Fenced, and the 'Scaredy Cat' Plant

I miss my Koi.  No, they're fine!  They're just under a net, where I can't see them as well.  They're under a net, safe and protected, because this evil nasty killer monster has been lurking around the pond for weeks now, waiting to slaughter my darling Koi by stabbing them in the brain, even though they are too big for a Great White Egret to swallow:



The blueberries are under a net and fenced, because the mockingbirds and towhees love blueberries just as much as I do.  But due to the miracle of the opposable thumb, those berries will be all mine!


The green beans are under a fence in a raised bed because local cats think raised vegetable beds make great toilets.  I don't.


And although I have a wall around the area, and gates that are always kept closed, and wire fencing on the bottom of the gates,  rabbits somehow still manage to get in for the sole purpose of eating my tiny baby roses, so those little babies have their own personal fence: 



I was part of a garden club hosting a local tour this week, and worked the little plant sale we had.  One of the plants they had was Plectranthus caninus, commonly sold as Coleus caninus.  The old common name is Dogbane.  Someone has come up with the marketing name of 'Scaredy Cat'.  The plant is purported to scare away rabbits, cats, and so forth due to its skunkish odor.  Uh-huh.  We sold them all.  One person did ask me if a smelly plant would really work as a reliable pest repellant.  I rolled my eyes, and she nodded and put the plant back on the shelf.  Obviously, an experienced gardener.  My own experience with rabbits is that nothing will scare them off if they're hungry enough.  A smelly plant isn't going to work.  Ditto with coyote urine, blood meal, vibrating do-hickys, and so on.  I put my trust in fences.  And besides, that Plectranthus was ugly.

Since those fences and nets are not exactly attractive either, a beauty shot to end the post and nourish the eyes and soul:

Rosa 'Lunar Mist':