Flowerbeds and Borders in Deer Country

The Growing Menace­-More and more, homeowners and gardeners throughout rural and suburban America have been forced to deal with a growing menace.... Deer! From coast to coast, deer have developed quite an appetite for almost anything growing in our landscapes and gardens. Deer frequently feed on flowers, fruits, vegetables and the twigs of trees and shrubs, often permanently disfiguring them. In winter, bucks rub their antlers on sapling trees and shrubs, severely damaging the bark and seriously threatening the health and life of the plant. As a result, deer have become a big a nuisance to home gardeners and professionals who design and maintain landscapes and gardens. The economic costs caused by deer browsing damage in the U.S. amounts to millions of dollars every year. Replacing plantings is one thing but even more is spent on repellents, fences and numerous other strategies for protecting landscapes, home gardens and agricultural crops from deer browsing damage. Suburban sprawl, increased abandoned farmlands and unchecked growing populations of deer are just some of the reasons deer have become such a costly nuisance around the country. This book is to help and guide home gardeners and professionals with creating pleasing and colorful flowerbeds and borders in deer country by using deer resistant flowers and other plants. With a list of well over 350 flowers and ornamental plants, Flowerbeds and Borders for Deer Country will help you select plants that are known to have a resistancy to deer browsing damage. By making the right choices you'll be able to significantly reduce or eventually eliminate the need for using repellents, fences and other means of protecting your garden from damage by deer. Flowerbeds and Borders for Deer Country focuses on herbaceous flowering plants, ornamental soft- stemmed flowering plants and plants valued for their interesting foliage. All plants listed are known to be resistant to browsing. Included are lists of annual and perennial flowering plants, groundcovers, vines, flower bulbs, herbs and ornamental grasses that are known to have a resistancy to deer browsing damage in most areas of the continental U.S. Vincent Drzewucki Jr. is a horticulturist, lecturer, and director of the Long Island Nurserymen's Association in New York State. Currently working as the horticulturist and garden shop manager of Hicks' Nurseries in Westbury, New York, Vincent has over 20 years experience in the horticulture industry. He is a New York State Certified Nursery Professional, a New York State DEC Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator, and a US private pilot. Advanced degrees include an AAS in Ornamental Horticulture and Nursery Management from SUNY Agriculture and Technical College, Farmingdale, New York, and an MBA from Adelphi University, Garden City, New York. Vincent lives with his wife in Wantaugh, New York.