Deer-Proof Gardening in the South

As a nursery owner, I'm often asked how I keep deer from eating the plants. Well, actually I use a number of methods, none of them expensive. Deer fencing is not an option for us, since a fence must surround the whole garden and be 10 feet tall to keep out deer. And it would be impossible for us to spray our whole garden with deer repellent after every rain or watering. Our large black lab Shadow used to keep the deer away from everything, but now that she's getting older, she seems to have befriended some of them, lying down with them as they eat. The best thing to do, since as gardeners, you'll be planting anyway, is to choose plants deer won't eat. A good plant type to use are those with prickly leaves or thorny branches, but deer do have the ability to pick berries and roses in spite of the thorns. I've even found where they've tasted of my holly shrubs and pyracantha, if you can believe it! And although it's true that deer seem to know what is poisonous to them, some plants that are poisonous to us are not so to deer, such as rhododendron and azaleas, for instance. I hope to share with you some of our experience with this short list of plants that have proved to be not quite so tasty to the deer in our garden:

• Acuba
• Aspidistra
• Barberry
• Boxwood
• Daffodil
• Daphne odora
• Dusty Miller
• Fatsia Japanica
• Hellebore, Helleborus
• Loropetalum
• Oleander
• Osmanthus
• Rohdea
• Viburnum
• Yaupon Holly

Also, all aromatic herbs, with the exception of basil, are detested by deer. And the fragrance of rosemary, which is very pleasing to us, seems to have a repellant effect on deer, causing them to go elsewhere in their search of food. For a list of native plants that aren't usually food for deer, please visit our other site, Plant Native.

Shadygardener: Ebay Seller Opens Shady Gardens Nursery

One of the favorite sellers of plants on ebay is now selling on her own site outside of ebay!

"AWESOME ITEM - VERY PLEASED WITH TOTAL TRANS. & HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS EBAYER!!!!" "The important thing is that the selections are unique & quality excellent!" "Shipment was fast and plant was better than expected, thanks!" "One of my favorite sellers. Beautiful healthy plants." "Will buy from this seller again and again ..."

Those are just a few of the feedback comments left for shadygardener on ebay. You can read more about shadygardener's feedback on ebay.

If you've been searching for native plants or other hard to find plants for your garden, there is a good selection of unusual plants on ebay. But if you'd rather not purchase on ebay, you can go directly to shadygardener's online nursery site: Shady Gardens Nursery.

Plants will be promptly shipped directly to you at a great price, and if you're looking for something not listed in the current inventory, they'll try to find it for you!

Drought Tolerant Plants for Georgia

Recently here in Georgia, we have received plenty of rain. For that, we are very thankful. But it is wise to make provisions for drought to return, and plant wisely when planning our gardens. Below you will find a list which includes plants we are successfully growing in our garden with no supplemental water. Some are native, some are not. Aspidistra (Cast Iron Plant) Callicarpa americana (Purple Beauty Berry) Carolina Jessamine Daphne odora (Fragrant Winter Daphne) Hellebore (Lenten Rose) Hydrangea quercifolia (Oakleaf Hydrangea) Oxalis (Wood Sorrell) Pachysandra Procumbens Pomegranate Rhododendron austrinum (Florida Flame Azalea) Rhododendron alabamense (Alabama Native Azalea) Rohdea Japonica (Nippon Lily/Japanese Sacred Lily) Sedums Spirea Wisteria frutescens (American wisteria-Not invasive!) For more information on any of these recommended plants, please visit Shady Gardens Nursery.

Master Gardener Class Offered in Troup County, Georgia

Master Gardener Class for 2009 Do you want to learn more about how to make your garden grow, identify plants, and meet other people who are also interested in gardening? If so, applications are now being taken for the 2009 Master Gardener Class in Troup County. 

The class is open to residents of Troup, Harris, Heard, Meriwether, Muscogee and Coweta Counties in Georgia and also Lee, Chambers and Randolph Counties in Alabama. Gardeners receive training in a variety of areas such as landscape design, soil and plant nutrition, plant physiology, turf grass maintenance and other related topics. 

Those participating will then volunteer to assist the local County Agents and local gardeners to answer their gardening questions and participate in special gardening projects with other Master Gardeners. 

The classes are taught by professionals in their field, University professors and other well qualified individuals. Classes will be held at the Troup County Agriculture Center, 21 Vulcan Materials Road, LaGrange and will meet from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday from January 27 through April 2, 2009. Cost for the program is $125.00 and includes the textbook, all classroom materials, a name badge and certificate. A minimum of $75.00 is required with the application. 

In the first year following completion of the course, class members are required to contribute 50 hours of volunteer time in the Community and to the Extension Service to receive their certification as a Master Gardener. To retain certification, 25 hours of volunteer service are required each year. For an application or more information, call the Troup County Extension Service at 706-883-1675 or stop in at the Extension Office, Suite 2200 in the County Government Center at 200 Ridley Avenue, LaGrange. Applications must be received in the office by December 15, 2008.

The Winter Garden

Since a Georgia winter has frequent warm days, we enjoy spending a lot of time outdoors even in January and February. Although native plants are most important to us, finding native plants that are showy in winter can be challenging. We do have many non-native evergreens in our garden. In addition to the popular choices of Azaleas, Camellias, and Hollies which we all must have, here is a list of some less common plants I've found to be truly easy to grow:

• Daphne odora - Fragrant Winter Daphne - a compact evergreen shrub available with variegated foliage and winter blooms of either pink or white. Extremely fragrant! Drought-tolerant and shade-loving. (Requires very well-drained soil.)
• Fatsia Japonica, Japanese Aralia, is an evergreen shrub with large hand-shaped leaves. Fatsia sends up a weird looking white bloom spike in winter. Very drought-tolerant. Likes deep shade.
• Rohdea Japonica, Japanese Sacred Lily or Nippon Lily, is an evergreen groundcover that loves dry shade. Once established, Rohdea is the perfect plant for a Christmas garden, since the insignificant summer flowers turn into large, juicy-looking (but poisonous) red berries just in time for Christmas.
• Mahonia, sometimes called Grape Holly or Leatherleaf, is one of my favorite evergreens for shade. Mahonia has an irregular growth pattern that I find difficult to describe, so I've included a photo above so you can see it for yourself. The prickly holly-like leaves are evergreen, and the plant is most attractive when grown Notice the purple berries on our plants. Very showy yellow blooms appear right around Christmas and last about a month. Since bees come out here in winter, the flowers are well-pollinated so the 'grape-like' berries develop by spring. The birds don't eat them until they shrivel like raisins.
• Aspidistra elatior, Cast Iron Plant, truly lives up to its common name. Spikey leaves resembling a peace lily or Mother-in-law's Tongue are evergreen. Aspidistra enjoys deep shade and tolerates drought as if she enjoys it!
• Hellebore, Lenten Rose, is an perennial/groundcover plant with palmate evergreen leaves. Hellebores display a variety of different colored blooms in winter, often when it's just too cold to go outside, so plant them in shade where you can view them from inside!

For more information and photos of these plants, visit Shady Gardens Nursery.

Chickens in the Garden

If you've been out to our garden, you've probably seen the chickens. Barney the Rooster was an Easter chick a few years ago, a gift from my little girl's classmate. When we decided Barney might be lonely, we obtained a mate for him and named her Thelma Lou. She has been a wonderful addition to our family, providing delicious eggs regularly, in addition to 'organic insect control.'

Each day we let them out of the greenhouse which serves as a night time shelter from predators. The chickens scratch around all day long, eating bugs and fluffing the mulch.

One day we decided that our garden was just too much work for two chickens, so we added the Fun Girls, Daphne and Skippy. Together they wander around the garden all day long, keeping insects under control.

Last summer we noticed a definite reduction in the number of Japanese Beetles. I'm certain that is a result of the chickens' enjoyment of them the previous summer. The chickens would rush to my side each time I walked near the arbor where grape vines grow. At that time the vines were covered with Japanese Beetles, and if I tapped the vine, what seemed like hundreds of the pests would drop to the ground. I wish you could have heard the clucking of the chickens as they enjoyed each one!

In addition to providing eggs and helping with insect control, chickens are a great hobby, offering amusement and fun in the garden for children and adults. In other words, the chickens make me laugh. I just get tickled when I see them running to catch up with the others when one finds something tasty!

Osmanthus fragrans: Sweet Tea Olive

One of my most favorite evergreen shrubs has to be the Tea Olive! When in bloom, my whole garden smells like peaches! I must say Osmanthus fragrans is one of the easiest plants to grow. This large growing evergreen shrub grows well in full sun to partial shade. Not picky about soil, the tea olive tolerates clay soil and is drought tolerant (once established.) The most sensational bloom is in fall, but Osmanthus fragrans blooms sporadically year round. The fragrance is most notable in the evening on warmer days. Blooms are so tiny that you'd never suspect the heavenly fragrance is coming from them! Evergreen foliage is a rich green that holds up well in floral arrangements. Osmanthus fragrance is hardy in USDA Zones 8-11, but is often seen in Atlanta which is Zone 7. Can withstand temperatures down to 10 degrees with no foliar damage.