Hello there. Today I am sharing some deer resistant shrubs/tree that I put on our west facing porch.

Finding plants that the deer won’t eat is a challenge in our area. They don’t like conifers or fragrant plants like catnip & rosemary so I grow those. It’s my lime light hydrangeas that they love.

After several months here on the porch the new plantings have grown so much. I water them every other day or as needed. As I come down the stairs in the morning I view the dancing branches in the wind through the door. It’s so beautiful. (when the air moves, currently experiencing heavy humidity)

For years I’ve tried fern, petunias, coleus etc. by August everything looks spent. In February this year our weather was really mild here in Virginia so I started gathering shrubs I liked back then.

Look who we have here! Our sweet Liberty, a golden retriever puppy. More on her later. (love)

I have enjoyed the fullness of the bushes and the lankiness of the trees but the best part?

LOW MAINTENANCE!

Here is a side view of the painted brick porch. Lush colorful annuals can be spread out among them.

Here is a list of my plants by name:

• Weeping Deodar Cedar (tree)
• Gold Mop Cypress
• Blue Star Juniper
• Boxwood
• Rosemary

YOUR PORCH WILL BE GREEN ALL YEAR.

Even at Christmas.

Here’s a hint, after Christmas the nurseries clearance all the Christmas foliage, which includes some of these. Makes for a pretty winter porch too.

All of these will grow out of their pots eventually but can be planted in the yard. We still have a lot of areas to fill in so this is an efficient way to landscape over time.

With all the various greens going on it’s fun to add colored pots that compliment your home.

On holidays I stick flags in the dirt of the pots and they blow in the wind all festive.

I hope this is useful information for you. I’ve saved a lot of money by choosing the options listed but also, I don’t love to dead head. (wink)

Enjoy this hot summer.

Take good care,