A Rebroadcast: It’s Time to Order Deer-Resistant Bulbs, and More
Ruth Rogers Clausen visits, again, to talk about deer-resistant bulbs for fall planting. Many spring-flowering bulbs are not bothered by deer – most famously, daffodils (below). Allium varieties are also resistant, and you can find species and varieties that will bloom from mid-spring until fall. 
Ruth suggests trying allium other than the purple giants that look like softballs on sticks, and I have to agree. There are yellow ones, clear blue species and purple Allium thunbergii ‘Ozawa’, which blooms in early autumn.
We also talk about grasses, few of which are ever touched by our four-legged foes. The ornamental grasses flower in late summer and then turn tawny tan and toast to enliven the garden in early winter. Ruth is passionate about the shade tolerant Japanese forest grass – Hakonechloa macra and varieties – especially ‘All Gold’ – which brings brilliant light to a subdued spot in the garden.
Then, it’s on to shrubs. Ruth loves the Siberian or Russian cypress, Microbiota decussata, a low-growing evergreen that tolerates a bit of shade and is super hardy (Siberia, after all). 
There are many deciduous flowering shrubs to thwart the deer – from the all-too-common forsythia to overlooked plants like Stephanandra incisa ‘Crispa’. There are many flowering shrubs to look for – including Spiraea varieties, which are rarely browsed.
All of this can be found in Ruth’s book: 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants with terrific photographs by Alan Detrick. All the plants are ranked on a ten-point deer-resistance scale.
Click on the small black arrow at the left on the bar below to start listening, or click on the MP3 link to download the show into Windows Media Player or iTunes:
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