Hi, Pat, Most pollinators, including bees, are drawn or lured to flowers, and most plants that produce flowers do so in some amount of sunlight, whether full or partial or the like. It sounds like you need to prune or trim your oak trees to let in some sunlight.
As for the gophers, we have a few ideas:
• If deer and gophers are a problem in your garden, confuse them with lavender. Grow plants among the roses to muddy the flowers’ aroma, which attracts deer. When planting rose bushes, throw a handful of dried, crushed lavender into the planting hole to thwart gophers.
• You can place natural deterrents around your property to repel gophers. Plants with strong smells such as sage, daffodils, iris, thyme, and geranium will repel them, for example, as will placing fish oil, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, or tabasco sauce on the ground near gopher tunnels. Remember, though, you need sunlight for those plants to thrive.
• You can also install underground fencing: To protect existing plantings, bury hardware cloth or ½- to ¾-inch mesh wire at least 2 feet deep with an additional 6 inches of mesh or wire bent at a 90-degree angle away from the planting. This will help keep gophers from digging around the fencing boundary. Also, extend the fencing at least 1 foot aboveground to deter gophers moving overland. Use galvanized or stainless steel wire to extend the life of the fencing.
• And you can trap or bait.
Start by bringing in some sun, and keep this in mind: If your property borders wildlands, vacant lots, or other areas that serve as a source of gophers, you can expect gophers to reinvade regularly.
Hi, Pat, Most pollinators, including bees, are drawn or lured to flowers, and most plants that produce flowers do so in some amount of sunlight, whether full or partial or the like. It sounds like you need to prune or trim your oak trees to let in some sunlight.
As for the gophers, we have a few ideas:
• If deer and gophers are a problem in your garden, confuse them with lavender. Grow plants among the roses to muddy the flowers’ aroma, which attracts deer. When planting rose bushes, throw a handful of dried, crushed lavender into the planting hole to thwart gophers.
• You can place natural deterrents around your property to repel gophers. Plants with strong smells such as sage, daffodils, iris, thyme, and geranium will repel them, for example, as will placing fish oil, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, or tabasco sauce on the ground near gopher tunnels. Remember, though, you need sunlight for those plants to thrive.
• You can also install underground fencing: To protect existing plantings, bury hardware cloth or ½- to ¾-inch mesh wire at least 2 feet deep with an additional 6 inches of mesh or wire bent at a 90-degree angle away from the planting. This will help keep gophers from digging around the fencing boundary. Also, extend the fencing at least 1 foot aboveground to deter gophers moving overland. Use galvanized or stainless steel wire to extend the life of the fencing.
• And you can trap or bait.
Start by bringing in some sun, and keep this in mind: If your property borders wildlands, vacant lots, or other areas that serve as a source of gophers, you can expect gophers to reinvade regularly.
We wish we had better news, too.