Deer Resistant Shrub Hedge Plant recommendations

Greetings all...

Looking for a few suggestions for Deer Resistant Shrubs that can be used as a hedge.

Something with these characteristics

Zone 6 Dense Compact Shrub

6 - 10' tall 4- 5 ' width Partial Shade to Full Sun (northeastern exposure.. morning sun_ Evergreen Highly Deer resistant Somewhat Drought Tolerant, but is also in a springtime moist location but dries up during summer. Medium Growth Attractive. Berries are fine.....

Need a row about 35 feet long. Looking for a privacy screen, but only of medium height maybe 10' max. I can purchase larger shrubs for immediate functionality, but can also do the 3 gallon size and wait 5 years or so.

These will be replacing Russian Olives which grow but are yucky, and euonymous 'manhattan' which never grows because the deer rip it to shreds as soon as it develops a leaf.

I have Ilex crenata "Chesapeake" small leaf Japanese Holly shrubs as foundation plantings. They look nice, meet all the criteria however I'm very concerned that they are 'deer candy' and will be destroyed if used any distance away from the house.

Leylands are too large, Arborvitae have been ripped to shreds. Carmellia's couldn't handle temperature ranges and drought. Euonymous and Photinia were both ripped to shreds ( even when completely wrapped in 'deer netting").

Anyone currently growing something in a similar situation ???

Thanks !!!

Peter

Reply to
Peter
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I don't find deer eating the holly trees/bushes near or away from the house. Also, deer generally do not eat evergreens such as pine or hemlock. If they do, they are starving as it supplies no nutrients.

Reply to
Frank

medium height

Deer, by far, is my largest garden enemy. My rose of sharon hedge have survived the deer (zone 7). Provides total privacy during summer with flowers and can be trimmed to any height.

Young hollies, young euonymous, azaleas, any fruit trees need cage protection. I use an electric fence for vegetables.

Spirea and quince have grown well without deer damage. My spirea is

15 feet tall, quince about 8 feet, neither were ever trimmed. No winter privacy, though.

I have seen as many as 15 deer grazing in my front yard--too bad I don't care for the taste. Plants are not the only victums, my small town has one deer-vehicle collision every day!

Reply to
Phisherman

I don't find deer eating the holly trees/bushes near or away from the house. Also, deer generally do not eat evergreens such as pine or hemlock. If they do, they are starving as it supplies no nutrients.

I don't know about the nutrients, I would suspect from how my deer love the soft needled hemlock the they think otherwise. And they seem to really enjoy the twigs and bark. Maybe your deer are picker than mine, around here no conifers are off the deer menu except spruce... and during lean winters they'll munch spruce too.

Because the OP is replacing deciduous shrubs I was going to suggest barberry but then I noticed he desires evergreens. Barberrry makes an excellent dence hedge that's easy to shear into any form and because of the thorns is very deer proof... its fall folaige is a gorgeous crimson and will be loaded with bright red or yellow berries well into winter... it also reseeds itself readily. Barberry attracts small birds for nesting, the thorns repel preditors, and its deep roots offer good erosion control on slopes.

Reply to
brooklyn1

It depends on the season. In the depths of winter when snow cover is heavy I've had deer standing next to the house munching my evergreen foundation plants. Deer are ruminates and never have an empty stomach and have been found starved to death with stomachs full of vegetation that has no nutrient value.

Like people, they also have preferred food. I've been trying to establish ivy on slopes and had been frustrated with beds looking like they were establishing to disappear during winter.

Reply to
Frank

medium height

develops a

Dittos and I'm doubly frustrated because I hunt deer and cannot touch the local herd.

Reply to
Frank

medium height

I like the Rose of Sharon... have several myself. A dear friend of mine used to cut off new branches, trim the ends and insert them into the ground where they formed new bushes. She had quite a hedge growing. She also grew melons in trees, started them in a container and had them trailing up the tree. Supported the fruit in nylons stockings. She was Thai, speaking very little english, but was a fantastic gardener. Good memories. !!

Unfortunately, there is a deer population problem here also... I've walked outside to see 3 or 4 munching on the shrubs. Real pita, but I can't bring myself to chase them away....(just yet).

With 15 deer and a Santa Claus costume, you could probably make some extra spending loot around Christmas !!!

Peter

Reply to
Peter

Snip!

The deer have never bothered my holly trees and bushes.

Reply to
D. Arlington

medium height

I have had every problem that you talk about The only thing that I've found for a hedge which the deer will not eat is Boxwood. Ten years and my Boxwoods have never been eaten.

HTH,

EJ in NJ

Reply to
Ernie Willson

medium height

Thanks to all for your help and suggestions....

There's a whole bunch of stuff to try out... I'll probably wind up planting a combination of Holly and maybe some hemlock into the ground and see what happens..on a trial basis this year. In the meantime I'm also going to see about installing temporary fencing to protect the existing plants. (heavy duty real type of metal fencing, instead of deer netting, which has proved to be ineffective).

Doesn't seem to be a lot of evergreens that deer won't eat if they get hungry enough. Unfortunately... I've been planting a lot of deer 'candy' ,,,(what's available in the garden centers).

Thanks again for your help, suggestions and insight, you've been extraordinarily helpful !!

Peter

Reply to
Peter

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