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A New Outdoor Craft Idea for All Ages
For years our family has enjoyed vactioning and traveling across this great country and one thing that has always drawn our attention is the beautiful landscaping done by others.
Usually, the one attraction that sets apart the ones we find more...
About Boxwoods
Boxwoods
Boxwoods are one of many broad-leaved evergreens popular in the
Landscape. Boxwoods can be true aristocrats of your landscape.
These plants require little attention and develop into
long-lived hardy plants with a little protection...
Planting White Pine Seedlings
Planting White Pine Trees White pines. Whenever I think of white
pines, I remember hunting when I was a kid and standing near
trees that were giants. Now every pine tree I plant, I can
invision those days in the deep woods and those grand trees...
Tips for Shopping Smart for the Garden
Tips for Shopping Smart for the Garden
The garden, whether it is a flower garden or a vegetable garden,
is an important part of the landscape. And, like all features
present on a property, it can be frustrating to do your shopping
for the...
What to Look for in Landscape Maintenance Service
What to Look for in Landscape Maintenance Service
When you are in search of a landscape service for your home,
there are quite a few things that you should keep in mind. After
all, not all landscape services are created equal. Care for...
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Deer Don't Eat Dragons!!
Ilex 'Dragon Lady'
Dragon Lady Hollies are plants for zone 6b-8a. These hollies
are thought of as perfect columnar hollies. These hollies can
reach 20' in height and 6' in width. The leaves being smaller
than most hollies with stiff, pointed spines are not very tasty
to deer. This is one of its many benificial points if your
landscape has a high deer population in the area. This holly can
be used as a specimen or a hedge, is self fruiting with glossy
green foliage and a reddish tint on the new growth. To bad all
hollies are not like this! The Dragon Lady holly will leave open
spots in its growth. Hard pruning generally helps correct this
detraction but makes full plants more costly to produce. You can
expect a 4-5' holly, being well developed within 6-7 years from
a 2 gallon liner. This plant is a sharp looking plant in your
landscape. There is no doubt that this will be a plant that you
will see more of. It holds up well for us and we have large
herds of deer at our Doylestown nursery.
Damage to seedlings by deer will increase as it has over the
past 20 years. We don't believe that there are any 100 per cent
effective methods to stop deer damage except 10' high woven wire
fences that are to costly for most small growers and homeowners.
Human populations moving to rural areas will continue. Loss of
huntable land will increase as will deer populations. Deer
having multiple births coupled with increasing gun regulation is
likly to continue. This means plant selection will become more
important.
There are few natural controls for deer populations especially
in urban areas. Planting shrubs that repell deer is your most
effective means to avoid deer damage. Opening your land to
hunting is an effective alternative practice for lowering deer
populations. Since deer are nocturnal, hunting may not be
totally effective. On our farm we have lots of feed, our plants,
but little cover which is where the deer are durring hunting
seasons. This means that you must have an integrated pest
management plan. This plan should include the following:
popualtion management(hunting), repellants, selecting resistant
plants, fencing, knowledge of deer habits for integrating your
management plan. The Dragon Lady holly is not eatable for deer.
Deer feeding will occur on fertilized and unfertilize plants.
Most browsing of seedlings will occur at night. By planting
less-preferred seedlings and ornamental trees and shrubs in
unprotected areas and surrounding preferred seedlings by
less-preferred
seedlings, deer damage is lessened. Susceptible
plants shoud be fenced or planted near occupied structures.
Backyard dogs are effective in keeping deer away. Your knowledge
of deer feeding habits should be your first line of defence. A
plan based on this knowledge will provide seedlings growers with
less expensive alternatives to dangerous chemiacls repellants
and hard to maintain fences and physical barriers. Deer are
creatures of habit. Deer are not going search in the woods for
scarce food when it is available in quanity and quality in your
back yard. Once they find easy to browse plants in your
landscape, they will become like giant rats invading you
backyard at night. They will return night after night and eat
you nursery stock until it is gone. Some deer in certain areas
will eat holly and white pines, while deer in other areas won't.
Therefore plant preference lists are only rough guides to deer
damage susceptibility.
In general browsing damage to nursery stock will be highest
when snow or extreme weather reduces food availability.
Succulent young growth is an attractive deer food source in the
spring time. When food is in short supply deer will feed on less
desireable plants. Deer eat a variety of vegetation including
woody plants, fruits, nuts, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines,
grasses, and garden vegetables. Landscaping based deer feeding
habits will reduce or eliminate costly browsing damage to your
nursery stock and ornamentals.
Always try and reduce deer herds. Fewer deer mean less browsing
pressure. We once had a deer hunt where hunters paid 100 dollars
each to a police gun fund for the control of deer on our nursery
that is located next to Peace Valley Park. For weeks the control
worked and deer damage was controlled.
Some people use soap bars. Leave the soap in its wrapper and
drill a hole thru the bar. Attach the soap bar with twine to a
branch and allow it to hang 3-4' off the ground. Hang the bar
away from the center of the tree. This will act as a natural
repellant for deer. Use multiple bars for large nursery stock
and trees.
Other Seedlings and Liners We Recommend:
Boxwoods Red Osier Dogwood Russian Olive Rose of Sharon Hollies
Leucothoe River Birch Trees Japanese Cedars Blue Spruce trees
Austrin Pine Barberries Andromeda
Highland Hill Farm Po. Box 517 Fountainville, PA 18923
(215-345-0946) http://www.seedlingsrus.com or
http://www.highlandhillfarm.com
About the author:
This plant is a deer resistant plant that has many qualities.
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