Episode 155: Deer Resistant Favorites
Listen now
Description
One of the worst sights you can ever see in the garden is a plant that has been browsed by deer. (Sidenote: we don't love the gentle word “browsed” in this instance. A more appropriate term might be “obliterated.”) If the munching is particularly bad, that perennial, tree, or shrub becomes unrecognizable. And in many cases, this can mean instant death to your prized specimen. With deer pressure increasing from coast-to-coast, we decided it’s time to highlight some of our favorite deer-resistant plants. Yes, we’re from deer-ridden New England, but rest assured that we’ve included plants in this episode that will thrive from Texas to Michigan, and everywhere in between. Guest: Karen Chapman is a landscape designer in Duvall, Washington, and the author of Deer-Resistant Design: Fence Free Gardens that Thrive Despite the Deer.   Danielle's Plants 'Childhood Sweetheart' hellebore (Helleborus 'Childhood Sweetheart', Zones 4-9) Winter daphne (Daphne odora, Zones 7-9) 'Bonfire' euphorbia (Euphorbia polychroma 'Bonfire', Zones 5-9) Sunshine Blue® blue mist shrub (Caryopteris incana 'Jason', 5-9)   Carol's Plants Hiba arborvitae (Thujopsis dolobrata 'Variegata’, Zones 5-8) ‘Victoria Blue’ mealycup sage (Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue', Zones 8-10) Eastern sweetshrub, syn. Carolina allspice (Calycanthus floridus, Zones 4-9) ‘Gerald Darby’ iris (Iris × robusta 'Gerald Darby', Zones 4-9)   Expert’s Plants Magical® Fantasy weigela (Weigela florida 'Kolsunn', Zones 4-8) Threadleaf bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii, Zones 5-8) 'Whirling Butterflies' gaura (Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies', Zones 5-9) 'Goldsturm' black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm', Zones 3-9)
More Episodes
One deer can do major landscape damage overnight, and if a herd regularly visits your garden you may feel like giving up. Although almost no plant is completely safe if the herbivores are hungry enough, gardeners facing extreme deer pressure aren’t powerless. Incorporating plants with “nasty”...
Published 11/22/24
Published 11/22/24
Ulrich Lorimer is the director of the Native Plant Tust in Framingham, MA, a conservation organization that manages Garden in the Woods. He has been a longtime advocate for cultivating native plants in both public and private gardens to help offset habitat loss. In this episode, he talks about...
Published 11/08/24