| Deer-Resistant Landsaping |
From "Ask DIY"
episode ADI-603 |
|
|
|
advertisement
|
Q: I spend a lot of time, energy and money on my garden only to have deer make a meal of it. Are there any plants they don't eat? A: (DIY Gardening expert, Walter Reeves) There's little more disappointing for a gardener than spend several hundred -- or several thousand -- dollars on landscaping, only to have the beautiful plants eaten down to the ground by wild deer. It's a difficult problem, but there are some things you can do. First, learn what you can about the culinary preferences of deer.
Here are some plants that deer are particularly likely to dine upon:
- Arborvitae (figure A) is an absolute favorite of deer. They love the tender foliage, and will eat it all the way back to the brown stems.
- Hydrangeas are another favorite. Deer seem to prefer to eat the blooms, but will also eat the green foliage down to about 6 inches from the ground.
- Autumn Joy sedum are apparently a delicacy in the deer world. Phlox is another favorite.
- Deer will eat the flowers off of day lilies (figure B) and, if they're hungry enough, will eat the foliage as well.
- Deer dearly love New Guinea impatiens and hosta (figure C).
Here are a few landscaping plants that deer will typically avoid: - Plants with stickers and needles in their foliage, like Colorado blue spruce (figure D) tend to escape deer appetites.
- Some ornamental grasses such as switch grass have evolved saw-toothed edges along their foliage that tends to deter deer and other grazing animals.
- Miscanthus also has a sticker-like texture that deer don't find appealing.
- Russian sage deters deer by means of the unpleasant smell of its blooms.
- Purple cone flower (figure E) has a prickly texture along its stem that probably provides an unpleasant sensation on deer's tongue. Deer may eat the foliage, but they won't eat the stem.
- Annuals that deer tend to avoid include dusty miller (figure F), salvia , yarrow and lamb's ear.
If the deer are eating your hostas, try substituting lungwort (figure G).
To be effective in keeping deer out of your garden, you may need to use a combination of methods including careful selection of landscaping plants, fencing and even smell-based repellents. To plant a deer-resistant garden, it's important to plant properly so that plants are healthy and will recover quickly if deer do graze on their leaves. Add a good bit of organic matter such as compost and top-soil to the soil when planting, and make sure there is good irrigation drainage to allow for healthy root-growth.
RESOURCES :
Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control
Rodale Press Inc. (Organic Gardening Magazine)
Emmaus, PA 18098
Phone: 610-967-5171
Fax: 800-813-6627
Email: customer_service@rodalepress.com
Bugs, Slugs & Other Thugs: Controlling Garden Pests Organically
Model: 0882666649
Author: Rhonda Massingham Hart
224 pages
(July 1991)
Storey Publishing
Website: www.storey.com
Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping
Model: 0618055908
Author: Rita Buchanan
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Website: www.hmco.com
Landscaping: Planning, Planting, Building (Better Homes and Gardens Step-by-Step Series)
Model: 0696025582
Meredith Books Corp.
Website: www.meredith.com
Landscaping: Principles and Practices
Model: 082736735X
Author: Jack E. Ingels
Delmar Learning
| 
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
