RolCin
Hello, I live in Santa Fe, NM. My indoor plants are doing fine. Outdoors I am doing a new garden. However we have wildlife. Deer, bunnies, packrats. Any suggestions for colorful perennial plants with flowers? Thank you.
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Hello, I live in Santa Fe, NM. My indoor plants are doing fine.… | Anything about plants | Comunità di Planta
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CelestaOutdoor native gardening is my lifetime passion so this post makes me so happy! 🤩 I have deer & rabbits too. I've wasted lots of $ on plants at the nursery labeled as "deer resistant." Even the plants that the deer do indeed dislike get ruined because they are grazers and like to taste different things. But then they're also kinda dumb so literally the next day they will forget they disliked a certain plant and will taste-test it again. The result? A pile of broken stems where the deer broke it off the plant and then spat it out. 😵💫So learn from my mistake (and many, many others) and set realistic expectations when competing with deer & others.
1 mi piace- Celesta
(My previous comment was getting too long hehe) As for plant suggestions, from my experience the safest genre of plant are herbs (anything with a strong smell and preferably woody stem). All time safest: lavender. And there are some very vibrant varieties out there if you don't mind straying from natives. Sage also has some intense color variations, and the blooms are bigger than lavender. Another suggestion when wildlife is involved is quantity. Get multiple of one plant instead of one of each. That way, damage from wildlife is spread between a group of plants and the affected ones are usually able to bounce back. I actually use the deer to prune my plants this way! Lol. For example, I have tons of buddleia (the non-invasive kind) that are bushier and more compact because of the deer's occasional browsing. But i have 3 bushes, so the deer never "prune" one plant down to the ground. The damage is split between the 3
1 mi piace - Celesta
One last tip. There are some plants, such as buddleia, that ARE semi-deer resistant (as in they are not the preferred choice; deer will only eat if either from necessity or curiosity). But sometimes these plants are only "resistant" once established. So the baby plant you pick up from the nursery and plop in the ground will not stand a chance, no matter how "resistant" it may be. For these, I protect for the first couple years with either stakes + bird netting or, if the plant is small enough, wire waste baskets from the dollar store. You can also get some on Amazon that come in packs with garden steaks included, for securing the basket to the ground. The black color baskets are the least abrasive to the eye, although this method in general requires patience with your gardens aesthetics... In other words, it can become an eyesore. 😖
1 mi piace- RolCin
You are so kind to give me all your experience and tips, and all this in a funny way. Thank you so much. I will go through your report again and again, and will look up your suggestions. I was just reading annoying news in the paper when your message popped up. Made me smile, and no news anymore for the rest of the day. Thank you very much, Roland
1 mi piace - Celesta
Awww I'm glad! 😄 Happy gardening!! Good luck to you. I'm sure we would all love updates regarding what plants you decide to go with. I'm also a part of the "Gardening and Outdoor" channel on this app. It's a very small section of the community and I know the channel would appreciate a new member. But posting on "Anything about Plants" is great too because more people see it and can help!
0 Mi piace
Union LeoMy mom swears by using pet fur. After she brushes our dog, she disperses his fur around her outdoor plants to dissuade wildlife. You can also use the hair/fur that builds up in your vacuum!
0 Mi piace- RolCin
😳 never heard of that 🙂
1 mi piace