Whatever gets posted as deer resistant or deer proof is likely to get draw challenges from other posters who find that THEIR deer regularly devour that particular plant. And I'm NOT challenging them on that.--I've had chili peppers devoured (fruit and plant) eaten at times. Maybe it's a question of local deer tastes, time of the year, variety of plants available, density, etc.. who knows. I actually live within a narrow deer crossing. It bridges two different wooded areas and is in regular, and heavy use (especially from autumn through late winter). Here's what works for me so far: Boxwood (they hate the smell and so did I--at first)--Have both the common box and my favorite--the Dwarf English. Hollies (have Japanese, English, Nellie Stevens, Ilex vomitoria 'Yaupon'--name explains why they leave that one alone!, Blue Princess, China Girl...) Yuccas Barberry (I hate the thorns so I removed hedges of them from the property when I moved in but the deer likewise hate them!) Northern Myrtle (Bayberry) Cephalotaxus (Japanese plum yew)--not hardy under 6 I believe.--This one looks like a true yew but the leaves are longer and more lush looking BUT the deer HATE IT. The true yews that were on the grounds were regularly eaten by deer so I removed all of them. Cotonester (again, hardiness may be a factor) HERBS, HERBS and MORE HERBS--they HATE the smell so I put in hedges of ROSEMARY, LAVENDER, BAY LAUREL Pieris Cherry Laurel Skimmia japonica Rhododendrons (basically left alone--and mine are still low to the ground and easy to munch on. I know many of these are not hardy under zone 6 or 7. I really like Holly and Boxwoods. 'Winter Gem' is among the hardiest of varieties. Growth rate on the Boxes is decent here though. Regarding the HEMLOCKS, there is an Island planting of Several Hemlocks and Japanese Holly in the back.--Most have been there for decades. I have not noticed the deer eating the lower branches--even when they were fairly low to the ground--have since pruned lower branches to lighten the grove and be able to walk through it. Also don't see much evidence of rutting damage on these trees. But these are going to be sizable trees. Are you looking for a 'TREE' or more a 'SHRUB'?

I have a tendency to agree with harry shoe on this one. Arborvitae might be a good choice for a screening but be careful which variety you get or even which individual plant you get. Some arborvitae have a single leading trunk while other have multi-leading trunks. The ones with the multi-leading trunk will have a tendency to split and part of them begin to bend over, making the plants ugly. My Husband used to bind them together with bungy-cords to keep them looking uniform. I think when we moved, we left a dozen or so bungy-cords behind. Leyland Cypress might be a good choice and will tolerate prunning. But they are also a larger plant. Arborvitae is a narrow tree with a narrow root system and the right tree would be less work. I like the idea of the cherry laural too, but that would be more work to keep them in line, especially if you have a narrow space.

Hi J, IÂll pipe up! YouÂre goofy! Now, about those cuttings! Are the sedums youÂre talking about the groundcover kind or the upright kind? If theyÂre the groundcover kind, yes, you can easily have them ready in time for the swap! I just started 15 of one kind and 20 of another kind today, and I have one more kind I havenÂt gotten done yet! Yeah! ItÂs bad to take a cutting with a bloom! The cuttings that will root the fastest and easiest are the tips of non-blooming stems. Cut 1½" pieces off of the end of the stems, strip the foliage off of the bottom half to two thirds, put them together into little "bouquets" of 5 or 6 or 7 cuttings, and stick them all the way up to the remaining foliage into moist or wet potting soil. Firm the soil around the little bunch of cuttings. If the soil was moist rather than wet, water it thoroughly. Bottom watering is best so you donÂt disturb the cuttings, or you can carefully go over them with a water breaker of some sort on your hose, or the sprayer in your kitchen sink. Anything that wonÂt wash them out of the soil. Then, with sedum, leave the soil dry all the way before soaking it completely again. Leaving it dry between waterings will help promote root growth. I start mine in little flats, just a couple inches from each other, and when they root, IÂll pot them up into what IÂm currently using for potsÂdrinking cups. You could also just start them in small pots right away. I have so many that I start them in flats to save room in my yard. If you want more, you can also make sedum cuttings out of stem pieces without the tips, but they take longer to look nice than tip cuttings do. Just cut the long stems into 1½" pieces the same as the tips, and do everything else the same. REMEMBER which end it "up!" Stick the bottom of the cutting into the soil. Most things wonÂt root if theyÂre stuck upside down. IÂve never been sure about sedumÂif anything would root upside down, sedum wouldÂbut IÂve never taken the time to actually test it out! I think you can also make cuttings out of the blooming stems by cutting the flower off and then making cuttings out of the rest of the stem, but IÂm not sure about that either, so you might want to give it a whirl to find out! If the stems near the blooms are turning "woody," I doubt that it would work. Most of the groundcover sedums donÂt do that, tho. RE the food, Why donÂt you just bring whatever you like the most, and then youÂll have something to enjoy no matter what others bringÂbut IÂm sure weÂre going to have so many different things that youÂll find "legal" things for you to eat. If I have time, IÂm just gonna make up a platter of cuke slices and cherry tomatoes or something like that. But thatÂs not TOO filling! If I missed any of your questions, let me know, Skybird P.S. IÂm not sure what you mean by "do they need plastic!" Oh, do you mean do they need to be...

Mariann - Oh you are so welcome, I love sharing my experiences and there is so little info on this on the interent, with any form of detail. As far as the place I kept them, due to the time frame with Early Spring, I put the cuttings indoors. Really wasn't sure if they should be warm or cold, but I figured if I'm trying to root them from dormancy, they need to be coming out of dormancy. My assumption was correct on these particular items. I can't say on other woody cuttings, but I prefer the quicker method (in warmth) than the unknown "stick them in the ground" method. They ended up starting green growth, before the outdoor items did. I've actually heard that, depending on the HW cuttings, keeping them warm helps the root growth, so they were in my upstairs bathroom at about 70 degrees constant. Now I'm testing out the softwood cuttings...oh it's so much different! But the bagging method works beautifully with that as well. I have 3 English Laurel cuttings in baggie method and 3 English Laurel cuttings in perlite method. The baggie method has roots EVERYWHERE! And I do mean EVERYWHERE!!! They are growing roots over the entire stem! 3 out of 3 are growing roots. The perlite/bottle method is just starting to get root buds, but isn't showing alot of promise. 2 of the cuttings have died off, so I'm awaiting the growth of roots on one of the 3 cuttings. I'm kind of getting a feel from the type of plant (that I can't explain it) as to which type of rooting method to use for which type of plant. Some seem to do beautifully in the perlite and bottle method and others do better in the baggie method. I suppose it's just keeping notes on each type of plant. Wanted to point out on the propagation boxes above, the only thing lacking is a plugged terra cotta pot to dispense moisture. I've included a link below for one on GW. While they are beautiful, they need the moisture. Check out Easy Propagation Chamber on GW and you'll see what I mean. This is so fun....Thanks so much for the fun.... Toni Here is a link that might be useful: Easy propagation chamber