While gardening can be a very rewarding hobby and lifelong learning experience, a garden can be a dangerous place. There are many dangers lurking in the garden including animals and hidden dangers.

Some animals seem harmless but if provoked they can lead to human harm. Being aware of these dangers and knowing how to remove or avoid these dangers provides some security.

Pests in the Animal World

Many animals just happen upon the gardens and either use it for a food source or they are predators searching for unsuspecting prey.

Snakes

Snakes help control a number of pests including but not limited to rabbits, moles and voles, caterpillars and some insects. But they can also pose a danger when they are mistreated and mishandled especially the venomous snakes.

Some snakes will immediately try to get away from any human encroachment. But a few will aggressively defend themselves and their territory.

There are snakes all around the world. They live in many environments including deserts. While the majority of snakes are smaller than six foot some can get very large such as the Anaconda in South America and the Reticulated Python in Africa.

Even the non-venomous snakes can pack a punch. Generally, reptiles such as the snake have bacteria build up in their mouths. When they bite a victim or enemy, the bacteria can get transferred to the bite area and can cause infections.

Snake Control

Most snakes avoid humans and will try to get away. Letting them get away is the best bet. Avoid snake contact. Most of the time, getting rid of snakes only invite trouble with their prey. Their prey end up being destructive pests such as rabbits, gophers and moles. But removal of these pests can deter snakes as well.

There are professional services that can safely remove any snakes and are usually labeled animal control services. Some specialize in just snakes especially in areas prone to snake habitats.

Mammals

Mammals There are many mammals that can visit the garden. Rabbits, deer even raccoons have been known to visit the garden for the occasional meal.

The most common mammals that visit the garden are deer, rabbits, raccoons, groundhogs, moles and voles, skunks and opossums.

Deer

Deer can eat vegetation such as lettuce and peas and other common garden plants. They can become a nuisance to these plants devastating an area in little time.

Usually deer are very wary of humans and loud noises. But if in rut season, or mating season, some deer have been known to attack humans.

Rabbits

Rabbits aren’t usually much danger to humans only to the garden. As with any wild animal, they can be dangerous and harmful if they are handled improperly, are sick as with rabies or if cornered or with offspring, they might fight fiercely.

Raccoons

Raccoons eat just about anything including those yummy plants from the garden. Raccoons generally come out at night and look for easy meals. They mostly dig in the garden looking for earthworms and grubs. But this digging in the garden can harm your garden plants.

They generally won’t come around if there is a lot of noise, but some raccoons have become so used to city noise and human activity that it hardly seems to bother them. They will become fierce if they are cornered or have offspring.

Groundhogs

Groundhogs love to eat the vegetation around the garden and will sometimes devastate a garden area as much as any animal could. They are generally timid creatures and very wary of human activity and noise. But again with any wild creature they can be fierce when fighting for their lives or the lives of their offspring.

Moles and Voles

Moles and voles work underground destroying roots and soil beneath the garden. A cousin to the mole is the shrew. There is a shrew in North American that is considered a poisonous animal. It has a bite that can make a human sick but it is not generally fatal.

Skunks

The skunk is recognizable by its smell. Like the raccoon, it digs in the garden for earthworms and grubs. It can be fierce when fighting. The spray can linger on the body for many days and it can temporarily blind anyone caught in the eyes.

Opossums

These seemingly timid creature can occasionally show up in the garden. They too can dig up the garden and while this can be great for other pests it can lead to plant damage.

The opossums have a mouth full of about 50 teeth and can be fierce when confronted.

Mammal Control

Some of these mammals while not inherently dangerous could become dangerous if bothered. Deterring these mammals is the best way to be rid of them. Putting a scarecrow in the garden or using pie pans tied up on a string set around the garden should provide enough deterrent for the most skittish of the mammals.

But sometimes traps and bait are necessary. Live traps are best to remove the creature safely and without harm to the natural environment.

Some areas have pest control groups that can come out and assess your garden area and needs. Then they can provide pest removal services.

While poisons are not recommended as some animals are protected by federal regulations, certain sprays and chemicals can be used to deter these unwanted menaces. Garlic sprays, pepper sprays and other smelly sprays help keep the distance between the pest and garden.

Katina Mooneyham is the contributing editor for Little Gardeners (http://www.gardenandhearth.com/LittleGardeners.htm) at Garden and Hearth.com. She has written various articles on gardening mostly about gardening with kids. She maintains a blog on gardening at http://littlegardeners.blogspot.com.

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Every Garden can benefit from the addition of container gardens. They add interst and variety, plus are easily moved around. If you live in an apartment or have a small area to work with this may be the only solution for you.

Your Container

Your container can be pretty much anything and is only limited to your imagination. Just make sure there is adequate drainage for your plants. I love old buckets, discarded kitchen pots and baskets for a rustic feel. For a formal garden choose a more traditional container.

Regardless of your choice of container, make sure it’s not to big or too small for your planting.

Your Soil

Do not use garden soil for your container plants. Garden soil is too heavy, dries out too quickly and will not provide the needed nutrients your container plants need. You can find good potting soil at your local garden center or you can mix your own.

To mix your own make sure you include soil, peat, sand and a slow release fertilizer.

Maintenance

You’ll need to pay close attention to your container grown plants — much more than plants in your garden beds. The soil will dry out more quickly so frequent watering it a must. You’ll also need to fertilize more often. Water in the morning or evening whenever the soil is almost dry and water thoroughly until water comes out the bottom drainage holes.

One thing I really love about container gardening is mobility. If a particular grouping doesn”t work you can simply move your pots and change your garden design.

Have fun, experiment and be creative!

J. Dow has been an avid gardener for the last 15 years. She faces the challenges of New Mexico’s high desert a 6800 feet.
Resource websites are http://www.bulbandseed.com and http://www.agardenwalk.com

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Whether you happen to be green thumbed or you simply want to start gardening it is essential that you are prepared for any little surprises that may occur. You may want to create a beautifully landscaped lawn, or you might even want to grow some vegetables, or you could just want to surround your home with beautiful flowers. But whatever the situation you must keep in mind the following tips when you start any gardening project.

Firstly consider do you suffer from any pollen allergies. If you are like so many people nowadays you probably suffer from some type of allergy. This may affect you every day and during every season, but with all sufferers things can be even worse during the spring and summer months. This is because there is pollen in the air and everything will be in bloom and you may find it difficult to spend large amounts of time outdoors. So before you start any new project in the garden it is important that you consider whether you have any allergies or not and if you have to what extent do they affect you. If you find them be from moderate to severe it may be well worth avoiding working out doors.

The next thing to consider is whether you have an allergy to bee stings. More and more people are discovering that they are allergic to bee stings and in some cases there are people who require medication to help counteract the affect of a bee sting. Some people who have been stung by a bee will have problems with breathing and swallowing and some may have extensive swelling of the area around where the sting occurs, whilst others may have other problems that can be associated with bee stings. If you do get stung by a bee ensure that you remove the sting by flicking it out and not pinching hold of it to remove it (by pinching it you are actually injecting form the sting venom in to the entry site). It is during the later months of autumn that bees can be particularly dangerous and they should be avoided at all costs. If you find that you are allergic or that this type of allergy is common in your family then speak to your doctor about the best medicine to counteract this allergy before commencing any project in the garden.

Now we will look at the sort of clothes you should wear whilst gardening. It is very important that you dress to suit the environment that you will be working in. At times this may mean you will need to wear trousers and a long sleeved top especially if you want to avoid being stung or bitten by some insect. If living in a warm climate (Spain, Italy etc) you want to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes as this could result in potential health problems at certain times of the year. You should also consider wearing a good quality pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands and you should always be mindful of what you are actually reaching for, this is especially true in grassy areas where you will find visibility is diminished. Do not forget to be careful when working in densely populated areas of weeds, shrubbery or just where the garden is overgrown such areas could easily hid snakes, spiders or any other potential aggressor.

Whenever possible you should try doing your gardening either early in the morning or late in the evening. During the afternoon hours you will find it is the hottest period of the day and this is when the sun is at its zenith and produces the most power, which can leave you open to getting heat exhaustion or any number of heat related illnesses. So by deciding to garden during the coolest parts of a day and making sure that you drink plenty of fluids you will find yourself better equipped to your project finished easily and hopefully without any delays.

As well as the issues considered above, when deciding whether or not to do a project in the garden will depend largely on what sort of project and the amount of knowledge and skill you have. If you are just doing the basics, such as planting flowers or vegetable seeds, then there really should not be any problems. However, if the project you wish to undertake consists of a large amount of landscaping work, say you want to install a pond or you have decided to completely redesign the garden then you may wish to consider hiring a professional landscape gardener who can arrange for the work to be carried out without any real inconvenience to you. Wouldn’t it be lovely to come home one day from a day at the office to find that garden you always wanted completed.

Allison Thompson a work from home now living in Spain and is a partner in a small real estate firm. After working in this field for a number of years she decided to set up a number of sites relating to property matters and this one is related to gardens and gardening. If you would like to know more than please visit http://www.gardening.householdfacts.info.

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