Native Plants

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.

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Thursday - October 22, 2015

From: GEORGETOWN, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Deer Resistant
Title: Deer eating Non-native Asiatic Jasmine in Georgetown, TX
Answered by: Mike Tomme

QUESTION:

Is there a spray or granular material that will prevent deer from eating asiatic jasmine?

ANSWER:

The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. Asiatic Jasmine is native to Korea and Japan and is outside our area of expertise at the Ladybird Johnson WIldflower Center.

However, we do know a little about deer. In Mr. Smarty Plants opinion, the long term answer top your question is no. There are many products for sale that claim to repel deer and I'm sure some, if not most, of them work - for a while. Here is an article that summarizes pretty well various approaches to repelling deer: Deter Deer In The Garden. Mr. Smarty Plants has previously proposed a device that makes a sound like a mountain lion's tummy growling whenever a deer approaches.