Rue, coffee grounds in the garden may deter cats

Q: There are several cats in my neighbor-hood that like to use my garden as their litter box. Any suggestions on how to deter them? I don’t want to hurt them, just make them go away. — H.A., Albuquerque

A: I have this charming older book that I got from my mother’s library when she passed that has lots of folkloreish type of hints on how to get things done in the garden. To dissuade cats from using your garden as their litter box it suggests a couple of different things you could try.

First, it’s thought that cats don’t like coffee. So if you’re like me and brew your own coffee, sprinkle the grounds liberally throughout the garden. Then try putting out orange, lime or lemon peels throughout the garden. That pungent citric scent is disliked for sure. As the peels decompose, you can turn them under and they’ll become food for the earth.

Then I learned that cats are repelled by a herb called rue — Ruta graveolens. Some know it by the old-timey name “Herb of Grace.” Growing rue plants might be the ticket except one thing, my “Western Garden Book” suggests they prefer an acid-based soil. Our soils here being so usually alkaline, adding some lime to the soil would make the rue happier. It’s suggested that sprinkling dried rue leaves through the garden will help deter them.

Know that rue is a perennial and a very nifty looking plant. It looks rather fern-like and is very aromatic, having a cool blue-green color to its leaves. Its tiny flowers are a funky greenish-yellow color and then the seed pods are a brownish color, offering color interest all throughout the seasons in the garden. It’s recommended planting rue more towards the back of your gardens, as it can grow upwards to 3 feet tall. Cats are supposed to be repelled by marigolds also.

So there are a couple of thoughts aiming to help convince the cats to find someplace else to do their business. Hope it helps!

Q: I am bound and determined to force some spring blooming bulbs this year. I know you’re a big fan of the process and I am wondering when I need to start so I can give out pots of forced bulbs for Thanksgiving this year. — C.W., Albuquerque

A: Wow! Time to think about spring blooming bulbs already?

I have to gather my thoughts about forcing, which if you don’t know, is the process of getting a bulb to bloom at a time when it usually wouldn’t. I can and gladly will start to discuss the process soon.

But for now, I will suggest that you get yourself to a garden center or nursery and shop for your treasures. The sooner you do, the better your choices are going to be. When you get the gems home, and if they are packaged in plastic, decant them into a paper bag, making sure that you’ve stapled the variety information from the original package to the bag.

Then offer them their own drawer in the refrigerator, one of the vegetable crisper drawers works great, and be a smidgen patient with me. I will suggest that while you are bulb shopping you concentrate on bulbs that grow to a mature height of 8 to 12 inches, the original packaging will list mature height to help you choose. Taller than that 8 to 12 inches, you might have clusters of leaning plants and that’s a bummer. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths and even crocus work great to force.

So go shopping, have a ball and get your treasures in the fridge to get them chilled. Remember to keep any apples you might store in the fridge away from the bulbs. No drawer sharing, OK?

Happy Diggin’ In!

Tracey Fitzgibbon is a certified nurseryman. Send garden-related questions to Digging In, Albuquerque Journal, 7777 Jefferson St. NE, Albuquerque, N.M. 87109, or to features@abqjournal.com.