Oh, greenbug, I was just in Costco and had to pass up the Daylilies and Phlox because I know the deer will eat them. Didn't know miserable mangy groundhogs ate them but there's not much they don't eat. My father's rose bushes all have 4' green rabbit fencing in circles around them. I still have to spray them weekly with a repellant and even then they are often defoliated and "deflowered" by the deer as long as there's anything left on there. They can eat an entire 3'x4' floribunda rose bush in one night. Heartbreaking so better you know you should take precautions. You can do it but it's going to take much effort on your part to have those beautiful plants and blooms. I didn't want to post an answer because I didn't want to rain on your parade. Better you be prepared for the extra protection your plants are going to need than plant them, wait/watch the growth/bloom only to have them disappear one night. I've tried for 2 years to cross reference a deer, rabbit and slug resistant list of plants. Impossible to find wide variety for 3 season bloom for which plants are resistant to all three critters. I can fight slugs to some degree with diomatceous earth sprinkled around susceptible plants so I focus more on deer and rabbits. Rabbit fencing installed correctly helps but doesn't look too hot around highly visible flower beds. And groundhogs can climb or tunnel under these fences anyway. I've ended up with a lot and/or getting more varieties of Agastache, Salvia, Nepeta, Echinacea (iffy), Alchemilla Mollis (Lady's Mantle), Astilbe, Foxglove, Lobelia (iffy), Monarda and Allium (Fall planted bulbs). Adding to all beds this year highly aromatic (noninvasive) herbs (rosemary, lady lavender, oregano,thyme & sage) which I'll either grow from seed and/or buy 6 packs this spring to spread around the beds to try and distract critters with scents from eating other more vulnerable plants. Last Fall I planted some Penstemon which only had a few leave eaten over winter but rabbits haven't been out yet. We'll see. Have Campanula to plant out but don't know if that'll be eaten. We'll see. I've used the "plant search" feature on Bluestone Perennials web site and enter my zone, deer resistant and rabbit resistant. The results only show what they sell but it's a start. Cornell Univ. has some helpful research resources. http://www.hort.cornell.edu/gardening/factsheets/deerdef/index.html There are a number of native plants that are relatively deer resistant. If you haven't already done so it was helpful for me to find my local county extension web site and locate their "deer resistant" listing. It indicates whether there's heavy, moderate, occasional, almost never deer browsing of many plant varieties. That's a place to start and then hope the deer aren't too hungry or overpopulated in your area (they likely are already like here) so you can at least have a shot at having your perennnials survive deer. Rabbits and groundhogs are just another story. Once you know you've got a significan deer problem it's research, plant/bed protection with a lot of trial and error. Swearing doesn't help in the least though it's therapeutic for a nanosecond. :) I've gotten some plants from a very nice couple in upstate NY who have a mail order business called Graceful Gardens. The plants are starter size but some will bloom first year. And there's the shipping cost that's certainly not unreasonable compared to most vendors but an added cost nonetheless. They have a "deer resistant" section which I've used. Not failsafe and some things massacred by rabbits and groundhogs but I learned without spending a comparative fortune on blooming sized perennials. Very nice couple owns it and are very accomodating. Gracefulgardens.com I google "deer resistant nj" and peruse the online mail order plant vendor sites to see what they offer. I don't buy from them but use their info for "possible" list. Found a pretty extensive list for CT at a place called Twombly Nursery. Don't have to buy there...just use their list(s) for starter reference. Linked site for you. Just remember rabbits, groundhogs or slugs might be a problem even if it's on deer resistant list. Even by googling each plant name on list(s) coupled with either rabbit or slug resistant you'll have to try things out to see what works. As 'leslies' said...annuals have their rightful place for deer resistance and bloom power. Even I was able to start Ageratum from seed and there were only a few nibbles over a very long season of bloom without any slug damage. Same for Salvia coccinea. Sweet Alyssum gives a lot of bang for the buck. I ordered 4 Datura plants (supposedly poisonous) and I'm already assuming all the deer will need is a couple Rolaids after eating a good bit of them but it's worth a try. Hope we haven't bummed you out too much. Just don't want you to go through more heartache losing "known" highly browsed plants. It's hard to realize you can't have some plants you really want unless you have a deck or can fence them in well. I'm still in denial on a few things but getting better...LOL. Here is a link that might be useful: Deer Resistant Plant List - CT

Shelley I started the osteospermum from seed on Feb 11..I got my seed from T+M. It was a packet of 10 seeds which only had 9 seeds in it, out of that 6 seeds germinated. One seed was a "bad" seed and was growing contorted so it got plucked. The seeds started to germinate on the 15th, four days later. I was hoping for at least 8 out of 10 seeds to sprout but will do them again because I am quite happy over the colour mix. A few years ago I was given an older package of "glistening white" osteospermum and it germinated very well that year but the next year I didnt get a single seed to sprout. I surfaced sowed the seeds with just a sprinkling of soiless mix over them and then close to the grow light with plastic wrap over the container to keep the moisture in..savona

Trades are getting slimmer. I've been weeding out the plants I don't want over the past few years and haven't got enough of the plants I like to be able to divide much. Hope that changes in a year or two! I can bring: My seed stash 1 black walnut seedling Daylilies (unknown type but definitely not ditch lilies) Mums (yellow) Black eyed susans Grape hyacinth bulbs Lycoris bulbs Small flowered coreopsis seedlings Russian sage cuttings (roots easily in water during the spring) Star of Bethlehem bulbs (can be VERY invasive and is very poisonous to dogs and cats but perhaps in a pot it wouldn't be too bad) Hyacinthoides (wood hyacinth)-white I may not get to dig all of these (time is getting short), so let me know if you want something and I'll make sure I bring it. Diana Lynn

Sorry for the late post, but I thought I would post the types of tomatoes and peppers that I will be bringing. Let me know if you would like for me to put some aside. "cfmuehling", I would love to trade for some of your raspberry and black berry canes.(I tried to email you but it did not go through) Peppers -Hot Yellow Dutch -Red Bandita -Paprika -Chinese 5 -Orozco -Sun Orange Bell Tomatoes -Green Grape -Early Ssubakus Aliana -Goji Faranji -Green Giant -Hong Yuen -Peiping Chieh -Yellow Pear (winter sowed-so they are kind of small) -White Currant (winter sowed-so they are kind of small) I also have 1 Southwest Coral Bean plant started from seed. It is a highly poisonous tropical. see you Saturday, Kanisa