I
keep remembering things that need to go on my list of plants deer find less
palatable than others. Since pictureless plant references are all but useless, I’ve
been pawing through my boxes and boxes of unscanned photographs, looking for decent
shots. Then it’s time to scan the pictures into the computer, caption them, copy them to this folder, move them to that folder. Specimens I
don’t have photos of my own to use drive me to Google, where I scroll through
thousands more images. I have to filter out those with copyrights, because I
hate lawyers (long story) and have no wish to become embroiled with any via
lawsuits. Nor do I want to give the Internet Nazis reason to shut down the blog
as an infringing site.
When the pictures are finally vetted and assembled and
cropped and straightened, they need to be categorized, alphabetized and
cross-referenced. Who knew this deer thing would turn into such a major freakin’
project? As the icing on the cake, the damn pine trees have started releasing
their pollen, causing my eyes to itch and water and burn. Tim has been hiding
out in his studio a lot lately, venturing out only to kiss me lightly on the
head and ask if there’s anything he can get or do for me. (Boy, I really hit
the jackpot when he said yes when I asked him to marry me. Him, not so much,
although he swears that’s not true.)
Anyway, it’s three o’clock Monday afternoon and I’m
finally—probably—almost—ready to roll. I’ve broken down my 131 (and counting) photographs
into 13 categories, just to impose a little order on this obstreperous gang. Alphabetically,
we’ll address annuals, bulbs, grasses, ground covers, herbs, perennials, shrubs
and trees, succulents, and vines; move on to suggestions for containers as well
as in-ground vignettes, and mechanical methods of deer deterrence; and list
guaranteed deer magnets as the grand finale. I’m guessing the annuals are all I’ll
manage for today, but stay tuned! There’s lots more to come.
ANGELONIA (Angelonia
angustifolia) is a true annual, producing stalks of purple, blue, pink or
white blooms continuously from April into November in these parts; equally good
massed in the ground or adding height to containers.
AGASTACHE (A. aurantiaca, A. rupestris,
pronounced ag-uh-STAK-ee) goes by the common name of hummingbird mint. Often
sold as a perennial, I personally have never had one come back. The two species
pictured here are southwestern natives and cold-hardy to Zone 5: maybe they don’t
care for our hot nights.
 |
| A. aurantiaca 'Raspberry Daiquiri' |
 |
| A. rupestris |
BED-OF-NAILS (Solanum
quitoense), just one of my favorite tender solanums, is a big-time
attention-grabber. It has large fuzzy leaves spiked with wicked purple thorns,
dainty white-and-purple flowers and finishes with jaw-breaker-sized, round, fuzzy,
orange fruits.
 |
| 'Indian Summer' |
BLACK-EYED SUSAN (Rudbeckia
hirta) is the flashy-flowered annual cousin of the less-showy perennial Rudbeckias. The good news is, if they’re
happy where you put them, they will reseed themselves for years.
CALADIUM (Caladium bicolor)
turning out to be deer-resistant came as a surprise, but it is. Technically a
tuber, I include it with the annuals because I never had any success
resprouting ones I’ve lifted. Newer cultivars tolerate more sun than you’d
think, too: selections with “Florida” in their names will pretty much take
anything you dish out. |
| 'Belle of Lyon' |
COLEUS (Solenostemon
scutellariodes—no wonder we call ’em “coleus”) is an old-fashioned plant
that’s made a big comeback in the past decade, with hundreds of named cultivars.
Many are bred to take full sun, even on the western exposure of my front porch.
DIANTHUS & SNAPDRAGONS (Dianthus
barbatus, Antirrhinum majus) actually
fall into the perennials camp: here in southeastern North Carolina, however,
they are most often used as cool-weather plantings. We cavalierly toss them out when May or
June rolls around.
EUPHORBIA (E. tirucalli ‘Sticks
on Fire’) All the euphorbias put deer off because of their latex-like saps. This
tropical gem is not easy to find outside of Southern California, but it is soooo
worth the effort. Picture one of these screaming “Look at me!” in a prominently
placed pot.
 |
| 'Foxy' hybrids |
FOXGLOVE (Digitalis purpurea)
is poisonous, making deer reluctant to nibble it more than once. Although
technically a biennial, if you buy a budded or blooming specimen, you might as
well call it an annual.
HOLLYHOCK (Alcea rosea) is
another biennial that acts like an annual if you buy one budded or blooming.
Their seeds are easy to collect and grow on, though hybrid cultivars won’t come
true from seed. Just remember they don’t flower until their second season.
MEXICAN HEATHER (Cuphea
hyssopifolia), also called false heather, falls into that grey area between
tender perennial and annual. My friend Charlotte’s plants come back spring
after spring. The ones I plant in my yard don’t. Ever. Nature moves in mysterious
ways, her wonders to perform. |
| 'Blue Midnight' |
PENSTEMON (P. barbatus hybrids)
sit on the annual/perennial fence too. I love them, the deer don’t, but this
species refuses to return for me. Still, the hybrids produce spring-into-summer
jewel-toned spikes of flowers. That’s enough, don't you think?
PENTAS (P. lanceolata) go
by the high-falutin’ name of “Egyptian star clusters” in catalogs, but you can
just call them pentas. Another true annual, these flower powerhouses delight
bees, butterflies and even hummingbirds in shades of red, pink and white.
SALVIA (S. splendens, S.
coccinea) These single-season bloom machines just go and go and go. If you’re not into the somewhat garish colors of run-of-the-mill S.
splendens, look for less common S.
coccinea, with its more subtle pinks, corals, apricots and whites.
 |
| Salvia splendens |
 |
| Salvia coccinea |
VINCA (Catharanthus rosea) Don’t know why Bambi leaves these floriferous super-reseeders alone, but he does. Coming in every color except yellow and blue, there’s bound to be room for patch in your yard.
It's now almost six o'clock Monday. While typing this, I thought of eight more plants I need
to find pictures for. Will it ever end? Next time—bulbs and grasses.
Thanks for dropping by.
Kathy
