Creating beautiful yet deer resistant landscape!
Using Traditional Perennials with Native Plants
These days it’s difficult to find areas of South Central Texas that don’t have significant deer populations which can pose challenges for landscaping. Many of our much-loved favorite plants quickly become deer food if we’re not careful when choosing what to plant and where. Roses in particular and other plants in the rose family like Indian Hawthorn are simply just deer delicacies. The solution NativeScapes has been using to create colorful landscapes that can withstand the deer includes combining traditional perennials and evergreens with native plants.
Texas native plants are often, but not always, fairly deer resistant but it’s good to check with either your local nursery where you purchase them or one of the several lists available on-line. One of the best is this one from the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – Austin, TX
One of my favorite traditional evergreen plants to use is the heirloom “cemetery iris” or white iris. Iris albicans is very drought tolerant and very deer resistant. It spreads easily and forms a wonderful ground cover that blooms every spring. It grows in sun as well as shade and its lovely blue/green foliage is present all year long. You can mix this plant with all kinds of natives and other traditional garden perennials like Lambs Ear (Stachys byzantina) or Society Garlic (Tulbagia violacea) for a great deer resistant look sun or shade. These plants are low growing and evergreen during most of our typical winters however if it gets well below freezing for extended periods of time these plants will die back but will come back strong in the spring.
Choosing the right plants and combining them in the right location go a long way to creating a long lasting, viable landscape that requires little maintenance.
Call NativeScapes today and let us help you create a beautiful landscape that you will enjoy for years to come! Free estimates! 830.608.0204