A limited menu of plants not in a deer’s diet
As early spring approaches, gardeners are thinking about their properties, and I’ve received questions about vehicular circulation, screening, controlling damage from deer and other topics.
Q: In your column discussing plants that you like, shall I assume that the only one of those not endangered by hungry deer is the arborvitae that you said has no serious pest problem? Deer invade my front and backyards at will.
A: Deer are pests that eat arborvitae, but green giant arborvitae is the only one that I’ve planted that has not been damaged by deer. They will taste it but apparently don’t like the flavor. If deer are a problem, don’t plant it unless you want to test the theory. Also, it may depend on the deer.
The plants listed in that article as most deer-resistant are conoy viburnum, switchgrass and green giant arborvitae. I have found that they will taste Virginia sweetspire but seldom do more than prune it lightly; however, the damage depends on how many deer show up for the tasting.
There are fewer and fewer plants guaranteed to be deer resistant. Perennials they don’t like are hellebore, rohdea, dicentra, heuchera, astilbe, black-eyed-Susans, peony, monkshood, achillea, and virtually all ferns and herbs with a strong flavor. Deer-resistant trees are beech, birch, black locust, most maples, oaks and honeylocusts. Spruce is the only conifer on the “will usually not eat” list. There are others you will discover, mostly perennials.
The trees deer don’t eat are still victims of rutting by bucks, which will cause the trunks to snap.
Q: We have a federal-style home, built in 1799, set well back from the road on three acres amid another 284 acres of fields that belong to another family. Our home sits on a rise. We’d like to improve the entrance from the main road, create more of an inner and an outer yard and bring the driveway, which now leads guests to the back door, around in a small circle to the front of the house and add some landscaping. Any suggestions?
A: Your three-acre parcel surrounded by pasture sounds idyllic and has wonderful possibilities for landscape design. The lane to the house could be lined with one or two varieties of native trees. Choices could be alternating hophornbeams (Ostryavirginiana) and red maples (Acerrubrum). Another possibility is an orchard of apples, peaches and pears at intervals along the entrance drive (unless deer are a nuisance). You might consider a lane that would meander onto the property with views of the house appearing along the approach. This depends on whether the lane was established in 1799 and your interest is to keep historic accuracy or the line can be changed to follow the contour of the land, taking advantage of the house’s location on a rise. Plant groupings along the way, screening and exposing views until you finally see the house and the entrance gardens, which could consist of boxwood, perennials or sweet alyssum edged with perennials and walkways between them. Behind the formal edged beds plant a taller mixed perennial and shrub border.
Q: What yucca species (not false yucca or yuca) will survive in our area, including our occasional long bouts of rain and moisture?
A: Adam’s-needle yucca (Yucca filamentosa) grows in USDA Hardiness Zones 4 to 9 and is native to the eastern part of the country. It performs well in almost any kind of soil but requires a well-drained site. Yucca roots will not do well in wet or soggy conditions. The trickiest part of designing it in your yard is coordinating it with the other ornamental plants on your property. Plant this member of the agave family to stand as a sculptural element in the garden.
Q: Have you ever done therapeutic gardening/landscaping for the disabled?
A: When I was a college student, I studied some horticultural therapy, which probably relates closely in many areas to the therapeutic gardening and landscaping for the disabled to which you refer. It is a gardening and landscaping discipline that can build a tremendous amount of self-esteem among the mentally and physically challenged. I structured an independent study course in the early 1980s titled “Fitness Through Horticulture” using the premise that there are benefits to be derived from gardening by all populations who practice it by encouraging flexibility and balance, producing our own food, gaining strength, burning calories and increasing quality of life. You can get more information on the subject through the American Horticultural Therapy Association at www.ahta.org.
Q: I have a very thin group of established deciduous trees that serve as my only screen between my house and an adjacent house. We have two-acre zoning, so the houses are not directly next to each other, but they are close enough that more privacy is desired. I would like to augment the existing trees with landscaping within the narrow strip without damaging the existing trees.
A: You have a number of options for screening between properties. Since you already have the deciduous trees, design a mix of conifers. It seems to me that a two-acre lot would have enough space between homes to plant several columnar or pyramidal evergreens mixed with the deciduous trees. Two that come to mind are Yoshino cryptomeria (C. japonica ‘Yoshino’) and green giant arborvitae. If your screening trees get at least six to seven hours of sun, you might be able to fit spruce trees with a narrow growth habit along the border. Serbian or Oriental spruce will grow into good screens. Before planting, ascertain mature size of the evergreens and space them far enough apart to allow room for them to grow together. Stagger them to give a natural appearance and place then strategically to offer screening where it’s needed.