Oh Deer
Deer are browsers. They eat the twigs and leaves of woody plants, including evergreens like arborvitae. This is a problem.
One of my friends long ago planted dozens of arborvitae along both sides of her driveway. When I first saw them, they were tall and full, a beautiful green corridor. But the record snows of this past winter forced the deer to roam far and wide for browse. By the end of the winter, Sue’s arborvitae were bare from the ground up to seven feet.
The eternal question is, are there deer-resistant plants? Charlie asked me that question this week. He needs to screen a patio with tall shrubs. If we lived in Connecticut I’d say mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). It’s poisonous. Even the honey is poisonous. Deer leave it alone, mostly, though when they’re starving they will nibble a leaf or two.
However, this is Des Moines, where we all share our gardens unwillingly with thousands of deer. So I told Charlie to plant red cedars (Juniperus virginiana), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), and arrowwood viburnum (V. dentatum) which has bold leaves, white flowers and blue berries. The red cedar is safe, the two shrubs not completely. Such is life with city deer.
For more, there’s a good list of “deer-resistant” (note: not “deer-proof”) at the website of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve.
- Categories // : Garden Stories, August 2010
Comments (1)
I have had deer in my NH garden in years past. Now all I seem to have is a woodchuck. For the deer I used garlic based sprays that usually worked.