OH DEAR, OH DEAR, OH DEAR, OH DEAR, OH DEER!!!!

They've just about beaten me this time. One gardener can only take so many setbacks (after setback, after setback, after setback... you get the idea). I seem to be stuck on a perpetual cycle of getting all hyped about a plant only to have my dreams shattered when it gets munched to the ground. I'm not naive about it, I read up, do my homework, but you soon learn that calling a plant deer resistant, and it actually being that are 2 very different things.

The worst thing about it is that I'll sometimes spend years raising a plant from seed (again after finding multiple sources that say deer won't touch it) and after going an entire season without a nibble, suddenly, next season the deer decide to change things up and it gets devoured. Needles to say I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel as far as plants go that won't immediately become another scrumptious menu item on the deer buffet that is my garden. I even had trouble with them eating milkweed and wild onion last year, which are both said to be "deer proof". So without any new natives to try (I've literally experimented with just about every regionally endemic deer resistant plant at this point) what's one to do?... answer: nurse plants!

Now, I may have kind of ripped this term off (I think its usually used to refer to plants that get planted with desirable semi-parastic species), it definitely works here. Lately I try to use species that are known specifically for deterring deer and "borrow" their protective properties and set plants that usually wouldn't have a shot when grown on their own, in and among them. So if you are like me and won't have the funds for a deer fence for a very, very, very long time, and screaming and running after the deer like a crazy person isn't quite doing the trick (not that I do that on a weekly basis or anything..) you might as well give some of these guys a try. About half of these plants I've grown personally, and the remainder I'll give a try this season. As with many of the deer deterring plants most of them are in the mint family, so if they meet that criteria, and have a reputation for deterring deer, chances are they actually do. Let me know if I'm wrong.



Agastache feoniculum - Anise Hyssop
Zones 3-8
I'm trying this guy out for the first time this season. I've avoided this species in the past for 2 reasons. The first being I have super clay-ey and seasonally saturated soils (this guy supposedly hates clay) and the second being that it is apparently an aggresive reseeder and can get upwards of 4 feet so would eat any other small plants around it. But I recently came across a strain (Agastache 'Select Blue' offered by
Specialy Perennials that is supposedly clay tolerant and super hardy. Given the wide range of this plant in the wild (from coast to coast) I imagine its much more adaptable than given credit and is simply a function of provenance. Proabably a lot of untapped potential for the selection of superior and variant forms. Other than this strain the only other I've come across is 'Blue Spike' (here, here, or here) if your looking for something for a smaller garden. THE plant for pollinators.
Purchase from: Ion Exchange, Morning Sky Greenery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Almost Eden Plants, Amanda's Garden, American Meadows, Colonial Creek Farm, Companion Plants, Everwilde Farms, High Country Gardens, J.L. Hudson Seedsman, Joy Creek Nursery, Michigan Native Butterfly Farm, Select Seeds, Sow True Seed, Prairie Nursery



Euphorbia corollata - Flowering Spurge
Zones 3-9
As much as I would like to grow this plant, probably not gonna happen anytime soon. But if your lucky enough to be blessed with good drainage and a sunny spot, and also have a deer problem definitely give this one a try.
Purchase from: Prairie Moon, Avant Gardens, Everwilde Farms, Heritage Flower Farm, Lazy S'S Farm, Niche Gardens, Plant Delights, Midwest Groundcovers, Ion Exchange, Rare Find Nursery, Agrecol


MONARDA
My love for this genus continues to grow with each passing year. Also seems to be going through a bit of a renaissance lately, with a ridiculous number of hybrids and cultivars, although 'Jacob Kline' will always have my heart.


Monarda bradburiana - Bradbury's Bee Balm
Zones 4-8
My favorite of the bunch. Earliest blooming and virtually mildew free foliage. Great fall color.
Purchase from: American Meadows, Avant Gardens, Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Niche Gardens, Digging Dog, Prairie Moon, Rare Find


Monarda didyma - Scarlet beebalm
Zones 3-8
The best species for heavy wet soils. Red is the default, but there are varieties in everything from deep purple to bright pink. Hummingbird favorite.
Purchase from: Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Everwilde Farms, Prairie Nursery, Burpee, Outside Pride


Monarda fistulosa - Wild Bergamot
Zones 3-9
One of the easiest wildflowers you can grow. Takes a wide range of soils and smells amazing whenever you brush up against the foliage (as do pretty much all the monardas, but for some reason this species seems to be more fragrant to me).
Purchase from: A Nearly Native Nursery, Almost Eden Plants, Amanda's Garden, American Meadows, Colonial Creek Farm, Everwilde Farms, Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Grimm's Gardens, High Country Gardens, J.L. Hudson Seedsman, Michigan Native Butterfly Farm, Shady Oak Butterfly Farm, The Blooming Artichoke Herbary, The Growers Exchange, Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Prairie Nursery, Prairie Moon, Morning Sky Greenery



Nepeta subsellis - Japanese Catmint
Zones 4-8
Supposedly the best Nepeta for poorly drained soils, and actually appreciates some extra moisture (although not too much, seems to have rotted out in some of the wetter spots in the garden). Verdict is still out on this one, but hoping it really takes off this year. Starts flowering in late spring and (provided its happy) continues till frost.
Purchase from: Lazy S'S Farm & Nursery, Digging Dog Nursery


PYCNANTHEMUM
This genus has all the thugish-ness that the mint family is known for, so consider yourself warned before you decide to plant any of these species. Trying to attract pollinators?... look no further. This genus cannot be beat.


Pycnanthemum incanum - Hoary Mountain Mint
Zones 5-8
Probably the most tolerant of drier soils.
Purchase from: Niche Gardens, The Growers Exchange, Toadshade Wildflower Farm, Rarefind Nursery, Enchanter's Garden, Terrior Seeds


Pycnanthemum muticum - Short-toothed Mountain Mint
Zones 4-8
Will tolerate more shade and moisture than the other species (although P. tenuifolium tolerates a significant amount of wetness).
Purchase from: Accents for Home and Garden, Almost Eden Plants, American Meadows, Avant Gardens, Colonial Creek Farm, Lazy S'S Farm, Niche Gardens, Rose Franklin's Perennials & Herbs,
Select Seeds



Pycnanthemum tenuifolium - Slender Mountain Mint
Zones 4-8
I have grown this species in my own garden and it has self seeded faster than probably anything else I have grown. Beautifully scented, but a thug none the less.
Purchase from: Accents for Home and Garden, Almost Eden Plants, Avant Gardens, Companion Plants, Grimm's Gardens, Joy Creek Nursery, Morning Sky Greenery, Prairie Nursery




Salvia uliginosa - Bog Sage
Zones (6)7-10
Very blue and very pungent. One of 2 marginally hardy exotics I'm utilizing to keep the deer at bay and one of my all around favorite plants. Grows in just about any soil as long as it's not bone dry (but seems to love my wet clay). Attempting to grow from seed this season, although not much info out there on germination requirments. Super easy from cuttings.
Purchase from: Accents for Home and Garden, Avant Gardens, Colonial Creek Farm, Digging Dog, Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Joy Creek, Lazy S'S Farm, Plant Delights, Putnam Hill, Vincent Gardens



Salvia guaranitica - Anise-Scented Sage
Zones (6)7-10
Excited to try this marginally hardy salvia. Moisture lover, although dryness during the colder months is supposed to improve its cold hardiness. Trying a few varities including the most cold hardy (Argentine Skies). The most commonly offered 'Black and Blue' is probably one of the least hardy varities. Hoping they over winter for me, but will be allowing whatever I plant to cross polinate and try growing up the progeny next season.
Purchase from: Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Niche Gardens, Select Seeds


IMAGE SOURCES: Deer (TOP IMAGE), A. foeniculum (LEFT, RIGHT); E. corollata (LEFT, RIGHT, BOTTOM);) M. bradburiana (LEFT, RIGHT); M. didyma (LEFT, RIGHT); N. subsellis (LEFT, RIGHT); P. incanum; P. muticum; S. guaranitica (LEFT, RIGHT); S. uliginosa (LEFT, RIGHT)

'CAUSE CRACK (AND SEEDS) ARE CHEAP. VERY CHEAP.

I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I'm barely sleeping, I'm losing weight, my family is concerned, I haven't showered in I don't know how long, and I smell... like really really bad, like REALLY bad. All these things together can only add up to one thing... SPRING IS HERE!!! Yes, now that the danger of last frost is only a few weeks away I am confronted with with the full horrific reality of what I have done.
S O O O... M A N Y... S E E D S... Oh god. So many. How did this happen?!! What was I thinking?!! Is there an army of secret garden gnomes that I've enslaved under mind control somewhere and forgot about? Yes that must be it. Secret slave garden gnomes. Now if I can just remember where I left them... under my bed maybe?... hmmmmmm...

While I consider the alternate realities in which secret slave garden gnomes might actually be a thing, I also have to continually remind myself why it is that I do what I do. When it comes down to it some of the most significant and stunning interactions I've witnessed and observations I've made have all happened while gardening. They vary from the weirdly violent to sublimely beautiful. This includes (while I'm ashamed to admit it) accidentally running over a brood of (fairly large) baby snakes with a lawn mower (luckily there were only a few causalities and yes I wanted to cry when it happened), who's remains were quickly dragged away (still wriggling mind you) by a pack of big hungry wolf spiders. This is in very stark contrast to the first time I saw a Hummingbird Clearwing Moth, aka Hemaris thysbe zipping around one of my little stands of Ballon Flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) and realized exactly what I was looking at (granted the video below isn't the same species, but it does a great job at illustrating the evolutionary elegance of this group of insects that starkly contrasts to what we think of when we hear the word "moth")



Working outside in the garden is the one thing that makes me feel like I have some sort of (while perhaps superficial and tenuous) connection to the place where I grew up. More importantly it drives home that point that however careful, or seemingly insignificant our impacts, whenever we modify the places we live to suit some need, or idealized aesthetic we affect the interactions that would normally occur. While I feel the default for most contemporary landscapes is to reduce, simplify, and often totally eliminate these relationships, it should be our ultimate goal as gardeners and designers to encourage, create, and diversify these exchanges, embedding richness in and around our lives and the lives of the organisms we (sometimes reluctantly) co-exist with. I can only hope that sum total of my own impacts will be a net positive in the long run.

And in an attempt to move in the "net positive" direction I thought I'd highlight a few underutilized natives that are also great pollinator magnets. Sooo without further adieu I give you the plants:


I've fallen in love with this aster over the past few years. It's easy going nature, clay tolerance, pale blue flowers, and critter resistance make it a winner as far as I'm concerned. Definitely underutilized (assuming I've ID the species correctly).
Symphyotrichum (formerly Aster) prenanthoides - Zigzag or Crooked-Stemmed Aster
Zone: 3-8
Purchase from: American Meadows, Prairie Moon Nursery, Prairie Nursery, Roundstone Native Seed Company, Shooting Star Nursery, Toadshade Wildflower Farm



An unassuming plant on its own, but viewed in mass in the wild it can be rather stunning. Spring ephemeral. The only member of this genus growing in the northeast. Check it out.
Cammassia scilloides - Wild Hyacinth
Zone: 4-8
Purchase from: Enchanter's Garden, Everwilde Farms, Prairie Moon Nursery, Sunshine Farm and Gardens



Another great naturalizer! Spring ephemeral. Take a look.
Delphinium tricorne - Dwarf Larkspur or Spring Larkspur
Zone: 3/4-8, no source out there seems to be consistent on this. Best guess
Purchase from: American Meadows, Enchanter's Garden, Lazy S'S
Farm Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Sunshine Farm and Gardens



RIGHT, LEFT
Helianthus angustifolius 'Mellow Yellow'/Helianthus giganteus 'Sheila's Sunshine'

Anyone who knows me well, knows I'm not a big fan of yellow. Yes, I know its trivial and superficial, but I kind of feel like it's the neon flashing sign of the floral world, the color most plants default to when evolution got lazy and was like "eeeh, good 'nough." But, given that I don't feel a list of great pollinator plants would be complete with out at least a few sunflowers, I've come across these cultivars of 2 of our native species a few years back that have beautiful pastel yellow flowers. Less a "slap you in the face yellow" and more of a "fuzzy baby chick you want to pick up and cuddle yellow".... think I might have to use that the next time I'm in the paint section at the hardware store, just to see what kind of reaction I get from whatever poor soul got stuck working that day.

H. angustifolius 'Mellow Yellow' - Mellow Yellow, Swamp Sunflower or Narrow-Leaved Sunflower
Zone: 6-9
Purchase from: Niche Gardens
*Theres an additional soft yellow cultivar of H. anustifolius called 'Matanzas Creek'

H. giganteus 'Sheila's Sunshine' - Sheila's Sunshine, Giant Sunflower or Tall Sunflower
Zone: (5)6 to 9
Purchase from: Digging Dog Nursery, Niche Gardens, Quackin Grass Nursery



This is one of my few exceptions to my "yellow rule." Grew up with it around the ole homestead and distinctly remember the hoards of bumblebees that always seemed to accompany the flowers every summer. A more than slightly aggressive spreader, roamer, and romper. So consider yourself warned. Most, if not all of the material available is a cultivar called 'Fireworks' or as it was originally known 'Fyrverkeri.'
Oenothera fruticosa - Sundrops
Zone: 4-8
Purchase from: Almost Eden, Digging Dog Nursery, Dutch Gardens, Lazy S'S
Farm Nursery, Midwest Groundcovers, North Creek Nursery, Plant Delights Nursery, Plant World Seeds


RIGHT, LEFT
Pycnanthemum incanum/P. muticum
Variations on the same theme, P. incanum (right) can take more sun and driers soils, while P. muticum (left) can take more shade and slightly wetter soils. All of the species in this genus are great nectar plants.

Pycnanthemum incanum - Hoary Mountain Mint
Zone: 5-8
Purchase from: Plant Delights Nursery, Niche Gardens, Toadshade Wildflower Farm

Pycnanthemum muticum - Short Toothed Mountain Mint
Zone: 4-8
Purchase from: Almost Eden, Avant Gardens, Lazy S'S
Farm Nursery, Niche Gardens, North Creek Nurseries, Shooting Star Nursery, Van Berkum Nursery, Yellow Springs Farm



RIGHT, LEFT
Salvia azurea/S. reptans
2 similar species, with S. reptans being slightly more delicate and airy, having darker blue/violet flowers, and also being less hardy than S. azurea.

Salvia azurea - Pitcher Sage, Blue Sage, Azure Sage
Zone: (4)5-9
Purchase from: Nearly Native Nursery, Accents for Home and Garden, Everwilde Farms, Gardens in the Wood of Grassy Creek, Prairie Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Odyssey Perennials, Shooting Star Nursery, Smart Seeds
*S. azurea 'Nekan' and S. 'Grandiflora' are superior selections of the species.

Salvia reptans aka S. leptophylla - Cobalt Sage or Slenderleaf Sage
Zone: (5)6-9, again sources not consistent with this one
Purchase from: High Country Gardens, Lazy S'S
Farm Nursery, Odyssey Perennials
S. reptans 'West Texas Form' is superior to the species.



Okay, so one more exception to my yellow rule. Lustrous, deep green foliage, very non-typical for a goldenrod. Clumper, but will re-seed. There's a native stand of these guys growing very contentedly in almost pure clay back home.

Solidago speciosa - Showy Goldenrod
Zone: 3-8, again sources not consistent, best guess
Purchase from: Amanda's Garden, Everwilde Farms, Ion Exchange, Morning Sky Greenery, Prairie Nursery, Prairie Moon Nursery, Shooting Star Nursery



This picture does not do this plant justice. Take a look.
Sanguisorba canadensis - American or Canadian Burnet
Zone: 3-7
Purchase from: Enchanter's Garden, Prairie Moon Nursery, Shooting Star Nursery, Van Berkum Nursery

IMAGE SOURCES: creepy garden gnomes, Symphyotrichum (formerly Aster) prenanthoides, Camassia scilloides, Delphinium tricorne, Helianthus angustifolius 'Mellow Yellow', Helianthus giganteus 'Sheila's Sunshine', Oenothera fruticosa, Pycnanthemum incanum, Pycnanthemum muticum, Salvia azurea, Salvia reptans aka S. leptophylla, Sanguisorba canadensis

*Ten million life bonus points if you get the Whitney Houston reference. RIP.