
Choosing flowers that rabbits and deer don't love to eat
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I can't keep hollyhocks in my garden, this is the second year the rabbits have eaten them to the dirt. This year they are eating my marigolds.
Many of your flowers in this catagory have been eaten by deer in my neighborhood. I guess if there is not not enough food available, they eat anything. They have even eaten my cone flowers.
Not sure if you can really can beat nature. I have sprayed and put barriers up and they get through them to.
I live in the Rockies at 8,500 ft. We haven't had a wet winter or summer in 5 years. Because of this drought, the chipmunks, field mice, and gophers eat things they normally never touch. There is literally nothing else for them to eat. Our wells are stressed as well. I happen to have a spring fed pond I could use to water my plants, but even it is down 14". As an example, it is now the first of Sept. and my hostas, normally 18" tall, are barely 3". I have still had good luck with the rodents not eating bleeding heart, iris, peony, alyssum and mint. The spray you can buy to keep them from stripping every plant has a strong peppermint smell, so I have been making my own with hot peppers and mint. Even so, I have had everything from the tiniest field mice to a very hungry bear tearing up the yard and garden looking for literally anything they can eat. If you are also in a drought, don't assume what they are eating this year will be what they eat when the drought breaks. They may eat coreopsis this year (stripped mine to the ground), but when things are back to normal, never touch it. Severe drought changes all the rules.
We moved into a more rural area with lots of wildlife and wooded areas on 3-5 acreage. The deer have more than enough to eat around here, but before I spend a lot of money on young plants, I thought I'd ask how to protect these plants before the deer have them for dessert. I love lots of color like yellow or varigated Lantana. Older Lantana has a touch branch and the deer avoid them. Same with Esperanza's and Pride of Barbados. How do I protect them until they are more mature? I would love to have groupings of them in pots all around the gardens. The house is a sort of Spanish Rivival with a light gray stucco and black trim and some white trim. It would be an awesome garden! I can't wait to get started!
What bulbs and plants will Moles not eat and how to get rid of them. Thank you.
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