Native Plants

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Wednesday - September 22, 2010
From: Arlington, VA
Region: Mid-Atlantic
Topic: Deer Resistant
Title: Deer Resistant Plants for Northern Virginia
Answered by: Mike Tomme
QUESTION:
I'm looking for deer resistant shade plants in Northern Virginia. The deer have devoured my hostas, impatiens and native toad lily plants, day lilies.ANSWER:
One of the advantages of using native plants in a landscape is that natives are generally more resistant to the pests found in the plants native area. We don't usually think of deer as pests, but they can be when they eat up your carefully cultivated (and often expensive) plants.
Here is a link to a previous Mr. Smarty Plants answer on this subject: Deer Resistant Plants for Great Falls, VA. This answer provided a list of deer resistant plants for Virginia.
If you would like to generate your own list, here's how:
From the Wildflower.org home page, click on the Explore Plants tab near the top of the page,
Select Recommended Species from the list on the upper right,
Select Deer Resistant under the heading Special Collections,
On the Deer Resistant Species page, select your state from the drop down menu under Select State and Province, then click on Narrow Your Search at the bottom of the sidebar. This will generate a list of all the deer resistant plants in the database that are native to the area you selected. You can further refine your search by specifying a general appearance and lifespan and checking boxes under light requirement, soil moisture, bloom time and bloom color.
More Deer Resistant Questions
Deer eating creosote bushes (Larrea tridentata)
November 04, 2008 - We have Creosote Bushes (Larrea tridentata) that grow wild on out 10 acres. The deer eat those plants all year 'round. Probably more in the dry times of the year. Just wanted to let you know that t...
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Deer resistant vegetables
April 18, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
Are there any vegetables that are deer resistant? Squash, Watermelon, Corn, Chilies?
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Deer Resistant plants in South Dakota
November 03, 2011 - Plants and flowers that deer wont eat and will grow in Black Hills, SD
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Plants that are deer resistant for high desert climate in Utah
January 23, 2008 - We are building in a high desert climate in Dammeron Valley, Utah. We want plants that are both deer resistant and require little watering. Can you advise which plants (shrubs, flowers, cacti) that ...
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Using Erosion Mats to Discourage Deer in Buda, Texas
June 09, 2011 - I have a small back yard that has turned into a throughway for a large herd of deer. Whenever I try to grow grass the deer pull out the grasses. The more I water it, the more deer traffic. I was wo...
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