the best idea is a hemlock on the east coast ... or am i mislocating you.. lol ???

how about you back up across the yard.. and let us see the whole site plot ... a gang of destroyed hosta stems doesnt quite give us a flavor of what is around the area ...

4 or 5 hours fo sun.. what time of the day .. light isnt as intense at dusk and dawn... fewer hours at mid day might be overcome... unless.. in tree time.. the hours will be further reduced ...

ken

What's the trouble? Deer keep munching the hostas?

Lane, the problem is we have a large deer population that love the taste of hosta. It’s kind of like me around sharp cheddar — I can’t resist. The only solution is to fence, which I don’t want to do. I know people do it, but to me it ruins the whole garden aesthetic.

Ken, Tsuga does fine here. I’ve got several scattered across the property, all of which are doing well. This area gets morning sun. Due to large trees to the south and west, it quickly goes into full shade by early afternoon. Again, the question I have is it worth spending the extra money on a gold hemlock that will get 4-5 hours of sun?

This photo shows the site, with the open area to left being east.

I hate deer so much. I'm going to try motion activated sprinklers next summer to keep them off my flowers and roses.

Aw, those poor little deer. If you take away all their favorite foods, what are they supposed to do? ;-)

Being an old forester, I can recommend one solution that may or may not be something you can or want to do.

If the trees surrounding or shading your planting area are getting close enough together, that thinning would be beneficial to the overall stand, it's surprising how much you could increase the hours of sun coming into that area. It won't be constant, direct sun but more like extra periods of full sun throughout the day, which could easily add hours daily. And the remaining trees would get more light for expanding their crown.

With tsuga (and most other newly started trees for that matter), actually do good in a shadier environment, for a few years, until they get established.

Back in my farming days, I would put a scarecrow out in the field to deter deer from eating the crops. But if you didn't move that scarecrow to a different position every several days, the deer would figure it out, to the point it was no long effective.

Tsuga does fine here.

==>> you still didnt refresh my memory where you are .. apparently not anywhere near where the hemlock bugs are??? .. else. since you have hemlock.. you ought to know ... eh ..

yellow conifers are tough ... as you note.. not enough sun.. and they dont yellow properly ... but too much sun.. and many burn to a crisp.. especially when young ...

im not sure you answered what hours of sun... but in any case like this.. you are just going to have to plant it.. and see what happens.. subject to the shade canopy growing over the years.. and sun being reduced even more. ..

ken

Sorry. I'm in west-central Wisconsin. Ken, I initially said 4-5 hours of sun, and then added at your request morning sun. You can figure roughly from 7am - noon.

Is anyone growing Golden Splendor? Like a lot of gold conifers, its color is enhanced with more sun. What I'm trying to figure out is how much sun is needed to allow for best color on this hemlock clone. I'm fairly confident it will grow just fine on this site, but will the gold be like this?

I'd like to clarify that I'm not anti-deer. I've been observing them for decades and find them fascinating. My garden philosophy has evolved to develop a garden with plants less desired by deer. Hemlock fits that bill.

I think you’ll be fine. I don’t have Golden Splendor but my Vermeulen’s Wintergold colored up nicely with only 3-4 hours of afternoon sun. In fact, after the electric company butchered my neighbor’s very mature Black Walnut a few years ago, it now gets 6-7 hours of afternoon sun and occasionally burns.

tj

And I'd like to clarify also:

When I used the term 'thinning', my thoughts were possibly cutting a tree or two and how much that can increase the sun hours per day. And how that can open up a planting area for more introductions.

As far as deer go, they keep the Autobody shops in business around here. lol

LOL. Yes, same here. The thinning idea is a good one. I've actually done some of that, but it remains an option. There's about a 40' red maple in this area, and you can see part of the trunk on the left of pic #2. A couple years ago I had the canopy thinned/reduced to let in more light.

I've got a golden hemlock (Golden Duchess from Monrovia) under an elm tree that probably gets 4 hours of morning sunlight, and it has remained a very vibrant yellow. Go for it!

Canadian hemlock is being decimated by adelgids in its native area. Including old growth stands - I would check on my local situation before spending much money or time on new installations of this tree. Especially more costly named forms.

The main problem with fencing is the cost. Otherwise, various kinds of fences can be used to exclude browsing animals. However, buying plants only to have them spoiled can add up too. And there is certainly an aesthetic aspect to having garden plants eaten by deer or rabbits. There are also many situations where a solid fence or wall provides a nice contrasting backdrop to informal plantings. That can otherwise look billowy or loose without this architectural element being included in the scene. (Same visual effect is also produced by clipped hedges, but I wouldn't count on these excluding all unwanted visitors. Even when fully developed, years after planting).