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spel_gw

deer resistant shade plants, groundcovers, shrubs & flowers

spel
20 years ago

i'm very new to gardening (we bought our first house last year) and looking for lots of ideas to fill in our backyard. i don't really know where to begin.

on the flat area of our yard closest to the house grass grows decently (roots seem shallow but we're working on them!). i'm interested in covering the hill/slope in our backyard with a deer resistant ground cover that can tolerate shade and is good for preventing erosion. is there anything like this??

also, we have planting beds along the house that get partial shade. they are about three feet deep by twenty feet long. rather than going to the gardening store & picking what looks pretty together, i'd love to hear what you have had success with. the soil is somewhat rocky. again, deer resistant.

i'm anxious to plant this spring & could really use any advice. thanks!

Comments (14)

  • Georgiarose
    20 years ago

    For a list of deer resistant annuals, perennials, shrubs & trees and plants to avoid, go to the link below and click on browse and the best of luck with your garden!

    Here is a link that might be useful: Deer Resistant Gardens

  • amr0719
    20 years ago

    Another suggestion is to search in this forum using some of your key words, like "hillside groundcover", etc. There's probably similar postings to yours that have the information you need.

  • Liz221
    19 years ago

    I've had good luck planting daffodils in the shade
    here in zone 5. Also try aconitum (monkshood) and
    cimicifuga (snakroot) too. They both are beautiful when
    in bloom and the deer won't touch them. Good luck!

  • ego45
    19 years ago

    Pachysandra have all necessary attributes for your slope:
    deer resistance, shade tolerance and ability to control erosion.
    Interplant with daffodils in a fall and you'll not regret it come next spring.
    You could substitute pachysandra with vinca minor that blooms with nice small blue flowers in a spring, but I personally like pachysandra better as it have more substance and looks better in a winter.

  • spel
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    thanks for the suggestions (this was an old post, but i'm still struggling with our hill!). we will be planting pachysandra on the hill soon. it seems like a good option although i hear it spreads very slowly.

  • jugglerguy
    19 years ago

    Lamium is a nice groundcover for shade too. I know the deer don't eat it. It dies to the ground in winter. I have no idea how it will do for erosion, but it does spread pretty fast. I like 'Beacon Silver'. I've also tried 'White Nancy', but I pulled it all out because it looks unhealthy. The middle of 'White Nancy' gets sort of thin and wimpy looking. I like my 'Beacon Silver' a lot though.

  • carex
    19 years ago

    Hellebores don't get eaten by deer here in Alabama and we have about 2 million deer.

  • cownsj
    18 years ago

    You might also want to treat whatever ground covering you use to protect you from deer ticks. The ground cover is a great place for them.

  • cownsj
    18 years ago

    Hmm, doesn't look like my previous post got posted, so here goes. I'm also in NJ and we've been in our house for 2 1/2 years. Half our front yard and another garden bed are filled with pachysandra because they are under the tall pine trees we have here. They spread faster than we want them to. In fact, without us even realizing it, they created their own soil out of fallen leaves and spread over our driveway about 18 inches since we've been here. It was like a thick carpet we had to cut through and roll up to move it back into the garden bed again. It is beautiful to look at, but very difficult to get rid of. Their roots are very thick and everywhere. If however, you would like more of it, you are more than welcome to come and dig some up in our yard. We have lots and lots to share.

  • klavier
    18 years ago

    Fox glove- Deer will be in a world of trouble of they eat it. Spreads like crazy. Careful which ones you buy if you do. Some are perennial, but most are biennial.

  • jkkahn_insight_rr_com
    12 years ago

    Do deer eat rhododendruns? I want to plant 2 of them, and I'm afraid they'll eat the flowers off, just like they did to my tulips.

  • on_greenthumb
    12 years ago

    Lungwort - pulmonaria.....not so much a spreading though as it it a low plant...Planted en masse they are gorgeous and the deer hate the feel of the hairy leaves on their tongues

  • sprout_wi
    12 years ago

    Sprinkle Milorganite on your plants (available at garden centers). Deer, rabbits, mice and other rodents will leave them alone. Promise!!

  • shadydeergardener
    12 years ago

    Bought our cabin 18 months ago...hardwood forest cover in PA. Looking for deerproof deep shade TALL plants/trees to give us privacy from a too-close neighbor. Planted 6 small thuja trees, but they aren't too happy in the shade. LOTS of hungry deer in deep shade. Help!