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I don't know all of those plants, but the ones I recognize seem common around here and once established don't require much maintenance. However, I learned the hard way that even the hardiest plants need watering regularly during the first summer or two, until they get more established, and after that most will still need watering during those super hot days that we get in the summer months. I really hate gardening and have lost a lot of hardy plants to neglect, but I've had good luck with azaleas, hydrangeas, maples and hollies. All the boxwood I've had has committed suicide. The only problems we've ever had with rodents in nova have been related to food sources and not to plantings. Bird and squirrel feeders are the worst. Never had a problem with deer anywhere (I have only lived in Fairfax county in the more populated parts).
I think you would really enjoy a quick drive out to the closest Merrifield Garden Center. The Help Desk there has an amazing assortment of literature, as well as lists of plants for any need or interest you can imagine. They have lists on all the native plants, too. They teach free classes, and always have 2-3 people on hand just to answer questions. They don't care if you buy something there, and I've often had them tell me not to buy a product.
As far your plant list goes, here are a few thoughts I have. Hope it helps.
Giant arborvitae
Beautiful trees, but the tend to bow over in heavy storms. In my neighborhood several were damaged badly in "Snowmageddon" and even that heavy rain we had this summer.
Japanese maple
Spectacular autumn leaves.
Red sunset maple
Spectacular autumn leaves.
Boxwood fastigiata
Looks nice in winter when other plants have disappeared. Deer seem to leave it alone.
Sky pencil holly
Another plant that is easily damaged by snow and ice.
Nandina compacta
A lot of people love these--mine have been disappointments. They can look ratty in the spring (maybe that's just mine).
Yucca filamentosa
I don't know anything about this plant.
Variegated Liriope
Low maintenance, looks great all year.
Plumbago
I've had great success with mine. Does well in the shade and the deer seem to leave it alone.
Drift rose
Not sure what sort of rose this is. The only rose I like in northern VA is the knockout. Deer don't eat them (as much--a hungry deer will eat anything) and they require almost no maintenance. You don't even need to prune them. They bloom from spring through Thanksgiving. Other roses just don't do as well ion our area. The one down side is you see them everywhere, especially in commercial areas and strip mall medians.
Azalea encore
Deer love these but I think they're worth it anyway. Spray Bobbex or Liquid Fence to keep away the deer.
Crimson pygmy barberries
Rose glow barberries
Barberries are great plants but very thorny, so be sure they're in an area that you don't want anyone going into.
One extra little tip: If you have a problem with Japanese Beetles, find a sunny spot a little bit removed from the roses and azaleas and plant Four O'Clocks. The landscaper can't plant them, so you'll have to plant them as seeds (or seedlings no higher than about an inch). Once these plants start, they are no-maintenance plants. They are toxic yet attractive to the beetles (much like the bags, but more attractive).
Yuccas are like anchovies. Some people love them, some people hate them. The downsides are that they have to be pruned twice a year (Spring and mid-Summer...wear heavy leather gloves) and that if you ever decide to dig it out, you can't, as every bit of root system that you leave behind will turn into...a brand new yucca plant. Herbicides are the only way to get rid of yucca if you ever decide to.
Never had deer problems with the giant arborvitae. Snow is a much bigger threat. Good idea to tie them up with twine (or rope once they get big) whenever significant snowfall is in the forecast. Deer will munch on azaleas and nandina, but they can take it. Danger with nandina is that deer will root around and expose the root systems. Nandina hate that and will often die if it's not caught and repaired quickly.
We are near the northern limit for encore azaleas. We have three of them and most years, we get a second bloom from at least two. Certainly welcome, but it's kind of a whimpy version compared to the first.
Might want to look at or ask about knockout roses along with the drift roses. Same deal, but knockouts are taller and shrubbier than the low, spreading drifts. They make a nice combination. Both are prolific and require about zero maintenance.
As for attracting rabbits, squirrels, voles, rats, mice, snakes, chipmunks, etc., these folks have already lived here for thousands of years. WE'RE the ones who have recently been attracted to the area. Always nice to show good manners when visiting the homes of others. Mice will get into your house whenever they want to, and there is nothing that can be done about that. Nailing heavy gauge chicken-wire over attic gable vents and such will however deter squirrels. If you want to minimize the wildlifescape, avoid things like wood piles, hedgerows, thickets, decaying logs and tree stumps, dirt and mulch piles, and vegetation that produces any sort of nuts or berries. Or be more neighborly and include some or all of those things plus put out some feeder stations and enjoy the show.
As has already been noted...
Simple instructions for how to feed deer: Plant some hostas.
Last edited by saganista; 11-18-2011 at 08:05 AM..
First of all, thank you all of you for the great advice. I think I might check out the closest Merrfield Garden Center. I exchanged more e-mails and phone calls with my landscaper as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Caladium
Giant arborvitae
Beautiful trees, but the tend to bow over in heavy storms. In my neighborhood several were damaged badly in "Snowmageddon" and even that heavy rain we had this summer.
My landscaper assured me that the "Green Giant" Arborvitae will not attract deer and will be okay in the winter unless there is severe amount of snow (but then he says severe amount of snow will damage most trees).
Quote:
Japanese maple
Spectacular autumn leaves.
Red sunset maple
Spectacular autumn leaves.
Yes, I agree, they look beautiful. I am having these planted for sure!
Quote:
Boxwood fastigiata
Looks nice in winter when other plants have disappeared. Deer seem to leave it alone.
Gone. Doesn't really fit the space I have for them.
Quote:
Sky pencil holly
Another plant that is easily damaged by snow and ice.
Really? Hmmm.
Quote:
Nandina compacta
A lot of people love these--mine have been disappointments. They can look ratty in the spring (maybe that's just mine).
My landscaper assured me that he himself has Nandinas on his property and that they grow very easily and well without much maintenance.
Quote:
Yucca filamentosa
I don't know anything about this plant.
They look great with a rock garden. I am having them planted.
Quote:
Variegated Liriope
Low maintenance, looks great all year.
Great to hear! They're on!
Quote:
Plumbago
I've had great success with mine. Does well in the shade and the deer seem to leave it alone.
Gone. Being replaced with a rock garden.
Quote:
Drift rose
Not sure what sort of rose this is. The only rose I like in northern VA is the knockout. Deer don't eat them (as much--a hungry deer will eat anything) and they require almost no maintenance. You don't even need to prune them. They bloom from spring through Thanksgiving. Other roses just don't do as well ion our area. The one down side is you see them everywhere, especially in commercial areas and strip mall medians.
I think they are these. I am getting the pink variety. They seem to be very hardy, but I can't find any info on deer resistance. My landscaper says they are and I have no reason not to trust him.
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Azalea encore
Deer love these but I think they're worth it anyway. Spray Bobbex or Liquid Fence to keep away the deer.
Gone. No deer attractant for me. I get an enormous number of deer on this newly purchased property. There are just herds of them everywhere.
Quote:
Crimson pygmy barberries
Rose glow barberries
Barberries are great plants but very thorny, so be sure they're in an area that you don't want anyone going into.
I think they'll be great under ground-level windows. I love their looks, but they are deciduous, so sadly they are gone.
Quote:
One extra little tip: If you have a problem with Japanese Beetles, find a sunny spot a little bit removed from the roses and azaleas and plant Four O'Clocks. The landscaper can't plant them, so you'll have to plant them as seeds (or seedlings no higher than about an inch). Once these plants start, they are no-maintenance plants. They are toxic yet attractive to the beetles (much like the bags, but more attractive).
Thanks, but I don't know what Japanese Beetles look like and what they do. I hear others talk about them as a great pestilence upon gardeners.
Quote:
Originally Posted by saganista
Yuccas are like anchovies. Some people love them, some people hate them.
Love anchovies. Love Yucca (now)!
Quote:
Never had deer problems with the giant arborvitae. Snow is a much bigger threat. Good idea to tie them up with twine (or rope once they get big) whenever significant snowfall is in the forecast.
I am not doing that much work for dozens and dozens of trees!
Quote:
Deer will munch on azaleas and nandina, but they can take it. Danger with nandina is that deer will root around and expose the root systems. Nandina hate that and will often die if it's not caught and repaired quickly.
In any case, he told me he'd replace, at his cost, any plant that turn out to be deer attractive or hard to maintain.
Quote:
We are near the northern limit for encore azaleas. We have three of them and most years, we get a second bloom from at least two. Certainly welcome, but it's kind of a whimpy version compared to the first.
Azaleas are gone from the list.
Quote:
Might want to look at or ask about knockout roses along with the drift roses. Same deal, but knockouts are taller and shrubbier than the low, spreading drifts. They make a nice combination. Both are prolific and require about zero maintenance.
What are the benefits of knock out roses over drift roses? He's doing some Variegated Liriope and Drift Roses in front of and next to green foundation plantings and Sky Pencil Holly.
Quote:
Simple instructions for how to feed deer: Plant some hostas.
CAVA, you know I am not a deer-feeding type but more of a eating-deer type. Since I cannot dispatch them with firearms in my jurisdiction, I may have to use, ahem, more silent methods for those that wander into my property.
That's different from deer-proof. We have 8-10 of exactly those. They'll survive a curious chomp or two, but we've lost two to not quickly enough detected hoof-damage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IndiaLimaDelta
What are the benefits of knock out roses over drift roses? He's doing some Variegated Liriope and Drift Roses in front of and next to green foundation plantings and Sky Pencil Holly.
The major difference is structure. Knockouts are taller and more shrublike. Drifts are shorter and speaders. Sounds like you've got an ascending series of tiers going on, in which case the extra height from the knockouts may not be welcome. Knockouts also bloom in waves about 4-5 weeks apart. Drift roses bloom continuously.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IndiaLimaDelta
CAVA, you know I am not a deer-feeding type but more of a eating-deer type. Since I cannot dispatch them with firearms in my jurisdiction, I may have to use, ahem, more silent methods for those that wander into my property.
That's different from deer-proof. We have 8-10 of exactly those. They'll survive a curious chomp or two, but we've lost two to not quickly enough detected hoof-damage.
I don't think anything is "deer-proof" esp. if they're hungry enough.
Quote:
The major difference is structure. Knockouts are taller and more shrublike. Drifts are shorter and speaders. Sounds like you've got an ascending series of tiers going on, in which case the extra height from the knockouts may not be welcome. Knockouts also bloom in waves about 4-5 weeks apart. Drift roses bloom continuously.
Yes, I decided to go with the drift roses.
Quote:
You can always put out salt licks...
Nah, I don't want to attract them. But if one should wander into my property... Well, since I can't discharge firearms, I would have to opt for a more silent option.
...tiger pits? Secretly planting hostas in your neighbor's yard while he's on vacation? Keep in mind that the adversary has an advantage in numbers over you...
...tiger pits? Secretly planting hostas in your neighbor's yard while he's on vacation? Keep in mind that the adversary has an advantage in numbers over you...
I'm hoping the wife would buy me one of these for Christmas.
In any case, he told me he'd replace, at his cost, any plant that turn out to be deer attractive or hard to maintain.
That's a good deal, because if deer get hungry they've been known to eat all plants, even the deer resistant ones. They love all roses, which I hear are like chocolate to Bambi. However, they'll avoid the varieties with lots and lots of thorns (if there's something less thorny to eat). That's why the knockouts are considered somewhat deer resistant. OTOH, I have seen plenty of evidence that my deer have nibbled at my knockouts. They probably spend the whole meal going "Yum!" Ouch!" "Yum!" Ouch!" "Yum!" Ouch!" but they'll eat them if they're hungry.
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Spectacular autumn leaves.
