When you spend as much time in the yard as I do, it’s frustrating when your efforts are foiled by invaders.

Invader #1: Slugs. These guys target the hostas in my flower garden, and the basil in my herb garden. I’d heard the cup-of-beer trick, but since I didn’t have any skunky beer hanging around, I opted for my own brew with a recipe from The Art of Doing Stuff. I now keep a bottle of Slug Chug in the greenhouse and refresh the cups a couple times a week.

Invader #2: Lawn Fungus. Several lawns in the neighborhood have been affected. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but it turns the lawn a fairly vibrant shade of yellow. Just a few days after applying Scott’s DiseaseEx Lawn Fungicide at the curative rate, my strip of side yard seems to be going back to normal. At least it’s not bright yellow. Or spreading.

Invader #3: Rodents. I’m not sure which variety… moles or voles or chipmunks… but someone has been eating the bark off my wisteria tree. It has been completely girdled, which means certain death unless I can perform some surgical miracles. I’m attempting to learn how to graft a bridge that will allow nutrients to cross over the barkless area. I guess we’ll find out next spring if I’ve been successful.