THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Fake owls, rubber snakes, water cannons, hot pepper sauce, bars of soap, wolf urine — it seems there are as many “solutions” to keeping unwanted critters out of your garden as there are unwanted critters.

Your mother had a solution, your gardener has a solution, Martha Stewart has a solution, the mailman has an answer, and probably the waitress at the diner and the cashier at the grocery store have one too. I think I even heard Hillary and Obama debating the issue recently.

Truth is, if there were a surefire way to keep our four-legged friends out of our gardens, everyone by now would be using it. There wouldn’t be such conflicting answers to such an annoying problem; but there is. Let’s just say there is little agreement about what works.

Basically, a gardeners war with rabbits, skunks, raccoons, feral cats, opossums, deer and even crows and other birds boils down to two main approaches: repellents and scare tactics.

You could fill books discussing the effectiveness of various homemade and commercial repellents designed to keep these animals at bay. What works terrific this month, may not work at all next month. What works for the neighbor across the street has almost no effect in your own garden. What works on rabbits doesn’t work on skunks, and vice versa. The discussion of animal repellents is fraught with drama, anecdotes and a lot of plain-old drivel.

Instead, let’s look at some current products on the market intended specifically for scaring these creatures away from your garden. What really works?

Of course, the first and most traditional form of a scare tactic is the beloved scarecrow. Today, most people know that their scaring abilities are rather limited. We all see plastic owls sitting in gardens and on roof tops, often with bird droppings scattered about them. They work about as well as scarecrows. Ditto for rubber snakes, coyote cutouts and photos of Dick Cheney in his hunting gear.

The problem seems to be that many animals quickly figure out that because these scarecrows aren’t actually doing anything, such as attacking them, the area must be safe. In short, they get used to pretty much whatever silent, stationary object you put out. Therefore, the most effective creature-scaring methods are the ones that involve moving objects and even sound.

Terror Eyes Balloon — This is a large orange vinyl balloon available from many mail order sources with a frightening face. The large holographic eyes actually move, much like those of an owl or hawk watching its prey. The entire balloon also moves constantly in the wind and usually works quite well in deterring small creatures, even at night. NASA even uses these to keep wild birds away from the space-shuttle launch areas.

Foil Tape and Other Shiny Objects — Another good option is iridescent foil tape strips. Basically, it is the flashing that scares the animals and birds. Old compact discs tied to a string and suspended from a tree, or foil pie pans mounted on sticks, work similarly. Movement is the key. The foil tape also makes a rattling sound in a breeze, which further frightens creatures.

Motion Detected Water Blasters — These devices are more elaborate, but one of the best animal repellents. The Scarecrow Motion-Activated Sprinkler releases a harmless, three-second pulsating spray of water anytime an animal comes within its large 1,000-square-foot zone. The combination of sudden noise, movement and water frightens animals away. For just more than $100, these really work, are environmentally safe and do no harm to animals.

Laser Blasters — If you’ve got $1,300 to burn, laser beam repellers are the newest technology.

When activated by motion, the laser light flashes and scans in differing patterns to scare and disorient critters. Outdoors, these work best in small, contained gardens with lots of walls or high bordering plants for the beams to strike.

To sum up: Movement is the key. Harmlessly startling the unwanted visitors is your goal. No matter what device you use, you will need to relocate it periodically to keep the intruders on their toes ... and off your property.

ASK RON

Question: Are there any native lilies that I can grow in my garden?

Ana

Costa Mesa

Answer: The Leopard Lily (Lilium pardalinum) is one of several lilies native to California, including here in Orange County. The beautiful nodding flowers are orange with irregular spots; what many gardeners call a “Tiger Lily.” It naturally grows in moist streamside situations where the bulb is somewhat dry, but the roots stay moist. It grows fairly easily in a garden or in a pot in light shade.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the Nursery Manager at Roger’s Gardens, Corona del Mar