Feature Article Growing Conifers when Coping with Deer by Richard L. Bitner n recent times, damage to beagles, are often effective provided Thuja occidentalis (Eastern arborvitae) Iornamental plants caused by white- they are in the garden at night. Unfortunately, it does not sprout tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) Another strategy is planning your from bare wood. has become an increasingly widespread garden space by placing susceptible problem in some parts of the United plants only in protected areas, perhaps Conifers Seldom Browsed by States. Once only a rural annoyance, close to the house or in a fenced yard, Deer it is now a complaint of suburban or in a ring of less-preferred species or gardeners. barrier plants. A number of circumstances have A deer will eat between 6 and 7 contributed to the problem. The large pounds of vegetation a day. Whether a predators of deer have disappeared deer targets a particular plant species because of the clear-cutting for depends on many factors besides agriculture which at the same time palatability: weather conditions, has created browsing habitat for deer. availability of preferred foods, seasonal The deer population is continually factors, snow cover, and movement losing more of its patterns all play a part. accustomed haunts Landscaping with Damage by deer is Abies (fir) foliage and cones with residential deer-resistant species often most apparent in Abies spp. (fir) subdivisions cropping early spring when the Choices for our area: Abies concolor up everywhere. is a more aesthetically young tender foliage is ‘Candicans’, one of the bluest conifers To keep deer satisfying alternative. emerging from buds. and far superior to the overused Colorado out of the garden, it A plant considered spruce; Abies koreana ‘Silberlocke’, has been suggested to place various resistant in one part of the country can tightly curved-in silvery foliage and repellents throughout the garden, be ravaged in another. It is advisable to purple cones; Abies nordmanniana, including bags of hair, fragrant soaps, consult plant preference lists generated stately and elegant. For a slow-growing, various herbal and garlic preparations, in the gardener’s own locale. spreading bright golden yellow cultivar, and countless widely marketed Unfortunately, the damage to select ‘Golden Spreader’. commercial concoctions. These conifers is often irreversible if the methods are usually effective only if the foliage is chewed to bare wood. deer pressure is light, and, even then, Landscaping with deer-resistant species most work only temporarily. is a more aesthetically satisfying The only dependable remedy is to alternative. exclude the deer with tall fences, an expensive and often unsightly solution. Deer Candy Smaller valued specimen plants can be Taxus spp. (yew) protected with chicken wire cages or a Fortunately, it sprouts from bare plastic mesh barrier. Dogs, especially wood. Abies nordmanniana ‘Golden Spreader’ Vol. 25, No. 4 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group 3 hedging. Must be planted in the spring. ‘Naylor’s Blue’ is true to its name. Thuja plicata (giant arborvitae) Handsome for the home landscape with luxuriant wide-sweeping boughs. Adaptable but grows best with cooler summers and mild, wet winters. Good for hedging with its single stem. ‘Green Giant’ is a vigorous hybrid. Cedrus atlantica Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ Tsuga canadensis (hemlock) Cedrus spp. (cedar) A Pennsylvania native valued for its Of its four species, Cedrus atlantica fine texture and shade-tolerance, but the is the hardiest and ‘Glauca’ and ‘Glauca species is not recommended because of Pendula’ the most popular, though often unrelenting demise from woolly adelgid. poorly placed. With global climate Dwarf choices that could be sprayed by change, Cedrus deodara is worth trying. the home gardener include ‘Bennett’, Great cultivars include the landscape- ‘Cole’s Prostrate’, ‘Everitt’s Golden’, sized ‘Karl Fuchs’ and ‘Kashmir’ and, and ‘Pendula’. for the home garden, ‘Devinely Blue’, a wide-spreading and flat-topped mound Cedrus deodora ‘Pygmaea’ Conifers Almost Never and ‘Feelin Blue’, a dwarf spreading Browsed by Deer form. conditions. ‘Crippsii’ is a slow-growing accent with ferny golden yellow foliage; Cephalotaxus spp. (plum-yew) ‘Nana Gracilis’ is a universally admired A shade-tolerant understory shrub. selection that reaches only 3'. Cephalotaxus harringtonia ‘Fastigiata’ Chamaecyparis thyoides (Atlantic is markedly upright, formal in appear- white-cedar) ance, and slow-growing; C. h. ‘Korean A wet-tolerant native not often used Gold’ is similar with yellow new growth; in designed gardens. C. h. ‘Prostrata’ is low-growing, spread- ing to 3–6'. Cryptomeria japonica (Japanese-cedar) Appreciated for its graceful habit, shade tolerance, and beautiful foliage. ‘Black Dragon’ is an upright cone; ‘Globosa Nana’ broadly rounded; and best choices for larger specimens are ‘Rein’s Dense Jade’ and ‘Yoshino’. Cedrus deodora ‘Gold Cone’ ×Cupressocyparis leylandii (Leyland cypress) Xanthocyparis nootkatensis Versatile, adaptable salt-tolerant and (Syn: Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) very fast-growing for a quick screen or Cryptomeria japonica ‘Globosa Nana’ (Alaska-cedar) ‘Green Arrow’ is a narrow form with branches that sweep straight down- ward, and ‘Pendula’ an elegant weeping landscape tree. Chamaecyparis obtusa (hinoki false cypress) Enjoyed for its rich dark green foli- age that is held in short flat sprays, there is a cultivar for every possible design from a small container to a 50' tree. Rather adaptable to heat and drought Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’ Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Templehof’ at at Chanticleer the Scott Arboretum 4 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group July 2011 ical, remains rich green all year, reaches 25–30'; ‘Grey Owl’ soft silver-gray fo- History of Deer in Pennsylvania liage, abundant cones, wide-spreading The Early Days Prior to European settlement, deer shrub. provided a staple for Native Americans Microbiota decussata (Siberian cypress) who inhabited present-day Pennsylvania. Hunting by native peoples and predation Very cold hardy with wide- by large carnivores kept deer populations spreading, fine-textured, lacy foliage in in balance with what the habitat could flat sprays. Tolerates high shade. Nice support. European settlement brought removal for slopes, underused. of large carnivores, land clearing for Picea orientalis at the Barnes agriculture, and market and subsistence Foundation Arboretum hunting that nearly extirpated deer from the state. The conservation efforts of Chamaecyparis pisifera (Sawara- the early 1900s following the complete cypress) removal of our forests gave birth to the acquisition of the state forest system. Many cultivars are commonly With minimal deer browsing pressure, the available. ‘Boulevard’, dense, soft land regenerated vigorously, turning into silver-blue foliage, benefits from rapidly growing trees and shrubs. At the shearing. ‘Filifera Aurea’, ‘Gold same time, deer were being reintroduced across the state amid this sea of highly Spangle’, ‘Lemon Thread’, ‘Golden nutritious forage, and their populations Mop’, and others have golden-yellow Picea orientalis along the Connecticut expanded exponentially. pendulous, stringlike foliage. Turnpike An Expanding Population Early in the 20th century deer management Cunninghamia lanceolata (China-fir) Picea spp. (spruce), except P. orientalis was designed to protect does (female A collector’s tree for the larger (oriental spruce) deer) and maximize population growth. By landscape, can look ragged but sprouts Noteworthy choice: Picea omorika the 1930s, the deer herd had grown to the ‘Pendula Bruns’ point of causing severe habitat damage from old wood and can be sheared and across large portions of the northern grown as a shrub. ‘Glauca’ is silvery range in Pennsylvania. Deer populations blue and hardy. in many of these forests peaked in the 1970s and remained out of balance with Juniperus spp. (juniper) forest habitat conditions for many years Countless cultivars available for after. public and private gardens. Almost Impact of Too Many Deer By the end of the 1900s and the early all have prickly foliage and are 2000s, as a result of over-abundant deer undemanding in cultivation provided populations, the forest understory across they have full sun and good drainage. vast areas of the state had been reduced to a diminished group of species not Exceptional selections: J. hori- preferred by deer, such as beech, striped zontalis ‘Mother Lode’, slow-growing Picea pungens ‘Egyptian Pyramid’ maple, hay-scented fern, mountain laurel, gold carpet; J. virginiana ‘Corcorcor’ and huckleberry. Fewer deer are able to ™ Pinus spp. (pine) survive in this denuded habitat condition. Emerald Sentinel , narrow and con- Tree species are also limited by deer. Pseudotsuga menziesii (Douglas-fir) Recent federal data shows that only about a half of forest plots studied in northern Pennsylvania have enough new growth to replace the existing forest. Studies also show that overabundant deer populations reduce the populations of other wildlife Richard Bitner is the author of the best-selling species—both game and non-game—by Timber Press books Conifers for Gardens An limiting or eliminating their desired habitat. Illustrated Encyclopedia (2007) and Pocket The Future Guide to Conifers (2010). This article is an To ensure a productive, healthy forest for excerpt from his newly released Timber Press today and into the future, deer populations book Designing with Conifers The Best Choices must be maintained in balance with for Year-round Interest in Your Garden. habitat conditions. Ed Note: The pictures in this article are courtesy of the PA Deer Population Estimates* author. Clipart provided by www.freeclipartnow.com. 2006 94,131 For a full-color version of this article, go to the HPS/ 2007 63,864 2008 68,861 MAG web site, www.hardyplant.org. 2009 73,798 HPS/MAG will be selling Richard's books at the 2010 68,974 Chamaecyparis obtusa Woody Plant Conference at Swarthmore College, * Using PASAK model. ‘Nana Gracilis’ July 15. From www.dcnr.pa.state.us & www.pgc.pa.state.us. Vol. 25, No. 4 Hardy Plant Society/Mid-Atlantic Group 5.