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As many of you who regularly or even occasionally attend the Roundtables will know, no matter what the topic, it doesn’t take long into our sessions before we are talking about the deer, the moles, the voles, the rabbits, and now—moved up on the chain of discussion—the squirrels! So by popular demand I’ve decided to finally make this the central feature of our first Roundtable of the new year.
Does creating a deer-resistant garden sound too good to be true? In my experience in Bridgehampton, it’s not. We may not be able to plant deer-proof gardens, but there are many beautiful plants that deer will absolutely not touch, and more that they would really rather not browse. Our focus will be on gardening on the East End of Long Island. Have you ever Googled “deer-resistant plants” and seen lists that come from other states, only to know that the deer that visit your property do eat many of those plants? That’s because deer in your neighborhood have acclimated to eating certain plants while still not touching others. I’ve compiled a list of plants that do the job in my Bridgehampton garden, with additional plants that are safe in other members’ gardens, and this list will be shared at the Roundtable. Perhaps attendees will know of plants that can be added to this list. That would be wonderful! Here are some areas we’ll cover:
- Scented plants
- Plants with fuzzy texture
- Plants with sharp and thorny features
- Groundcovers, grasses, herbs, other edibles, annuals, perennials, sub-shrubs, shrubs, trees
- Plants that usually are only browsed in winter, when they can be protected
- Why new plantings need to be protected the first month or so
- Guides for the best deer fencing so at least part of your garden will be deer free
- Suggestions to avoid damage from voles, moles, rabbits, squirrels, etc.
We welcome all samples for show and tell. By the end of the program, if there are attendees who have additional gardening questions about these or any other topics, please feel free to stay a while longer and talk to one of our knowledgeable members.
Moderated by Pamela Harwood
