Native Plants
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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Monday - August 25, 2014
From: Newtown Square, PA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Deer Resistant, Herbs/Forbs, Shrubs
Title: Deer Resistant Plants for Newton Square, PA
Answered by: Brigid & Larry Larson
QUESTION:
I'm looking for highly deer resistant plants native to PA. Thank you!ANSWER:
Mr Smarty Plants can lead you that way, but it is a difficult question. Partially because deer aren’t very picky and will eat the tastiest of the plants which are available. Your solution in this direction is to have your neighbors grow stuff which is more attractive to them! As this is not a very likely situation, the other path is to laboriously search out the Mr Smarty Plants archives for good candidates.
One of my favorites is to simply search out where this has been addressed in old MSP question/answer pairs. Here are several that deal with deer resistance and come from your area:
How are NPIN Deer Resistance Ratings Determined?
Deer resistant plants for Pittsburgh PA
Deer resistant trees and shrubs for PA
Evergreen, deer resistant privacy screen for Villanova PA
Perennial ground cover for hillside in Holmdel NJ
Deer resistant plants for a bioswale in NJ
Another method to check it out is to review the special collections of native plants that the Wildflower Center maintains. This link is to the Recommended Species collection for Pennsylvania. The issue, as noted in the messages before, is that deer resistance is not a field we can automatically search. You would search the collection for plants that appeal then you have to read the plant record. Deer Resistance is a separate line under the category “Benefits”.
The latest method though (and the best), is that the Wildflower Center has developed a specific collection of Deer Resistant Species. This one can be searched for Pennsylvania and also whether you want wildflowers or shrubs [or other plant habits]. Here are a few likely plants that I found amongst the 87 candidates.
Shrubs:
Amorpha fruticosa (Indigo bush)
Rhus aromatica (Fragrant sumac)
Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (Coralberry)
Herbs [Wildflowers]
Arisaema dracontium (Green dragon)
Capsicum annuum (Chile pequin)
From the Image Gallery
More Deer Resistant Questions
Leaves of Chile pequin consumed overnight from San Marcus TX
June 23, 2013 - Something ate all the leaves of my Chile petin overnight. There is a ton of frass under the plants but no sign of a critter to be found. These plants have been in the same area for years and this is t...
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Deer resistant, deciduous plants for New Braunfels, TX
March 28, 2010 - I have three acres of filtered sunlight/mostly shade. What deer resistant, flowering, deciduous plants are best for the New Braunfels area. I have had split leaf phyladendruns for twenty years, but th...
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Is non-native Chinese fringe flower deer resistant from Austin
April 05, 2011 - Is Chinese fringe flower (chinense var. rubrum) considered to be deer resistant?
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Plants resistant to white-tailed deer from Austin
April 01, 2013 - Could you tell me whether American Beautyberry and Blackfoot Daisy are usually eaten by our Austin white-tailed deer, or not? I get different answers in different publications. It would be great to ...
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Deer deterrent for Texas Persimmon
September 23, 2004 - The deer have destroyed my Texas Persimmon by standing on their hind legs and pulling down the branches--either ripping them off entirely or twisting them. I didn't realize the persimmon fruit would...
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