critters and woodland gardening

[Addison & Richardson]

The beginning of this inquiry started with the disappearance of Arum
italicum berries.  In Rand's response to my description of the devastating
summer here and the fact that I was sprinkling blood meal around things to
protect them he said :

>Unless it is dug in in the fall, blood meal is a fine attractant to
>raccoons, dogs and cats, in this area, through my personal experience.

what are other people's experiences?   I never use bone meal because
everyone loves it so much, but so far blood meal has seemed to act as a
deterrent.  What has struck my partner, Dorothy, and me as we make our
woodland garden...creating a path, doing plantings, is that we had no idea
that THEY would come behind us and dig up things.
I know this is not about arisaemas per se, but we have planted them and
other woodland natives, in collections, close to the path, and then had to
deal with critter damage.

What do others do as they garden in the actual woods?

Lois Addison
bedrock.gardeners at sympatico.ca
Dunrobin, Ontario