I am having a terrible problem with the deer eating everything I put in the garden. I have an area where I would like to put a row of large flowering shrubs of some type but haven't figured out what would be deer-proof. They ate my rhododendrens, burning bushes, hostas (of course), pine trees. Do deer eat hydrangeas? I was wondering about a mixed row of hydrangeas such as Limelight & Pinky Winky. Would they work together? I have an Endless Summer that is doing great, but it is right against the house where the deer don't come close.
Deer Resistance?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but at least in my neck of the woods deer will actively eat and or step on and destroy the brittle branches of Hydrangea while eating other Hydrangeas. I will say how ever that I watched a young doe at NOON eat 3 out of 10 semi mature 'Endless Summer' shrubs in a hedge of ten. Honestly I grumbled through late winter into early summer only to later realize the new growth somehow compensated for the destruction and by July you couldn't tell the difference. I have many suggestions for shrubs that deer SEEM to ignore but would need more specifics. kt
Thanks. I need all the suggestions I can get. I have gone to several lists of "deer resistant plants" and they all say different things, some of which plants I know my deer already eat.
Since you are located in Ohio I thought that the Ohio University Extension Program would have a fact sheet for Ohio deer problems and resistant plants. Oddly enough they refer to Wisconsin Extension Fact Sheet g3083
http://www.extension.org/pages/Deer_Damage_Management
After I read through it I could see why. It is extremely comprehensive. Partway down the document are lists of plants and deer damage. It would be worth your time to print off this Fact Sheet and see what you can learn and use. One thing I do know is that a starving hungry deer is not a picky eater. When food sources are low they are apt to eat most anything.