I’ve always said I didn’t want any fences on this property. I wanted to encourage wildlife, not discourage it. After all, they were here first and and the bonus was the photo ops! Well, after a few years of dealing with uprooted plants, new growth being chomped off and buds disappearing before they had a chance to bloom, I’ve decided that about 250 square feet will be off limits to Javelina. This is the area that has such great soil so I’ve been putting flowering cactus there. I can’t blame the Javelina for not being able to resist these plants! Most are not native to our area so they can’t control themselves when they get a whiff of the aroma of this juicy stuff. It’s like us trying to pass by an open door-ed bakery without stopping 🙂

There’s nothing like doing a job yourself to gain new respect for people who do it for a living. For instance, I couldn’t just unroll the fence and attach it. I wish! Because of the elevation changes, I had to cut sections and attached each to the posts so it took me two days to finish. The fence isn’t very attractive but the shrubs will grow making it well disguised. In the meantime, I’ll add some big boulders at some of the more open areas because the fact is that unless it’s a concrete wall, the most I can hope for is that the fence and boulders will discourage the Javelina. If they’re really hungry, my little fence won’t stop them 🙂

I’m looking forward to planting a Queen of the Night and several other cuttings that now might have a chance to grow. Time will tell!