Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden by Rhonda Massingham Hart

Author:Rhonda Massingham Hart
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Technology & Engineering, Pest Control, Gardening, Techniques, General
ISBN: 9781603421881
Publisher: Storey Publishing
Published: 2005-04-15T06:00:00+00:00

Tricks of the Trade

When you design a garden to avoid deer damage, the most important considerations — the purpose of your garden and the overall look you desire — don’t change. But you can accomplish most goals in more than one way. Many of your favorite plants that deer greedily scarf down have relatively deerproof counterparts that can fulfill the same function. Do you long for spring-flowering bulbs? Then ditch the tulips and deploy daffodils. There are at least 60 varieties of daffodils in 13 divisions with a range of colors from pearly white to brilliant yellows and peaches, and an array of attractive flower forms. They grow in a variety of sizes with a range of bloom times to fill any garden gaps left by tulips. Look to alliums to provide a palette of blues, and many irises to color coordinate any deer-resistant garden design. Need a shady spot in the summer yard? Fig, birch, horse chestnut, and mature common lilac trees will fill the bill, not a deer’s stomach. Need a hedge for privacy? Forget about such deer delicacies as hemlock and yew and concentrate on boxwood or rugosa roses.

Once you compile a list of suitable substitutes, factor in any plants you really can’t live without. Careful design (and perhaps some of the training techniques listed in the next chapter) should allow you to enjoy deer-tempting favorites with little or no damage. The purpose of deer-o-scape design is to make it appear to the deer that you grow only fuzzy, stinky, yucky-tasting stuff and that they may as well seek supper elsewhere. Remember, being the creatures of habit that they are, once deer determine that your yard is absolutely tasteless, you’ll have less trouble with returning foragers.

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