Garden Topics: Deer Resistant - Spring Flowering Bulbs
It's heartbreaking enough to put a plant in the
garden, only to find it eaten to the ground the next
day.
But waiting all winter for your spring bulbs to bloom and then losing them to deer just before bloom is utterly frustrating. Tulips are wonderful, but they are also deer candy.
If you are plagued by deer browsing, consider spring bulbs that are less tempting to deer. We all know that deer don't like daffodils, but that doesn't mean your spring bulb garden has to be a swath of yellow.
There are several other bulbs that deer tend to avoid, and those are the ones we have available at the Garden Center. The following is a list, but providing names without pictures and colors may not be satisfyingly helpful as desired.
Here are our recommendations, along with pictures: Allium, Camassia, Daffodils, Dutch Iris, Hyacinths, and Narcissus. A bit more information on the bulbs follows:
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| Note the bright orange color of this unusual
Large-Cup Butterfly Narcissus. It has a mid season bloom and grows to 12 |
This native bulb will naturalize into a sea
of blue. Come see ours next spring. Blooms arrive in late spring to early summer on stems 36high. |
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| When you name a daffodil "Holland
Sensation," it had better deliver! And of
course, this beautiful daffodil was a "Holland
sensation" the year it was introduced. For displays of sparkling white with gold--instead of the look of solid yellow or for a mixture with the solid yellows, this is the daffodil. Blooms Mid Spring, height 14-16" |
An ornamental onion, Allium Giganteum
produces a bright purple flower on a very long
stem. The foliage or leaves sit on the ground far away from the flower. But perhaps the most distinctive part of this plant is its flowers. There are many tiny purple flowers that make up a complete flower head. These tiny flowers are assembled in a circular pattern to form one round flower. |
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| This bulbous perennial produces ribbed stems
and star-shaped, gray-green basal leaves that
decline as its flowers form. In early summer, it bears umbels that are 10 to 12 inches in diameter, and contain up to 100 star-shaped fuchsia flowers with a metallic sheen. Noteworthy is the fact that the flowers dry nicely. |
Perhaps the best-known group of narcissus,
many of these Large Trumpet Daffodils such as
Pink Parasol have been favorites since Victorian
times. The pink/coral cup is characteristic that makes this variety stand out. It grows to 18" |
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| The world’s finest, all white, giant trumpet
daffodil. Large blooms open a pale primrose
yellow, and then quickly become all white. Perfect in every detail—from strong stems to flaring trumpets to pristine perianths 5" across. Height: 16-18" Blooms: Mid-Spring. |
The beauty of hyacinth’s-dewy spring color,
and head turning fragrance are the most dominant
qualities of hyacinths. Colors cover the spectrum from rich blues to vibrant magentas and pinks to cool yellow and whites. Plant them in formal beds, among perennials, scattered in clumps in the border or along walkways. Save a few to force indoors for an early burst of spring |