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No Deer Sign deer resistant gardeningYou Can Have a Beautiful Perennial Garden Even if You Have Deer!


Without a doubt one of the most common questions we get at Stargazer Perennials, the farm of Farm Fresh Living, is “What can I grow that the deer won’t eat?”. Unfortunately the answer to that is “Not very much!”.  When deer pressure is high they will browse just about anything. However, there are some effective gardening and design strategies and quite a wide variety of plants that we have proven to be “bulletproof” in a deer country garden. Remember, there are no “deer proof” plants. However, you can enjoy a highly deer resistant landscape using a combination of smart gardening practices and the right plants even in areas of very high deer pressure.

Strategy #1: Don’t grow the plants that you like; Grow the plants that deer don’t like!  This probably sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised at the number of gardeners who decide that they just have to have a certain plant and go shopping for it without doing their research. There is also the impulse buy: Go to the local big box store for groceries and come home with a carload of beautiful flowers. Both the “impulse” and the “must have” plants go into the ground and the next morning they are in the digestive tract of a deer. To sum it up: Stop buying pretty flowers, make a plan, and stick to it!

Strategy #2: Establish your plantings with deer resistant varieties: Don’t mix! To establish a newly planted border,Blooms of Bressingham Gardens plant with Tier 1 plants: Plants with proven deer resistance. Don’t mix in other non-resistant plants in the hopes that the resistant varieties will protect them. As deer browse the plants they like they’ll also browse nearby plants, and may develop a taste for ones that were previously resistant. As your gardens mature and the deer lose interest in the plantings then you can begin mixing in Tier 2 type plants: Those that are only minimally browsed, or ones that can sustain some browsing without affecting their garden performance.

Strategy #3: Protect new plantings, even those of proven deer resistant varieties. There is a “curiosity factor” with deer, which tend to sample everything new. If you foil them until the plant roots are established, they may have moved on to your neighbor’s petunias. After plants are established, Tier 1 and Tier 2 plants can withstand occasional browsing.

Strategy #4: Use a Low-Nitrogen fertilization regime; Save the Miracle-Gro for hanging baskets. There are several methods of achieving healthy plant growth and extended bloom period without resorting to high-nitrogen synthetic fertilizers (deer candy):

  1. Use low-nitrogen organic fertilizers and amendments. Example: 4-8-4 NPK
  2. Deadhead more often. This will promote new blooms without additional fertilizer and the plant will be “harder”: Less succulent and more resistant.
  3. Improve soil tilth with compost and mycorrhizal and bacterial inoculation.
  4. Watering deeply and infrequently (after young plants are established) will result in harder plants with less succulent growth.

Using these methods will promote plant health, increase deer resistance and, as a bonus, will naturally prevent outbreaks of insect pests which tend to multiply rapidly on unnaturally lush green new growth initiated by over-watering and over-fertilization.

TIER 1 – PROVEN COLD HARDY DEER RESISTANCE PERENNIALS

TIER 2 – MINIMALLY BROWSED COLD HARDY DEER RESISTANT PLANTS

Agastache sp.

Aster sp.

Ligularia dentata

Monarda sp.

Dicentra spectabilis

Rudbeckia hirta

Nepeta sp.

Liatris spicata

Echinacea purpurea

Achillea sp.

Salvia nemorosa

Aquilegia sp.

Stachys byzantina

Delphinium sp.

Lavandula sp.

Veronica sp.

Pulmonaria sp.

Digitalis sp.

Helloborus sp.

Helenium autumnale

Mentha sp.

Gaillardia sp.

Eupatorium sp.

Echinacea sp.

Potentilla sp.

Scabiosa sp.

Artemisia sp.

Cerastium tomentosum

Echinops sp.

Papaver sp.

Coreopsis verticillata

Boltonia asteroides

Rudbeckia fulgida

Saponaria ocymoides

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Astilbe sp.

(16 Mature 1 gallon plants) $189.95

Deer Resistant Plants PerennialsBy popular demand: Our classic Deer-Resistant Garden in larger, more mature plant sizes. A foolproof design of 16 cold hardy plants that will plant approximately 32 square feet (4' x 8'). Includes hardy ornamental grasses and perennials that have proven to have very high deer resistance. A great foundation garden even if you don't have a deer problem. Comes complete with planting design and directions. If you wish to plant a larger border, just calculate your square footage and divide by 32 to determine the number of 16-plant borders to order. You get a proven design plus significant savings over purchasing the plants individually! 16-1 gallon pots for a mature border the first year.

  • INCLUDES: Planting plans; 3 Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster;3 Salvia 'May Night';3 Coreopsis 'Moonbeam'; 3 Rudbeckia'Goldsturm', 3 Nepeta 'Walker's Low; 1 Perovskia (Russian Sage)
  • MATURE SIZE: 4' x 8' (Plants 32 square feet)
  • USDA HARDINESS: Zone 4
  • GROWS BEST IN: Full Sun
This pre-planned deer resistant garden also offers excellent fall color!

For more information or to order click on the link.

Organic Fertilizers - They Feed Your Soil!

ORGANIC BIO-LIVE FERTILIZER 5-4-

Down to Eart FertilizerA rich fertilizer mix for herbaceous plants (vegetables, annuals, perennials) infused with beneficial bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi to stimulate rooting and optimum plant growth. Allows rapid colonization of soils and potting mixes. May be combined with other organic fertilizers or amendments to further boost optimum plant growth, drought tolerance and health. 5 lb. box.

ALL PURPOSE ORGANIC FERTILIZER 4-6-2

Down to Earth FertilizerA gentle and non-burning organic fertilizer mix for vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees, shrubs and container plants. Also ideal for tender transplants. It is pH balanced to counteract acidic soil conditions and formulated to deliver a steady supply of organic nutrients to stimulate soil fertility and healthy plant growth. Use at the start of the season to encourage vegetative growth and again during bloom period to encourage flowering and fruiting. 6 lb. box.