Before summer starts officially, Larry and the squirrels want to give you some advice about what to plant in your gardens, although we humans are wondering if squirrels and gardens go together. We’ll see …
Also, the humans at Squirrels at the Door want to provide a countdown to exciting publishing news happening soon.
Enjoy,
Larry the Squirrel, the other squirrels, and the humans at Squirrels at the Door Publishing
Do you hear that chattering? The squirrels insist that I tell you, dear reader, their tips for your garden.
First, they want me to tell you what NOT TO PLANT.
NOT TO PLANT: The stinkiest flower
They say it is a corpse flower, otherwise known by its simple name, Amorphophallus titanum. It smells like rotting flesh to attract carrion bugs and flies. The squirrels are pinching their noses, which must hurt with their claws. This video shows human reactions to the flower, with lots of pinched noses too:
Also, here’s an article about Amazon’s corpse flower that bloomed on June 5 of this year:
The corpse flower only blooms every eight to ten years, so if you do plant it, you could plan to be away at college or on a trip when it blooms.
Hey, learning about the corpse flower was fun. Let’s see what other exotic plants the squirrels don’t want you to plant. They are chattering more tips in my ear.
NOT TO PLANT: Crocus
A crocus? The squirrels still have their noses pinched but now they’re screeching as if in alarm. But crocuses smell lovely. Don’t you agree, reader? Oh, the squirrels are back to chattering at me, although they’re difficult to understand with their noses pinched, but I think it’s more NOT TO PLANT tips
NOT TO PLANT: Geraniums, hyacinths, daffodils, and lilies
That doesn’t seem right. How could they not want you to plant those pretty flowers. Just a sec, reader, while I check. “Larry! What’s going on?”
I’m back. Larry says that it is very simple and there was no need for me to raise my voice. The squirrels don’t like the smell (Pew!) or the taste (Blech!) of those flowers. So, if you plant them, they’ll stay away from your garden. Oh … Hmmm … I’m rubbing my chin and wondering if you are going to follow their advice.
Oh, they are tearing at my sleeve. “What NOW?” Excuse me. I shouldn’t have yelled but their chattering can get quite loud.
They want me to tell you want TO PLANT. That is much more positive for our blog. I like writing that. They’ve stopped pinching their noses and now they’re rubbing their claws together.
TO PLANT: Strawberries, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, and cabbage
Oh, dear! I fear the squirrels are up to nefarious eating. They are clawing me now. Guys! What?
They’ve decided you shouldn’t plant those but these.
TO PLANT: Mast-producing trees
That sounds messy. Let me look that up in the Wikipedia. Mast …
Oh, mast is another name for the nuts, seeds, buds, or fruits that grow on trees and shrubs. The squirrels’ chattering and nodding makes me think they thought I should have known that–a Duh moment for me.
And now their chucking sounds means they would most like you to plant an oak tree 
, or two , or three in your backyard. In fact, they say, forget the garden and just plant trees.
And they wouldn’t mind you hanging a few bird feeders from the trees. One of the squirrels demonstrates.
And load them with pretzels 
, and potato chips 
, and taco chips 
, and …
Oh, dear, I think this article turned a bit squirrel-ly. Enjoy whichever garden you plant: one that invites the squirrels in or keeps them out. For me, I’m planting the NOT TO PLANT seeds: lilies, daffodils, …
| Bibliography and image attributions |
In 30 DAYS, we’ll be back with:
- A new book
- A new cover for an existing book
- And a new look for Squirrels at the Door, including a makeover for Larry, if we can keep him still in the beauty chair
- New blog posts between two characters in the new book
Watch the news in action.
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