Barrier hedge for deer?
Donna
15 years ago
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morz8 - Washington Coast
15 years agospazzycat_1
15 years agoRelated Discussions
Barrier for hedge planting against a split rail fence
Comments (3)It depends a bit which weeds, and what their method of spread is. In almost any case, the black plastic edging will probably be a waste of time. Weeds that spread by runners, like daylilies or morning glory, will easily bypass even quite deep edging, and most weeds spread by seed so will come through the fence. As such, if you add some boards to the fence from the ground up you might make the most impact, but even that will be bypassed by seeds to some degree. But for seed-sown weeds, to some extent you can depend on the shade your plants are going to supply to limit the degree to which weed seeds find hospitable ground on your side of the fence. The better your shrubs cover, the less weed growth you will have... "the trick is to cover the ground," as a nursery near me once wrote in their catalogue. As your plants grow in, their root competition will also help to reduce weeds. The real key to ongoing success against weeds is to design into your border the capacity for you to get into that area and pull weeds early, and probably also to put down an annual covering of mulch. Either open areas or stepping stones, in other words, which will not show much among your plants in summer, and can maybe add a nice structural/pattern design element in winter. What you can also do is plant a groundcover that you like that will grow over toward your neighbour and maybe suppress his/her weeds a bit, or a lot. In my climate something like Asarum canadense would do the trick. But you have to want it in your border too! Ongoing vigilance and access, and discreet use of herbicide on weeds that grow by runners, is the nutshell answer that I would offer. That, at least, is how I approach my neighbour's weeds, which include morning glory and buttercups, and so attack via underground runners, surface runners, and seed through a spaced-board privacy fence. Karin L...See MoreUsing thorny hedges as a barior against deer & bears?
Comments (1)I think so- critturs, if not feeling threatened, tend to take the path of least resistance. It also depends on how hungry (i.e., how many of them are competing for resources in a given area) they are. Bear are more persistent than deer in terms of getting through barriers and breaking things down. Deer get habituated pretty quickly, and will bed down and even have their fawns in a quiet corner of a municipal lawn. Bear follow their noses, grab what they can, and move on. But sows train their cubs to return to good pickings. They'll ruin trees to get to fruit. They all seem to like consistency and to shy away from new stimuli, but they do figure things out. Good luck, Mark...See MoreBamboos as deer barrier
Comments (4)Interesting idea, but I doubt it would work. Running bamboo do not put up a uniform wall of culms, so there will be many gaps for them to get through. It will also take several years after you plant before the bamboo are putting up goodly quantities of culms, and there aren't a whole lot of running bamboo whose mature height is only 6'-8'. Lastly, deer have been reported as liking to eat bamboo leaves, so it could be an attractant....See MoreDesperate for deer-proof hedge
Comments (49)I HATE, HATE, HATE Barberry! I ripped out all the Barberry the former, desperate homeowners ever planted here. What is considered deer resistant will vary depending on where you are, in colder zones, they will eat more plants that would otherwise be avoided further south. I use the following plants successfully here in Zone 7B NJ to avoid the deer. 1.) Cherry Laurel "Schipkaensis": it's highly poisonous, and they know it! It's the cyanide! Don't worry, it won't kill Bambi, they are smarter than people and won't think of eating it..., but if you have kids..., who knows. It grows FAST and forms an impenetrable hedge from the ground on up. 2.) Holly, they ignore my spiny hollies (Nellie Stevens, Chinese Holly)..., they will munch on Japanese Holly if stressed by deep snow..., they may munch on blue hollies. 3.) Osmathus heterophyllus 'goshki' (False Holly)..., it's very prickly 4.) They seem to ignore Rhododendrons 5.) They will not eat any bamboo (clumping or running) but love to make their dens under the cover of bamboo. 6.) And finally, it may not work in New England, but they don't eat Magnolia grandiflora (Southern Magnolia)..., but LOVE to rut them in the Autumn. P.S., I have more DEER neighbors than human neighbors, and I JUS' LOVE IT!...See Moretorajima
15 years agomad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
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15 years agoterrene
15 years agogottagarden
15 years agoDYH
15 years agoDonna
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15 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
15 years agoDonna
15 years agoshortmoma
15 years agoMissMyGardens
15 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
15 years agocalistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
15 years agoDonna
15 years agoPrettypetals_GA_7-8
15 years agocynandjon
15 years agojayco
15 years agoadamant2184
13 years ago
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