Deer-Resistant Perennials?

[Anonymous]

PP who keeps posting pictures of mountain laurel, have you successfully grown mountain laurel in your garden, and if so, under what conditions?

[Anonymous]

Mountain-laurels are acid-loving plants in the blueberry family (Ericaceae) and thrive in well-drained soils with morning sunlight. The selection is very important with mountain-laurels in terms of both light levels and soil moisture. If mountain-laurels are placed in total shade, their growth becomes leggy and flower production is reduced. With excessive sunlight, these natives often show marginal leaf burn from drought injury and sunburn on the foliage, and the plants generally struggle to survive. Afternoon sunlight is too intense for mountain-laurels, so landscape placement should be with morning sun, or with dappled sunlight beneath tall pines.

It is imperative to improve the drainage of heavy clay soils before planting. If an entire planting bed cannot be tilled, then dig individual planting holes 2 to 3 times wider than the plant container and add a soil conditioner made of composted, ground pine bark. The resulting soil mix should be approximately 20 percent pine bark by volume. Mountain-laurels prefer acid soils with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. While many of the Upstate soils in South Carolina are within this range, it is important that these acid-loving shrubs are not planted in areas that have been recently limed. In addition, with the typically low nutrient levels in South Carolina soils, to enhance root growth and establishment of the plants, a complete organic fertilizer (such as Espoma Holly-tone or Bradfield Organics Acid Adoring Fertilizer) should be added at planting at ½ cup for a 3-gallon-containerized plant and thoroughly mixed with the backfill soil.

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2010/05mt_laurel.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Mountain-laurels are acid-loving plants in the blueberry family (Ericaceae) and thrive in well-drained soils with morning sunlight. The selection is very important with mountain-laurels in terms of both light levels and soil moisture. If mountain-laurels are placed in total shade, their growth becomes leggy and flower production is reduced. With excessive sunlight, these natives often show marginal leaf burn from drought injury and sunburn on the foliage, and the plants generally struggle to survive. Afternoon sunlight is too intense for mountain-laurels, so landscape placement should be with morning sun, or with dappled sunlight beneath tall pines.

It is imperative to improve the drainage of heavy clay soils before planting. If an entire planting bed cannot be tilled, then dig individual planting holes 2 to 3 times wider than the plant container and add a soil conditioner made of composted, ground pine bark. The resulting soil mix should be approximately 20 percent pine bark by volume. Mountain-laurels prefer acid soils with a pH of 5.0 to 5.5. While many of the Upstate soils in South Carolina are within this range, it is important that these acid-loving shrubs are not planted in areas that have been recently limed. In addition, with the typically low nutrient levels in South Carolina soils, to enhance root growth and establishment of the plants, a complete organic fertilizer (such as Espoma Holly-tone or Bradfield Organics Acid Adoring Fertilizer) should be added at planting at ½ cup for a 3-gallon-containerized plant and thoroughly mixed with the backfill soil.

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/hot_topics/2010/05mt_laurel.html

Yes, thanks, I can also Google and read. My question is whether you, yourself, have successfully grown mountain laurel in your garden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP who keeps posting pictures of mountain laurel, have you successfully grown mountain laurel in your garden, and if so, under what conditions?

I posted one picture of a mountain laurel and only in this thread. My neighbor has one that's thrived--partial shade, MoCo. However, I've heard that they can be finicky. I'd talk to a nursery or landscaper who has actually planted them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scotch Broom.



Comes in red and yellow. Amazing fragrance when flowering. Green foliage year round. In market right now.

And invasive.

In West Coast.

And also in VIRGINIA:
http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/scotch-broom.pdf

Scotch Broom is also a problem plant in Maryland.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Habitat/WildAcres/wabadplants.asp

It's pretty but pretty much considered a noxious weed. Please don't plant it.

Invasives choke out natives and are spread by birds/wind etc and cost the parks service millions of dollars every year to help control.

[Anonymous]

I have a butterfly bush that the deer don't touch. But that bush does get big!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Scotch Broom.



Comes in red and yellow. Amazing fragrance when flowering. Green foliage year round. In market right now.

And invasive.

In West Coast.

And also in VIRGINIA:
http://na.fs.fed.us/fhp/invasive_plants/weeds/scotch-broom.pdf

Scotch Broom is also a problem plant in Maryland.
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/wildlife/Habitat/WildAcres/wabadplants.asp

It's pretty but pretty much considered a noxious weed. Please don't plant it.

Invasives choke out natives and are spread by birds/wind etc and cost the parks service millions of dollars every year to help control.

Why are these being sold in gardening centers? I would think that they would be banned if they were invasive!

[Anonymous]

Invasives are sold b/c they are cheap and really easy to propagate, so there's huge profit.