constantly get my
children involved in all aspects of nature, including bugs and snakes and they not
only don't fear them but find them very interesting (or as they would voice -- "cool!").
One summer my 3-year-old son walked around with a (dead, unfortunately) garter snake
around his shoulders that he had found in the gardens. A friend (another who is
terrified of snakes, bees, spiders, bats, etc. -- she luckily lives in the city)
commented how cute it was how he liked that rubber toy. (Can you see where this
is going?) She crouched down to pet the "toy" and (yep) almost passed out when she
learned it was real.
I would go over there and collect the snakes for myself, but as many have noted,
others would find their way into her gardens once again.
Anne, I'll suggest your idea, maybe she can at least try to deter them to one area
that she can then avoid. Or maybe I'll go for Eliza's suggestion and fix her up
with a herpatologist.
Julie
Free web-based email, Forever, From anywhere!
http://www.mailexcite.com
Eliza Lindsay wrote:
> (stay tuned for the
> revealing list of eliza's pet names for other garden dwellers)
Okay, now you have to give us the list! Can't wait! ;-)
I am always amazed at the attitude of "city folk" who visit me in the
country. They go into raptures at the sight of deer and rabbits (which
I go to great lengths to keep from destroying everything that grows) and
scream at the sight of a lovely little rat snake or tarantula.
*Ada, come quick!! There's a SNAKE in the garage.
*Um, yea. It lives there, sorta....
*But it's a SNAKE!! A big black SNAKE!!!
*Um, yea. It's probably looking for mice.
*But what if it bites me???
*It won't bite you unless you accidentally step on it.
*But what do I DO??
*Um, just don't step on it.
The above exchange got me a glaring look and a reputation for
eccentricity. >:->
Old Ozark folklore said that where there were garter snakes, racers, or
rat snakes, there was no need to fear being bitten by copperhead or
rattler. It seems there is a great deal of truth to that. I have seen
black racers and rat snakes gang up on a viper and kill it. I don't
know why. (Any herpatologists have a clue?) However, I am in viper
heaven and have never seen 'nary a rattler nor copperhead. I also have
a lot less destruction from voles and gophers than some others in the
area. (Of course, I have to protect the bluebird houses- baby blues are
a favorite hors d'oeuvre of the slinky set.) Perhaps the lady would be
more friendly with the garters if she was reminded of what they may be
keeping away?
> methinks the
> black racer don't care much what you call her so long as you love her) )
Black racers and blue racers are fun to play with. When I was a kid we
would chase a racer around the yard for a couple of laps, then turn and
run the other way. If the snake was in a good mood, he would chase us
across the yard, then wait for us to chase him back. (OK, so we had a
lot of strange games when I wuz a kid. It was cheaper than drugs and
better for our health! :-) ) My mother was a forgiving soul who didn't
mind that we kept pet garter snakes in the rafters of the house. (Um,
well, except for the time one had babies that tended to drop into the
soup pot at inconvenient times....)
> (d) Well, if all else fails, you may try to hook her up with a
> herpatologist (sp?: studier of reptiles) who specializes in snakes. I once
> dated such a person and though I already loved snakes, they did greatly
> increase my awe and respect for the snakes.
Because they were able to put up with your boyfriend so well???
While I realize that some fears are not easily overcome, it might be
worth a try, since the garter snakes are such good guys to have around.
Ada
> CK Valois/B Brummitt
> Much of human suffering has been caused by fear...next time she bumps into
> one, have her pick it up gently, look at it eye to eye, and make friends.
I wish there was a way to send her snakes to those of us who like having
them around. I'd like to know how to encourage them to live in the yard. I
accidently killed one with the lawnmower last year and felt really bad
about it because he was the biggest garter snake I'd ever seen. He raised
up in the tall grass to check out the danger bearing down on him and I cut
into his neck before I saw him.
I wish a had bigger snakes so they would eat the mice that eat my bulbs.
Catherine
colombinus@big-river.net
Hiya..
Once upon a time...we were returning from a "gathering". It was about
sundown and a thunderstorm had just passed through the area. The raindrops
were multi-colored prisms on the leaves of the trees in the woods. As we
walked down the path toward our house, a spider's web (complete with
raindrops) stopped us in our tracks. I looked at Cheryl, and since it was
high summer and the path was the only clearing in the woods, I asked her,
"How am I going to get around that? It's too low to crawl beneath, and it
extends all the way across the path." As I asked the question, the spider
(who was sitting at the intersection of the radii of the web at the bottom
chord) walked up to the top of the web dragging with it the bottom
chord...creating a beautiful arch under which I could easily walk. The
spider was giving me a doorway.
The beauty and the mystery is there for all of us...if we overcome our
fears.
B
Cheryl Valois and Bruce Brummitt
46N56' 95W20
Visit the Natural Building Gallery
----------
From: Valerie Hillgren
To: Multiple recipients of list OGL
Subject: Re: garter snakes
Date: Fri, 27 Feb 1998 18:33:15 +0100
CK Valois/B Brummitt
Lord almighty!! I almost fell out of my chair and had a heart attack for
the poor woman when I read this! However, it certainly contains a grain
a truth: If the woman learns that garter snakes are harmless and
extremely
beneficial, she can probalby learn to accept them. Snakes absoutely give
me
the creeps, but garter snakes don't bother me at all. I used to be
utterly terrified by spiders, and now that I know in general what great
little guys they really are, I don't run in fear everytime I see one, and
I
can even tolerate knowing that there are spiders lurking in the corners
of my house.
I don't know that I would say that I am "friends" with either the spiders
or the garter snakes, but I can deal with them now without having a
complete
panic attack.
Valerie Hillgren
Mainz, Germany
hillgren@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
CK Valois/B Brummitt
Lord almighty!! I almost fell out of my chair and had a heart attack for
the poor woman when I read this! However, it certainly contains a grain
a truth: If the woman learns that garter snakes are harmless and
extremely
beneficial, she can probalby learn to accept them. Snakes absoutely give
me
the creeps, but garter snakes don't bother me at all. I used to be
utterly terrified by spiders, and now that I know in general what great
little guys they really are, I don't run in fear everytime I see one, and
I
can even tolerate knowing that there are spiders lurking in the corners
of my house.
I don't know that I would say that I am "friends" with either the spiders
or the garter snakes, but I can deal with them now without having a
complete
panic attack.
Valerie Hillgren
Mainz, Germany
hillgren@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
Like someone else on the list I wish we had snakes, only St Patrick drove
them out of Ireland.
However, we literally share our house with spiders & only put them out if it
looks as if they will desiccate or starve indoors. They do seem to keep the
house relatively free of aphids and flies. Of course, we don't have any
harmful spiders here.
Adrian
adrian.saunders@dnet.co.uk
Date: 27 February 1998 17:35
Subject: Re: garter snakes
CK Valois/B Brummitt
A truly amazing story!
> The beauty and the mystery is there for all of us...if we overcome our
> fears.
> B
I agree with you. I have overcome my fears to the point of being able
to appreciate and watch from a distance, but I don't think I'll ever be
able to pick up snakes or think spiders are darling (though their webs
are gorgeous).
Valerie Hillgren
Mainz, Germany
hillgren@mpch-mainz.mpg.de
Dear all,
A friend here keeps finding garter snakes in her garden. Snakes are
her biggest phobia so.... what can she do?
I've explained till I'm blue in the face that garters are good things to
have in your garden. She says " not in her garden". So... non lethal
ideas for keeping them out of her garden please.
Cheers Ginny
Subject: garter snakes
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 20:12:57 -0700
From: inanda@pacificcoast.net
Dear all,
A friend here keeps finding garter snakes in her garden. Snakes are
her biggest phobia so.... what can she do?
I've explained till I'm blue in the face that garters are good things
to
have in your garden. She says " not in her garden". So... non
lethal
ideas for keeping them out of her garden please.
Cheers Ginny
> A friend here keeps finding garter snakes in her garden. Snakes are
> her biggest phobia so.... what can she do?
Stomp around a lot-- they hide then. I have a heck of a startle reaction
around snakes, so I'm just as glad they aren't around when I am. A little
heavy footwork seems to give them the notion that they might want to be
elsewhere temporarily.
Kay Lancaster kay@fern.com
just west of Portland, OR; USDA zone 8 (polarfleece)
In a message dated 98-04-16 01:23:21 EDT, you write:
<<
A friend here keeps finding garter snakes in her garden. Snakes are
her biggest phobia so.... what can she do?
I've explained till I'm blue in the face that garters are good things
to
have in your garden. She says " not in her garden". So... non
lethal
ideas for keeping them out of her garden please.
Cheers Ginny
I have no idea how to keep the snakes out of her garden- maybe get rid of all
the worms. They eat earth worms.
Boy I had a lot of fun with garter snakes when i was a kid.
One year we captured about 100 of them and spray painted the tail with silver
paint. (so that we new if we had captured that one allready)
They shead their skin.
Another year we had about 20 of them-big ones too!! in a big bucket.
droped a frog in there and about six snakes tried to eat it at the same time.
it kinda made me sad for the frog. but hey a snake has to live too.
Which reminds me we used to hunt frogs this way too.
A frog makes a hidouse sound when a snake has it, so we would walk around the
lake listing for the sound of a frog in distress. then we would capture the
snake and take the frog- so that we could do some fishing.
We have had some mean garter snakes too- i had a few bite me a draw blood.
But mostly they try just scare you with that open mouth and all the lunging at
you.
the one thing I do not like about them is the scent they release when you
capture them.
In a message dated 98-04-16 01:28:53 EDT, you write:
<<
> A friend here keeps finding garter snakes in her garden. Snakes are
> her biggest phobia so.... what can she do?
this is a P.S. to my other post.
The weirdest thing I have ever seen a garter snake do is:
I was pulling weeds and I heard this racket, i looked up and a big frog was
jumping as fast as it could and right behind it about three feet away a big
garter snake with its head about 12" off the ground chasing!!!! after the
frog. It freeked me out.
Ok, if she doesn't like them they can be caught with a mechanical
mouse trap. When we had a commercial bird house in Arkansas we
had a very HUGE mouse infestation. We liked the not so little
snakes because they ate the mice. We had these mechanical mouse
traps that was made out of metal. We would take each box and turn
the wind up key on the side. This key would then enable a small
door in the box to "kick" a mouse over into a separate
compartment and trap the mouse as it tried to go through a hole
in the box to the other side. When we had finished winding the
key we would place the trap against a wall where the mouse run so
he would go in. Worked great the only problem was that sometimes
the box would be heavier than usual when we went to empty the
mice out to be drowned. Whenever it was TOO heavy you could bet a
snake had gotten in and tried to find him a dinner. We could
catch 30 mice or more in a day. she could have someone else empty
the trap if she wished.
bsk
********************************
Virginia Prins wrote:
Geesh...thats so obvious
ago...and the neighbours have run into a couple themselves....their a
phobia of mine as well.....even if I would at sometime like to over
come it...I'd also like to enjoy my garden without worrying about
running into one. Thanx
Paula Bannerman - pbannerman@odyssey.on.ca
"Embrace wonder for one moment without the need
to consider how that wonder came to be, without the
need to justify if it be real or not." Charles DeLint
Temenos - http://www.odyssey.on.ca/~pbannerman
Thank you so much for the images that I'm going to have rolling through my
brain for the rest of the day :) I HATE snakes, I don't care how good they
are for the garden, I hate them. I watched "I Know What You Did Last
Summer" with my kids on Fri night, and I must say that this post scared me
more. It seems that those of us that are deathly afraid of them see them
more than everyone else. I guess it's because we're always looking for
them. My garden is all sand and I rarely see them. I'm guessing that they
don't like building, tunneling in sand. If I'm wrong I don't want to know
about it.
Sue in the Bay, keeping a watchful eye on the ground.
Cheerios from Ottawa :-)
Sue Blyth
Home of ** Sue's Gardenlink **
http://www.synapse.net/~ew1/home.htm
Kay,
I am surprised that _you_ of all people are afraid
of _garter_ snakes. You do know they won't hurt
you, don't you?
My husband and I have found them before in our
yard and we are always pleased to see them!
Katie :)
(from a soon-to-be-soggy Philly)
__
> I am surprised that _you_ of all people are afraid
> of _garter_ snakes. You do know they won't hurt
> you, don't you?
Of course garter snakes won't really hurt you, though they can and do
bite, and the pinch hurts a bit, but a long-ago childhood trauma, coupled
with doing fieldwork in areas with lots of rattlesnakes and cottonmouths
have taught me the startle reaction. It's always startle first, identify
the snake and start to relax a few seconds later for me.
It's not so much fear as respect for any potentially venomous animal. And
frankly, I'm as happy with them someplace else, so I give them some
warning so they can temporarily disappear. I don't bother in the garden,
but I do a bit of stomping in the field. That way, I don't startle the
snakes and the snakes don't startle me. Please remember I've spent a
goodly amount of time working rocky ledges for spring-blooming plants,
and that I sometimes have to put my hands into areas I cannot see in
order to climb to the plants. Nose to nose with a timber rattler is,
uh, exciting. ;-)
Kay Lancaster kay@fern.com
just west of Portland, OR; USDA zone 8 (polarfleece)
What nice memories to have! 8-)
Kay Lancaster kay@fern.com
just west of Portland, OR; USDA zone 8 (polarfleece)
I, too, have that startle reaction even though I KNOW they are good and I
want them...the scary thing to me is that copperheads do NOT hide, they
stand their ground, so I am now more vigilant than ever about wathcing
where I walk and reach....
Debbie in Williamsburg, VA where there is a copperhead I've seen already
this year and decided to heed the wildlife biologists and not kill
it....gulp!
I've had a lot of garter snakes in my yard for the past few
years. I think they set up housekeeping under my front steps
and in a crawl space behind it. They did a good job of
eating the earwigs that moved in my garden earlier, then
they started eating the worms I think. Maybe they leave
when they run out of food. I'm not terrified of them but
they do startle me. My neighbor is completely phobic about
snakes and just had a fit everytime he saw one. In fact he
was p---d off that I didn't want to kill them all off. The
funny thing is- he was always the one to see them. They
always got out of my way. I've seen ads in a couple of
different garden supply catalogs for a snake repellent. It
noted that you would have to be careful where you applied it
or it would keep the snakes in your yard! I don't have any
idea how effective it is though.
I treasure my garter snakes -especially the one big one in the garden - it
hides in the barberry and eats all the little chipmunks that want to eat my
bulbs --thanks to the snakes and the cat I have no tulip buds eaten and no
bulbs either - the Salukis take care of the ground hogs and scare away the
deer so I'm set except for thinking about chickens or ducks for the slugs --
which I can't talk the salukis into yet.
Marie
Kay wrote:
This discussion brings back yet more memories of my childhood and my
grandmother. Whenever she led us afield on our explorations of nature,
she carried a big walking stick that she swished back and forth through
the vegetation to "scare the snakes away." I always felt protected from
harm following her and her big stick. We even have home movies of my
brother and me traipsing after her--her wearing her white baboushka and
apron, my brother in his overalls with his own stick and me in my pink
and white fringed cowboy jacket, riding my imaginary white horse, my
"hoofs" stomping the hollow ground helping scare the snakes too.
This is the lady who taught me Gardening, and if she were still alive,
would have turned 100 last Monday.
Lee Ann
In the past week I have found 3... 3 black racers in my yard. All were dead.
Their heads crushed. Now I am trying to figure our just what is doing this.
We have a number of neighborhood cats (not mine) and we own a black lab. We
have never seen the dog attack a snake, but nor have we seen any when he is
outside with us. How can I save my snakes? We have a rather large brush pile
in the yard that did have mice for a while, now the snakes live in there (I
would rather have snakes).
Any suggestions how to save them?
Anne in FL
Are there any human-type animals straying into your yard? That was my
first pessimistic thought.
Lee Ann
Anne wrote:
Helmets?
Bob Blakely
rblakely@infoave.net
Bob Blakely
Type 1.5 DX Jan. 1980
rblakely@infoave.net
------ =_NextPart_000_01BD694A.8217DBE0
Are you sure your dog isn't getting to them? Our ridgeback mix kills =
mice in that fashion; jumps on them with his front paws. All we find =
are their >flat< carcasses. Or is it possible another dog is getting in =
your yard? This is a real puzzler!
Cheers,
Julie
Are there any human-type animals straying into your yard? That was my
first pessimistic thought.
Lee Ann
Anne wrote:
> In the past week I have found 3... 3 black racers in my yard. All =
were dead.
> Their heads crushed. Now I am trying to figure our just what is doing =
this.
> We have a number of neighborhood cats (not mine) and we own a black =
lab. We
> have never seen the dog attack a snake, but nor have we seen any when =
he is
> outside with us. How can I save my snakes? We have a rather large =
brush pile
> in the yard that did have mice for a while, now the snakes live in =
there (I
> would rather have snakes).
> Any suggestions how to save them?
> Anne in FL
------ =_NextPart_000_01BD694A.8217DBE0
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My cats have brought garter snakes into the house, but they have never
crushed their heads. Usually just let them loose. Ugh. Jane
Lee Anne,
This is a slight possiblility. We have 3 gates two that open on either side
of the house and one that opens onto the 8 acres of community property behind
us. All are locked most of the time. The back gate has broken and is propped
shut, but this does not mean that someone tall could not reach over and get
in. I am more inclined to think that it is an animal doing the deed, as they
have free access and the Lab has not gone nuts like he does when there are
people around.
Anne in FL
In a message dated 98-04-16 14:57:20 EDT, you write:
<< Are there any human-type animals straying into your yard? That was my
first pessimistic thought.
Lee Ann
Anne wrote:
> In the past week I have found 3... 3 black racers in my yard. All were
dead.
> Their heads crushed. Now I am trying to figure our just what is doing
this. >>
In a message dated 98-04-16 16:24:02 EDT, you write:
<< >In the past week I have found 3... 3 black racers in my yard. All were
dead.
> Their heads crushed. (snip)
> Any suggestions how to save them?
> Anne in FL
Helmets? >>
Thanks Bob. I will get out the Army men my son no longer plays with, start
stripping them of their helmets, and start strapping them on the snakes.
8^)
Anne
In a message dated 98-04-16 16:28:11 EDT, you write:
<< Are you sure your dog isn't getting to them? Our ridgeback mix kills mice
in that fashion; jumps on them with his front paws. All we find are their
> flat< carcasses. Or is it possible another dog is getting in your yard?
This is a real puzzler! >>
The dog is a real possibility. I am beginning to suspect him
Thanks,
Anne
Even with a gated yard, that may not rule out the possibility that someone
is killing them off of your property and throwing them over the fence.
It just seems unusual for an animal to just selectively smash the head
to kill it, and then to leave it without chomping a bit.
Lee Ann
In a message dated 98-04-17 10:02:01 EDT, you write:
<< Even with a gated yard, that may not rule out the possibility that someone
is killing them off of your property and throwing them over the fence.
It just seems unusual for an animal to just selectively smash the head
to kill it, and then to leave it without chomping a bit. >>
Hmmm... Lee Anne,
Now you have given me pause to think. The snakes have been found in different
parts of the yard. One at the back gate, easy access there. One along side
the swing set, not so easy unless from the neighbors yard. Another by the
side yard, near another gate, and the last in the middle of the yard. The
last one would have taken one h... of a toss, but would not be impossible.
If it is from outside then my snakes are safe. 8^)
I do have to say that Max, our dog, is very gentle he caught and carried
around a cardinal last month. There was no physical damage that we could
find, but the poor thing did not make it through the night. The vet down the
street said that there appeared to be no broken bones or noticable trauma. He
suggested it was scared to death, or that it was ill, as he has never gotten
close to any other bird.
Max is definitely a great retriever. He started bringing the pots of plants
that I had moved outside back into the house, one at a time. There was no
small amount of mess. No sock will ever stay in the hamper... did you know
they belong in the living room?
Anne in FL
Many thanks to everyone who had ideas for keeping garter snakes at bay.
My friend Dale stomps around that area and now keeps it wet as well, so
hopefully snakes will stop upsetting her.
Again, thanks
Ginny in still dry Victoria - land of tourists.
Thanks for the replies to my ginger question. All theses garter snake
stories are wonderful! I grewup in a big city. When we rented a small
house in southern Maine several years ago (My neighbors there were the ones
that got me hooked on gardening), I used to freak out when I accidentally
brought in insects hiding among the clothes-line dried sheets. I learned
quickly to shake my clothes real well before I brought them indoors.
Alice
