Vexed by Deer in Your Garden?

by Henry Cauley

Gardeners everywhere know the feeling: you come out one morning to stroll through the landscape, only to find that many of your plants have been decimated by deer. Whitetailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are large, native mammals that wreak havoc in our gardens, not only by browsing on our flowers and shrubs, but also by knocking down our plants to create bedding sites and rubbing up on young trees during mating season (buck rub). As the population of these deer continue to grow, so does their need to find more sources for food, and thus gardeners continue to grow increasingly frustrated, exasperated, and ultimately defeated in their attempts to keep these animals out of their yards.

The countless products and advertised solutions to keep these creatures from entering our gardens generally fall into two groups: physical barriers and chemical barriers. Yet neither group often proves to be a complete solution. Adult deer can jump over 7 feet high, but an 8-foot fence is neither an aesthetic nor financial option for many. Chemical barriers may result in a deer only taking a single bite of a plant before turning away in disgust, yet this assumes the chemical has been applied correctly and consistently, a timely affair.

Given these incomplete and inconsistent solutions, what is a gardener to do? One simple option with outsized impact is to introduce more native plants into your garden. Native plants offer a myriad of benefits: fewer disease problems, easier care solutions, more attractive to pollinators, and more suited for our climate. Importantly, these plants have also evolved alongside deer, meaning they have developed various natural defenses to make them less attractive to these animals.

Now, there is one important caveat: there are few truly deer-resistant plants. Instead, these native plants have specific characteristics that put themselves in a better position to be unattractive to deer: fuzzy leaves; tough, leathery, fibrous leaves; aromatic leaves; aromatic flowers; spines or bristles; and poisonous compounds. By filling the garden with native plants that have these different characteristics, gardeners will be making their landscapes beautiful, impactful, and resilient.

Thankfully many types of native plants are now commonly available at major nurseries in our area, and several excellent native-specific nurseries are also in business to offer an even greater selection of plants. Below are several examples of native perennial flowers for a wide variety of garden types:

Try These Deer Resistant Native Perennials

Spring Blooming: Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis), Eastern Red Columbine (Aqueliga canadensis), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis), Winecup (Callirhoe involucrate)

Summer Blooming: Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), Star Tickseed (Coreopsis pubescens), Fringed Bleedingheart (Dicentra eximia), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pupurea), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)

Fall Blooming: Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), Spotted munities download the app to reach a “snowball effect” that can allow Whensit to expand its resources to further areas and cities.

Future goals for Whensit include including “all major school systems of the country built into it,” and for it to remain a useful app so everyone

Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)

Sun: Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa), Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis), Winecup (Callirhoe involucrate), Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), Star Tickseed (Coreopsis pubescens), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pupurea), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)

Part Shade/Shade: Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis), Eastern Red Columbine (Aqueliga canadensis), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), Fringed Bleedingheart (Dicentra eximia)

Dry: Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Eastern Red Columbine (Aqueliga canadensis), Butterfly Weed can use it no matter the circumstance.

“I think if we can be the go-to thing for people as they’re preparing for their college admissions dates or for a busy [parent] who needs to know when their child’s school holiday is, that’s really the goal,” Larsen said.

(Asclepias tuberosa), Star Tickseed (Coreopsis pubescens), Purple Coneflower (Echinacea pupurea), False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), Tall Goldenrod (Solidago altissima)

Moist/Wet: Nodding Onion (Allium cernuum), Eastern Bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana), Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis), Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense), Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis), Winecup (Callirhoe involucrate), Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginianum), Blue Mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum), Fringed Bleedingheart (Dicentra eximia), Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium), Spotted Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium maculatum), Common Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale), Dense Blazing Star (Liatris spicata), New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)

National Memorial Park plots for sale.

2 Choice plots valued at $10,995 each, asking $4,500 each. Call 910-575-0258.

3 Burial Plots at National Memorial Park asking $3,995 each obo call 423-383-4817

King David Memorial park F. C. 1 double plot over under new $14,000.00 sale $7,500.00 . Two separate plots $9,000.00 each sale $4,500.00 per plot. Call 540347-2497 and leave a message.

ABC NOTICE

Salon Nordin & Day Spa LLC. Trading as Salon Nordin & Day Spa 2905 District Ave Ste 175, Fairfax, Virginia 22031.

The above establishment is applying to the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Authority for a Retail Marketplace: Beer and Wine on Premises. Nordine, Authorized Signatory Salon Nordin & Day Spa LLC.. NOTE: Objections to the issuance of this license must be submitted to ABC no later than 30 days from the publishing date of the first of two required newspaper legal notices. Objections should be registered at www. abc.virginia.gov or 800-552-3200

FOR RENT

200 N Maple Ave #211, Details on Zillow. com. Fully renovated. Utilities INCLUDED. All new appliances. Lovely natural light. Parking included. Falls Church City schools. Walk everywhere. Sorry, no pets. Contact: 703-483-1020 or Aaron353fw@yahoo.com LAWN

ATTN.

Advertise your upcoming auctions statewide and in other states. Affordable Print and Digital Solutions reaching your target audiences. Call this paper or Landon Clark at Virginia Press Services 804-521-7576, landonc@vpa.net

HOME IMPROVEMENT

Now Offering Financing! Ronnie Jenkins II Windows, Siding, Roofing and Gutters! FREE Estimates! Call 804-739-8207 for More Details! American Made Products! Eliminate gutter cleaning forever! LeafFilter, the most advanced debris-blocking gutter protection. Schedule a FREE LeafFilter estimate today. 15% off Entire Purchase. 10% Senior & Military Discounts. Call 1-877-614-6667

GENERAC Standby Generators provide backup power during utility power outages, so your home and family stay safe and comfortable. Prepare now. Free 7-year extended warranty ($695 value!). Request a free quote today! Call for additional terms and conditions. 1-877-636-0738

The Generac PWRcell, a solar plus battery storage system. SAVE money, reduce your reliance on the grid, prepare for power outages and power your home. Full installation services available. $0 Down Financing Option. Request a FREE, no obligation, quote today. Call 1-833-688-1378 Replace your roof with the best looking and longest lasting material – steel from Erie Metal Roofs! Three styles and multiple colors available. Guaranteed to last a lifetime! Limited Time Offer - $500 Discount + Additional 10% off install (for military, health workers & 1st responders.) Call Erie Metal Roofs: 1-844-902-4611

Safe Step. North America’s #1 Walk-In Tub. Comprehensive lifetime warranty. Top-ofthe-line installation and service. Now featuring our FREE shower package and $1600 Off for a limited time! Call today! Financing available. Call Safe Step 1-877-591-9950

The bathroom of your dreams for as little as $149/month! BCI Bath & Shower. Many options available. Quality materials & professional installation. Senior & Military Discounts Available. Limited Time OfferFREE virtual in-home consultation now and SAVE 15%! Call Today! 1-844-945-1631

SERVICES

DIVORCE-Uncontested, $450+$86 court cost. WILLS-$295.00. No court appearance. Estimated completion time twenty-one days. Hilton Oliver, Attorney (Facebook). 757-4900126. Se Habla Espanol. BBB Member. https://hiltonoliverattorneyva.com.

Portable Oxygen Concentrator May Be Covered by Medicare! Reclaim independence and mobility with the compact design and long-lasting battery of Inogen One. Free information kit! Call 888-608-4974

DENTAL INSURANCE from Physicians Mutual Insurance Company. Coverage for 350 plus procedures. Real dental insurance - NOT just a discount plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details!

1-888-550-3083 www.dental50plus. com/virginia #6258

FREE high speed internet for those that qualify. Government program for recipients of select programs incl. Medicaid, SNAP, Housing Assistance, WIC, Veterans Pension, Survivor Benefits, Lifeline, Tribal. 15 GB internet service. Bonus offer: Android tablet FREE with one-time $20 copay. Free shipping & handling. Call Maxsip Telecom today!

1-855-970-1995

Caring for an aging loved one? Wondering about options like senior-living communities and in-home care? Caring.com’s Family Advisors are here to help take the guesswork out of senior care for you and your family. Call for your FREE, no-obligation consultation:

1-844-494-0682

We are pledged to the letter and spirit of Virginia’s policy for achieving equal housing opportunity throughout the Commonwealth. We encourage and support advertising and marketing programs in which there are no barriers to obtaining housing because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap. All real estate advertised herein is subject to Virginia’s fair housing law which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, elderliness, familial status or handicap or intention to make any such preference, limitation, or discrimination.” This newspaper will not knowingly accept advertising for real estate that violates the fair housing law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. For more information or to file a housing complaint call the Virginia Fair Housing Office at (804) 367-8530. Toll free call (888) 551-3247. For the hearing impaired call (804) 367-9753.

23 - MARCH 1, 2023

25 � 10 Y���� A�� �� ��� N���-P����

Falls Church News-Press Vol. VII, No. 49 • February 19, 1998

CBC Rejects Vice Mayor’s Re-Election

Bid; Backs 4 New Aspirants for Council

With 144 ballots cast, the assembled convention Tuesday night of the City’s oldest civic organization endorsed four candidates for the F.C. City Council in the upcoming election.

Falls Church News-Press

Vol. XXII, No. 52 • February 21, 2013

Sequester Jitters, New School Costs & Storm Water Needs Vex F.C. Council

As the Falls Church City Council edges toward taking on directly the shaping of its next fiscal year budget, a full house of major challenges loom.

Attention: Community Service Providers

T he Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is seeking applications to establish grant awards to agencies providing comprehensive suicide prevention and opioid addiction programs for Military Service Members, Veterans, and their families throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

To learn

SIGNORINA, SUNNY (MOM), & CALI, our 9 & 10 year old cats. Their days are spent looking out at anything that passes by & adjusting to their new lives after traveling from Italy to the States four months ago where they were free to come and go as they please.

Just because you’re not famous doesn’t mean your pet can’t be! Send in your Critter Corner submissions to crittercorner@fcnp.com.