Meet the plants that have proved to be deer-resistant in our gardens
A public service announcement prior to getting this episode started: There is no such thing as a deer-proof plant. If deer are hungry enough, they will even eat things that are supposedly toxic to them. But there are such things as deer-resistant plants.
So, on this recording of Let’s Argue About Plants, Danielle and Carol share some of the plants that have stood up to the herds that visit their backyards, and their colleague Diana Koehm offers some additional suggestions of plants that deer tend to ignore in her neck of the woods.
Episode Expert: Diana Koehm is the content editor for Fine Gardening magazine.
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Danielle’s Deer-Resistant Picks
- ‘Woodland Elf’ epimedium (Epimedium ‘Woodland Elf’, Zones 4b-9)
- ‘Limeglow’ creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Limeglow’, Zones 3-9)
- ‘Rosemoor’ geranium (Geranium × magnificum ‘Rosemoor’, Zones 5-8)
- Dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii, Zones 5-8)
Carol’s Deer-Resistant Picks
- ‘Summer Beauty’ allium (Allium tanguticum ‘Summer Beauty’, Zones 4-9)
- Smooth ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata, Zones 4-9)
- ‘Champagne Bubbles Mix’ Icelandic poppy (Oreomecon nudicaulis syn. Papaver nudicaule, Zones 2-7)
- Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana, Zones 2-9)
Expert Diana Koehm’s Deer-Resistant Picks
- ‘Satyr Hill’ American holly (Ilex opaca ‘Satyr Hill’, Zones 5-8)
- ‘Hadspen Cream’ brunnera (Brunnera macrophylla ‘Hadspen Cream’, Zones 3-7)
- PowWow® Wild Berry coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Pas702917’, Zones 3-8)
Photos courtesy of the contributors unless otherwise noted.
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