We have the deer herd also,Cameron , supplemented this year by an explosion in the cottontail population. Could be because the fox families have moved and the barred owls have been run off by the great horned variety that like a larger territory for just one breeding pair. At any rate, I have lots of beds of ice plant and it is fine. It's the purslane that got decimated repeatedly until I just carved up some Irish Spring soap and spread it around. In prepared beds with loosened soil the fawns would grab hold and just pull the plants out of the ground. A couple of nibbles and they'd walk away. Constantly replanting these same plants. But the soap chips really helped and Irish Spring is really scented..don't store it where you have food in cartons or the scent will get in that stuff too.

When we moved here (Chatham county) 11 years ago we had a few deer nibble on a few choice plants - no big deal. But the closer Cary comes (1 1/2 miles now vs. 10 miles when we moved here), the worse our deer problem gets. I can't grow much of anything outside my fenced area anymore and they have even jumped my fence to get to some things. I always thought tomato plants were poisonous, but apparently not to deer. They completely destroyed those this year and even ate my castor bean plants. This was the first year they touched my hydrangeas and they ate some of those to the ground. We have tried everything short of fencing the entire 4+ acres and nothing has worked this year. I don't like deer much, but I like rampant development even less. We have also seen an explosion in the bunny population here. I don't know where that comes from. They are everywhere and this is the first year we have ever had a real problem with them. Dana

Maryland - Shasta Daisys (blooming) were ignored right next to perennial black-eyed-susans which were literally mowed down (just before blooming) in one garden. On the other side of the house, both were mowed down to the ground; both were JUST before buds opened; I think they prefer the young greenery. Once the flowers are open, they might be safer from deer. Really pointy hollies they leave alone (so far) but any hollies without the stickers, they eat them, especially new growth. Invasives? They ate a fence full of Virginia Creeper, but only on one side of the fence--of course, the side we get to look at. Daffodils? They don't eat them, just bite off the buds and spit them out. Hyacinths have been untouched. Marigolds? They just pull them out of the ground, then spit them out to dry up and die. Forget about the hydrangeas and daylillies. I've seen them eat the neighbor's barberry bushes, thorns and all. My barberries, they just step on and break. Iris goes untouched. Coral bells survive some nibbling. Periwinkle groundcover survives unless they pull it out. Most of my neighbors have arborvitae--there's a contest for the best "deer topiary." I'm trying some ferns now, some wild from our woods, some purchased. The nursery had a sale for "a buck a piece" but I hope that doesn't mean they are FOR the bucks. I know, lame joke. Motion activated lights? The deer look happier, oh thank you, now they can see what they are eating! Motion activated water? Oh, thank you, what a nice bath. Motion activated sound? Oh, thank you, piped in music. Barking dogs? Oh, don't worry, they can't get out. Coyote urine? Oh, just eat around it, there are starving children in the next county. My hairdresser gave me a bag of hair cuttings to try. One of her customers swears by it. Didn't help my poor hydrangea, though. Maybe I'll try tying little mesh bags full. The hydrangea has become the "deer test" for many supposed deterrents. None have worked so far. BlueBars

The winter sowing concept is quite interesting. I have been saving containers with the intention of trying out this method one of these years. Plants/seedlings are doing fine at this point. I am heavy into up-potting seedlings now. Everything I wanted to seed is now seeded in flats. I had a lot of germination problems this year with Burpee seeds - never had a problem in the past but this is probably enough for me to be done with this company for good. I know others on GW don't like Burpee seeds for this reason. Any tricks to growing greens in containers? My seedlings of lettuce, spinach, etc. are doing fine but plants seem a bit "floppy". I am hoping the wind action will stiffen up the plants' stems a little better. They are outpacing what I early-seeded in the kitchen garden, but the plants in the kitchen garden aren't floppy. Very interesting being able to see comparisons. A couple days ago I caught a rabbit - on the porch of all places - munching on my little potted container greens. I didn't start the conflict, but the war is on. -Tom