To forage deer , nothing articulate Christmas like a mouthful of Buddy Holly . Then again , hungry deer still assert their food for thought preferences whenever they can . The Ilex , or holly , plant family serve as an excellent lesson of the varietal choices gardener can made to obtain a sure landscaping look or feel without losing plants to vulture . Some Holly are well - cognise deer favourite at all times ; others are quite resistant to cervid foraging .

Elements of Deer Resistance

With regard to almost all works , several common characteristics seem to boost resistor to cervid foraging . grain is important : plants with sticker , pricker or even fuzzy flowers or leaves seem lower in deer predilection than smooth - textured industrial plant . While we notice holly mostly for its berries , flower of some varieties seem quite noticeable ( those on English holly , for example ) , and during their blooming time of year they are both downlike and manifestly full of pollen ; their general fuzziness may serve as a repelling tone . Taste is an imponderable , but USDA plant profiles distinctly let in observations of fauna consumption and frequently palatableness ratings .

Resources for Choosing Resistant Plants

Ilex varieties growing in the US act approximately 20 , admit both natives and significance . Southern varieties include a deciduous holly ( possumhaw ) , and some varieties ( inkberry and larger gallberry ) have berries that are not red , but all ilexes described have dark green leaves and berry clusters of some sort , meeting very general holly parameters . The USDA lean ilexes throughout the US . Rutgers University Extension Services ' magnanimous subject area of deer - resistant plants overlaps moderately with the USDA list .

Rutgers' Standards

The Rutgers report focus on landscape plants for lawn and garden . The list , therefore , focus on what is across the country and most often commercially available to gardener . ( This could account , therefore , for varietal name like " Nellie Stevens " and " John T. Morris . " ) The Rutgers inclination include Chinese , Japanese , English , and American hollies , along with a few native varieties , such as inkberry . The inclination is well-to-do to use , color - befool for reported resistance , ranging from red ( ofttimes seriously damaged by cervid ) through orange and yellowed to green ( rarely damaged ) .

USDA Criteria

The USDA tilt includes a wider range of native hollies , especially those from the southern US . Forage palatableness is oecumenical , rather than limit to cervid only . photo of most varieties are include , along with info about other danger to plant health in addition to brute damage . drug user are left to inquire restfully how info on holly palatableness to humans datum were hold .

Choosing Holly Varieties

Consult both inclination , your County Extension service and local nursery for the good entropy on vulnerability of holly varieties to deer in your area . Both the USDA and County Extension may have additional apposite regional selective information . Ilex montana ( Ilex decidua ) , for example . may be a howling plant selection in some region but it is presently classified as Endangered in the states of Massachusetts and New Jersey . Of further interest is a note that winterberry is " Exploitably Vulnerable " in the state of New York , highlighting the interconnection among consumers and their surround and reinforcing the dangers of human foraging in nature .

References

…