ROSES ARE RED, VIOLETS ARE BLUE

 deer will be feasting as soon as you plant,

 then along comes the bunnies and they feast too.

Maybe the most valuable heart to heart gift for Valentines Day could be a book titled 'Creating a Deer & Rabbit Proof Garden' by Peter Derano.  The book features 159 deer/rabbit proof and deer/rabbit resistant plants with 400 full-color photos.

The Table of Contents includes chapters on Deer & Rabbit Proof/Resistant: Perennials, Grasses & Ferns, Bulbs, Tubers, Annuals, Vines, Ground Covers, Evergreen Trees & Shrubs, plus a list of Plants to Avoid.

The subject is another gardening puzzle to put together. Solving the puzzle requires sorting the wheat from the shaft.  In our garden jargon that means selecting choices that are appropriate for our USDA Climate Zone 5.

Deer-repellent sprays perform either through a scent or taste deterrent.  The scent activated deterrents last approximately five weeks and needs to be reapplied after each rainfall.  The taste-activated sprays gradually start to lose their effectiveness after the spray becomes dissipated throughout the plant which generally takes a few weeks. 

The best way of deterring rabbits is fencing.  A 2-1/2-foot fence constructed of common chicken wire or heavy nylon netting.  Run the fence around the bed with stakes every 8 inches.  It is important that the fence is buried a few inches below ground, so rabbits do not burrow under it.  

Distinguishing between deer and rabbit damage on plants is fairly simple to learn.  Deer damage will show jagged or torn edges on the stems left behind. 

Rabbit damage is a very neat, precise cut leaving no rough edges and is usually on a 45-degree angle.

A few suggestions from the book for new deer/rabbit resistant plantings might include the following:

Achillea-Fernleaf Yarrow is an interesting plant with both attractive and interesting flowers and foliage.

Yarrow is a medium-size perennial, best suited in the middle of a border or in a rock garden as a single specimen. Full sun, Water-Wise selection. Perennial.

Echinops-Globe Thistle is for those who like the unconventional.  The flowers are small individually but bloom in profusion as a sphere or globe shape.  Excellent cut flower.  Water-Wise selection. Perennial 

Heuchera-Coral Bells.  There have been so many hybrids offered in the marketplace these past few years. The plants are valued for the intense coloration of foliage.  Grows best in shade or partial shade.  Moderate water.  Perennial.

A few annuals to consider for your hopefully deer/rabbit resistant garden would be marigolds, ageratum, cleome and geranium.  

I do have an ongoing 30 year plus relationship with deer.  My expectations for a beautiful garden are somewhat different than 30 years ago. I'm fortunate, I have never seen any sign of a rabbit in our neighborhood--the deer have been enough to contend with.