|
Raise your hand if you cried in the movies when Bambi’s mother died. I know I did. Then I grew up, became a gardener, and developed a whole different outlook. Deer are elegant, graceful, and will cheerfully eat many of your landscape plants right down to the bare stalks. Protect your gardens by planting deer resistant ground cover as a border and barrier around vulnerable plants. There are many types of deer resistant ground cover available in a range of sizes, soil needs, and sun tolerance.
For shady spots, Ajuga, also known as Bugleweed, is a low growing evergreen ground cover that not only keeps the deer away, it adds color and texture to hard to grow areas. The foliage varies from greens, to bronze-reds, as well as several variegated species. Ajuga tolerates all soil types and only needs to be water until it is established. After that, leave it alone and it will build a dense mat of foliage with lilac blooms in the spring. It is somewhat invasive and will continue to spread unless checked. Use an edger or pruning shears to cut back runners that are venturing beyond its established boundaries.
If you’re looking for something taller, consider a variety of Liriope, also known as border grass. Liriope resembles an ornamental grass, but is really an evergreen member of the lily family. It grows 12”-15” high and blooms in late summer to autumn with purple and blue shades of flowers. It does especially well as a deer barrier around more vulnerable species of plants and trees. It prefers medium shade and well-drained soil, but will thrive in almost any soil or sun conditions. In fact, it requires virtually no care at all. Like many other deer resistant ground covers, most Liriope species are runners and will invade adjacent spaces. Contain Liriope on one side by planting alongside a wall or walkway. Then cut back any runners that spread out in the other direction.
Finally, the tallest deer resistant ground cover featured here is Catnip or Catmint. The aroma that drives cats wild is actually offensive to deer and they’ll avoid it completely. Catnip is a sturdy upright perennial that can grow up to 2’ tall. It has grayish green leaves with a fuzzy coating n the top. It prefers full sun, but will thrive in partial shade. Catnip will tolerate a variety of soil conditions and is drought tolerant. To keep deer out, plant catnip in beds or as a barrier at the base of vulnerable fruit trees. Additionally, dried catnip leaves can be hung in mesh or cheesecloth bags during the winter months to keep the deer away after your other deer barriers have gone dormant for the winter.
Deer are pretty, graceful animals that have absolutely no business getting into our gardens. Keep them out by planting deer resistant ground cover as barriers. Use them as borders around flower beds or plant underneath vulnerable trees and shrubs. Plant them on slopes or retaining walls bordering your property. Protect your gardens and let Bambi find his dinner somewhere else.
|
Author Bio Box: Patricia Wainwright
Get all the facts about landscape gardening and gardening articles at GreenThumbArticles.com!
Didn't really find what you were looking for?
|
|
|
| |
|
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](images/rss.gif "Subscribe to our XML Feed for RSS")
(Read 500+ times)
