ReportWire

Tag: Deerproofing

  • Deer-Resistant Evergreen Shrubs: 5 Favorites to Plant

    [ad_1]

    As if gardening weren’t challenging enough, sometimes deer take up residence in your garden and decide to host a dinner party. There is nothing worse than planting a bunch of pricey new plants, only to have them nibbled down to the ground. To help you avoid this costly occurrence and disappointment, I’m sharing a handful of my favorite deer-resistant shrubs that I have tested out over the years in various gardens.

    Word of caution: Every garden is different, every deer is different, and every season is different with varying degrees of available alternate food sources—so what may be unsavory to deer in one garden may be irresistible in another. Also, when plants are young, and the leaves and stems are tender, there is a higher chance that the plant will get snacked on; as the plant matures, it becomes less desirable. If this early munching happens, a deer-repellent spray can work if applied routinely and after any rain.

    1. Coleonema pulchrum

    Above: Photograph by Hans Hillewaert via Wikimedia.

    The plant is fondly called pink breath of heaven because crushing the needle-like leaves releases a pleasant scent. That same scent is what helps ward off deer. This low-maintenance shrub grows best in sunny spots and, depending on the variety, produces either dainty magenta, white, or pink flowers. ‘Sunset Gold’ offers bright golden foliage contrasting with pink flowers. It has moderate water needs and is hardy in USDA Zones 8-11.

    1. Westringia fruiticosa

    Above: Photograph by Marie Viljoen, from Under the Radar: A Five-Star Garden in Cape Town.

    These evergreen, easy-to-care-for shrubs come in various sizes, from low to tall, and make excellent informal or formal screens, low or high hedges, and ground covers. Because Westringia is in the mint family, the leaves aren’t appealing to deer. Most bloom profusely from late winter to early summer with petite flowers ranging in color from white to light lavender, putting them also in the bee- and small butterfly-friendly category. A sunny to mostly sunny spot and summer irrigation are appreciated. Hardy in USDA Zones 9-11.

    3. Leucadendron

    Above: Leucadendron ‘Safari Sunset’. Photograph by Jean-Michel Moullec via Flickr.

    Showing off vibrant color, some even in the winter, Leucadendrons are my go-to if I want structure, more visiting pollinators, year-round interest, and amazing sculptural cut flowers. Fast-growing, drought-tolerant, and low-maintenance, these shrubs can hover around three feet, though some tower to eight or more feet. Plant in a sunny spot for best growth and color. Pro tip: Avoid high phosphorous fertilizers as this can be extremely damaging. Hardy in USDA Zones 9-11.

    4. Grevillea

    Photograph by Lady Amberelle via Flickr.
    Above: Photograph by Lady Amberelle via Flickr.

    Looking for a fast-growing shrub that pumps out curious spidery flowers that deer leave alone? Grevillea is your gal. Coming in a wide range of heights and shapes and colors, there is a Grevillea for every sunny garden. Need a low ground cover? Try Grevillea lanigera. Need a tall informal screen? Go for Grevillea ‘Red Hooks’. Oh, and these low-maintenance shrubs are also true hummingbird magnets. When planting, make sure your soil has sharp drainage. Hardy in USDA Zones 9-11.

    5. Pieris japonica

    Photograph of Pieris japonica ‘Temple Bells’ is by James Gaither via Flickr.
    Above: Photograph of Pieris japonica ‘Temple Bells’ is by James Gaither via Flickr.

    This easy shrub not only offers year-round beauty and charming dangling flowers, but also the assurance that deer will leave it alone. Plant slow-growing Pieris in a shady to partly shady spot in a mixed border, woodland, or Asian-inspired garden; smaller varieties can be used in containers. Depending on the variety, it can grow anywhere from one foot tall to 12 feet tall, and two to eight feet wide. The flowers (coming in white, pink, and dark pink) are adored by bees and hummingbirds, and avoided by deer, who view them as toxic. Hardy in USDA Zones 5-8.

    See also:

    (Visited 130 times, 130 visits today)

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • How to Deer-proof Your Garden: Tips to Deter Deter from Eating Your Plants

    [ad_1]

    This is part of a series with Perfect Earth Project, a nonprofit dedicated to toxic-free, ecological gardening, on how you can be more sustainable in your landscapes at home.   

    For more than two decades, Nancy Lawson has been living in harmony with deer. Sure, they’re in her Maryland yard every single day. Yes, they come to eat, rest, and, occasionally, rut. But, no, they don’t destroy her garden. In fact, it’s thriving. “We made a commitment to creating habitat for all animals,” says the nature writer, naturalist, and founder of Humane Gardener. “We manage for resilience.” Her garden is thriving. 

    White-tailed deer populations have soared in this century. Since we wiped out nearly all their predators (grey wolves and mountain lions) and have taken over their natural habitat (developing 95 percent of the land in the US), they look for food and shelter anywhere they can find it, and that’s often in our gardens. As a result, their public image has gone from beloved Bambi to super villain—through no fault of their own.  

    But it doesn’t have to be that way. Lawson shares with us how we can all happily coexist with deer.  

    Photography by Nancy Lawson, unless otherwise noted. (Featured photograph above by @anoldent via Flickr.)

    Plant densely and employ “protector plants.”

    Lawson has combined tasty and less tasty plants along a pathway that deer traverse, including common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), late boneset (Eupatorium serotinum), and American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius).
    Above: Lawson has combined tasty and less tasty plants along a pathway that deer traverse, including common sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), late boneset (Eupatorium serotinum), and American burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius).

    Walk through a nature preserve or forest and you won’t find plants spread out like polkadots poking out of a sea of mulch. “We never put a plant out in the open by itself,” says Lawson. “It’s not how it grows in nature.” In the wild, plants grow in communities. They mingle. They intertwine. Having an array of varieties growing densely prevents any one plant from being decimated. “If there’s a big mixture that includes some less palatable plants, deer are much less likely to devour a given area,” says Lawson. “But if I have all the same species lined up for 10 feet, and it’s tasty, then that’s really easy for them to eat it all.” Think about planting as you would companion-planting in a vegetable garden, says Lawson, and mix it up. 

    [ad_2]

    Source link

  • Coastal Garden in the Hamptons: Hollander Design’s Tips for a Deer-Resistant Beachside Landscape

    [ad_1]

    It’s not every day that a client asks their landscape designer to come look at a barge they’re thinking of buying, but that was exactly the call the team at Hollander Design Landscape Architects received a few years back. The property in question was a house that had been built on a torpedo barge in the 1950s and docked on a harbor in the Hamptons ever since. The bulkhead was in need of a total rebuild—and the landscape would need restoration afterwards. Hollander Design was up for the challenge.

    The clients ended up buying the house, and after a marine construction contractor rebuilt the bulkhead, walks, and the docks, Hollander Design returned to conduct major revegetation efforts. The clients were looking for a low-maintenance landscape, as they wanted the home to be a retreat from their busy, working lives. They desired a beautiful landscape, but they didn’t want a garden that would compete with the breathtaking setting. The trick would be to create the illusion that the barge and bulkhead were knitted into the marsh around them.

    “Everything that’s around the house is very wet and boggy, but their property happens to be a high, dry spot because it’s up on that bulkhead,” explains landscape designer Melissa Reavis, the director of Hollander Design’s residential studio. “So we chose plants that were appropriate to that area but completely different from the immediate area that it sits in.” Think beach grass instead of the nearby rushes, plus, beach plums and northern bayberry that are found in nearby dunes.

    In addition to its unique barge setting, the property experiences intense deer pressure (a challenge that many gardeners can relate to). Furthermore, the site is exposed to sea salt and increasingly frequent storm surges. “We were left with a pretty limited palette,” says Reavis, but she focussed on what she calls “bulletproof plants for a coastal environment” to create a garden that is almost as magical as its setting. Here, her formula for getting it right.

    Photography by Neil Landino, courtesy of Hollander Design Landscape Architects.

    The soil comes first.

    Above: From overheard, you can see how the barge is tucked in behind the rebuilt bulkhead.

    After the bulkhead rebuild, Hollander Design needed to replace a lot of the soil, which Reavis explains had been backfilled with whatever was on hand back in the 1950s. The new soil is mostly clean-draining sand, so that nutrients won’t leach into the water. “Everything that was replanted in that area is planted almost into direct sand and we don’t add any additional nutrient loads to the soil, to ensure that we weren’t affecting water quality around it,” Reavis explains.

    Design for minimal maintenance.

    Above: Instead of a lawn, the main open area of the property is one over-sized perennial bed. The gravel path is used to bring kayaks and paddleboards down to the dock.
    Above: Instead of a lawn, the main open area of the property is one over-sized perennial bed. The gravel path is used to bring kayaks and paddleboards down to the dock.

    To fulfill the owners desire for a low-maintenance landscape, Reavis eschewed turf lawn and instead planted native and climate-adapted perennials. Hollander Design’s maintenance team does a hard cutback in May to keep the plants from outgrowing their homes, which also ensures a long bloom, but otherwise the maintenance is minimal—and free of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers.

    Mimic the nearby aesthetic.

    Above: The American beachgrass planted on the bulkhead mimics the look of the native rushes in the surrounding wetlands, so your eye sees an almost uninterrupted swath of textured green.
    Above: The American beachgrass planted on the bulkhead mimics the look of the native rushes in the surrounding wetlands, so your eye sees an almost uninterrupted swath of textured green.

    “You feel completely enveloped by the harbor here,” says Reavis. “The landscape’s job here is just to make it feel as knitted into this magical world as possible.” To complement the landscape, Reavis pulled in not only native plants, but also climate-adapted ones that feel like they’re in the same world as the natural landscape beyond. “They’re all flowing grasses and flowing perennials, and so nothing feels out of place with the more native natural habitat,” says Reavis.

    Mints for the win.

    Russian sage
    Above: Russian sage ‘Denim n Lace’ is reliably deer- and rabbit-resistant.

    [ad_2]

    Source link