Subject: "Garden Solutions" Catalogue and Deer resistant flowers

From: [email-masked] (Margaret M. Steinbugler)
Date: Tue, 28 Feb 1995 18:45:40 GMT

Hello Gardeners,

I recently got very interested in gardening when I went from being
a renter to having a share in a house on Long Island, NY (zone 6/7,
I think).
We have an acre, with some nice flowers beds we'd like to keep up
and add to; we have also begun composting.

My questions are:
1. Does anyone have any experience with the mail order catalogue,
	"Gardening Solutions" of Holland, Michigan?  They offer
	pre-selected gardens for sun, shade, beginners, blooms all
	spring and summer, etc; but I didn't see them listed among
	all the recent catalogue reviews or in the FAQ.  The
	gardens do look very tempting, esp. for a beginner like me.

2. A lot of deer go through our yard; any suggestions for flowers
	(perrenials) that are deer resistant? deer resistant _and_
	like shade?  The deer seem to nibble on the hostas,
	rhodadendrons, and some evergreen shrubs, but they leave the
	irises alone.  

I'd really appreciate any help or suggestions you can offer, either
in this group or vie e-mail ([email-masked]).

thanks!

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From: PATTIBELLE <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 95 00:40:54 -0500

Deer resistant flowers you might try are:
marguerittes and euryops (they NEVER touch those)
nerium oleander
iris
lantana
daphne
camellia
salvia leucantha (and all salvias)
petrovska
tulips (but I understand some deer eat them)
snow in summer
nepata
pincushion flower
teucrium
 
My big problem with deer now that I've yanked out practically everything
they eat, is that they step on the plants, breaking them off at the
base (gr-r-r-r!).  This list is for where I live in CA, so it's probably
different from where you live.  E-mail me if you want more.
 
Pat in Napa, CA

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From: [email-masked] (Whirlabout)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 10:29:39 -0500

>different from where you live.  E-mail me if you want more.

Are you sure you mean tulips and not daffodils? My tulips get 100% eaten
to the ground. The daffodils get a nibble here or there but are pretty
much left alone. In fact, a lot of the plants you listed get eaten here
(Hunterdon county - New Jersey). The only 2 I've found to be completely
deer resistant are lavender and foxglove.
====================================================
            It is never too late to be what you might have been.
                             -  George Eliot
Ron
[email-masked]
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From: [email-masked] (Whirlabout)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 11:16:33 -0500

2 or 3 years ago we ordered from Garden Solutions. (We had just purchased
a house in the country and were really excited...) Almost everything we
ordered was backordered *and* they didn't tell us until it was too late
(past the date when nurseries would ship). They kept giving us estimated
ship dates but missed them all. They ended up sending the plants in the
fall and the following spring. We had a lot of their plants die also.
Never used them again.

Since then, we've used a bunch of nurseries. For a large selection and
reasonably good service - Park is hard to beat. For full sized plants and
absolutely incredible service - try Niche Gardens.

[I have no relationship with these businesses - just stating the results
of my experience]

Good luck with your growing.

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From: [email-masked] (Jen Mayer)
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 14:26:00 GMT

MS> 2. A lot of deer go through our yard; any suggestions for flowers
MS> (perrenials) that are deer resistant? deer resistant _and_ like
MS> shade?  The deer seem to nibble on the hostas,

According to Sunset's Western Garden Book, the best way to keep deer out 
is to fence your garden in - or use chicken wire and netting over the 
young plants to keep them away from those. You can hang small cloth 
bags filled with blood meal between your plants which repels the deer, 
but it attracts dogs and smells bad when wet.

You could always just plant more than you need, so it won't matter if 
the deer eat some of it.

 * RM 1.3 01256 * *May your horse never tire and your gun never rust.

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From: [email-masked] (Hal Skurnick)
Date: 6 Mar 1995 22:48:10 GMT

In <[email-masked]> [email-masked] (Whirlabout) 

Might also add Primrose (Primula) to the list. - I guess the foxglove is 
left alone since it is poisonous - I am hoping that Nicotiana which I'm 
trying for the first time this yr will also be left alone due to its 
poisonous nature - Now I rub my hands with glee when I read the 
Thompson Morgan catalog and see the "skull and crossbones" associated 
with a plant.

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From: [email-masked] (Jen Mayer)
Date: Fri, 3 Mar 1995 14:26:00 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (Hal Skurnick)
Date: 6 Mar 1995 22:48:10 GMT

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From: PATTIBELLE <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 7 Mar 95 02:04:03 -0500

What about rubbing your hands in glee over castor bean?  Or doesn't it
grow in your area?  Just tonight I was looking at another deer "resistant"
list.  AMAZING what those white-tails eat--how little choice you have!
Guess I'd better thank my lucky stars we only have mule-tails to content
with here.
 
Pat in Napa, CA