WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.720 --> 00:00:06.360 Broadcasting from Studio A Here at proven Winners, Color Choice Shrubs. 2 00:00:06.559 --> 00:00:10.599 It's time for the Gardening Simplified Podcast, YouTube and radio 3 00:00:10.679 --> 00:00:14.679 show with Stacy Hervilla, me Rick Weist, and our engineer 4 00:00:14.679 --> 00:00:19.800 and producer Adrianna Robinson. Oh deer, the buck stops here. 5 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:22.760 That's right. We want to talk about deer today, and 6 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:27.039 I think you want to too, because few creatures can 7 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:32.799 look more harmless while doing more destruction than the urban deer. 8 00:00:32.960 --> 00:00:37.200 They spread disease, they run in front of cars, causing crashes. 9 00:00:37.280 --> 00:00:43.240 They devour farm fields and expensive landscapes. I guess in 10 00:00:43.320 --> 00:00:48.240 brief to say they find your roses dear delicious, because 11 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:51.600 they certainly do. They can eat plants down to a 12 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:56.159 nub in short order. But to be fair, humans have 13 00:00:56.320 --> 00:00:59.840 created the ideal conditions for deer to survive and reduce 14 00:01:00.840 --> 00:01:06.920 well basically to problematic levels, and we see higher survival 15 00:01:07.040 --> 00:01:11.760 rates in deer that live in urban settings. And Stacy 16 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:17.319 for context, resource managers years ago were concerned about overpopulation 17 00:01:17.480 --> 00:01:19.280 when the herd was much smaller. 18 00:01:19.719 --> 00:01:22.680 Wow, that's saying something because it's big now, you know. 19 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:24.359 I do want to say to any listener who's like, 20 00:01:25.000 --> 00:01:27.159 I don't have deer. I'm gonna go listen to something else. 21 00:01:27.719 --> 00:01:30.040 Just because you don't have deer now doesn't mean you 22 00:01:30.079 --> 00:01:32.439 won't have deer because of the way that things are 23 00:01:32.480 --> 00:01:35.400 going right now with so much development, especially right now, 24 00:01:36.079 --> 00:01:39.480 you know, the areas that they have to live in 25 00:01:39.640 --> 00:01:44.560 are becoming increasingly smaller. And the fact is, much like 26 00:01:44.799 --> 00:01:48.599 raccoons or apossum, they're just adaptable. They are able to 27 00:01:48.799 --> 00:01:52.200 adapt to our environment, the way we live, the way 28 00:01:52.280 --> 00:01:57.280 that we plant around our homes, all of that. So yeah, 29 00:01:57.319 --> 00:02:00.280 it's really just a matter of time till pretty much everybody. 30 00:02:00.439 --> 00:02:02.000 I live in the middle of a city. I didn't 31 00:02:02.000 --> 00:02:03.280 think I would ever have deer, and I have a 32 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:04.159 terrible deer problem. 33 00:02:04.200 --> 00:02:08.280 That's exactly the problem. And in a county that adjoins 34 00:02:08.360 --> 00:02:13.759 the counties that Stacey and I live in here in Michigan, 35 00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.639 Kent County. I went to a meeting the other day 36 00:02:17.719 --> 00:02:21.080 the Kent County Deer Management Coalition. As a matter of fact, 37 00:02:21.599 --> 00:02:25.240 they've enlisted the support and help of Grand Valley State University. 38 00:02:25.280 --> 00:02:29.960 And we'll talk to a representative in segment four today 39 00:02:30.000 --> 00:02:33.520 to see what we can learn. But the number of 40 00:02:33.960 --> 00:02:38.039 road killed deer pickups in that county and twenty twenty 41 00:02:38.080 --> 00:02:43.639 four exceeded the number of hunter harvested deer. Wow, twenty 42 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:48.560 six percent of vehicle crashes are deer related in that county. 43 00:02:48.919 --> 00:02:51.759 And last year in that county, I was standing there 44 00:02:51.800 --> 00:02:55.280 at the meeting talking to someone from public Works. He 45 00:02:55.479 --> 00:02:59.439 said that their department last year picked up one hundred 46 00:02:59.639 --> 00:03:05.000 and eighty tons of deer carcasses. Yeah, that's unreal when 47 00:03:05.039 --> 00:03:10.960 you consider that the adult male buck weighs between one 48 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:14.599 hundred and twenty one hundred and sixty pounds, a female 49 00:03:15.039 --> 00:03:17.800 maybe eighty to one hundred and twenty pounds, one hundred 50 00:03:17.800 --> 00:03:21.719 and eighty tons. You do the math. Now, the deer 51 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:26.560 boom factors, I guess essentially we have to say, Stacey, 52 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.680 that they don't have the large predators they had years ago, 53 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:34.319 and reintroducing them into the landscape doesn't make sense. 54 00:03:34.520 --> 00:03:39.240 No, And I mean fortunately, coyotes are definitely on the rise. 55 00:03:39.400 --> 00:03:44.400 They certainly cited frequently out here in West Michigan because 56 00:03:44.439 --> 00:03:47.280 they also have a similar adaptability in ways that they 57 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:51.960 can adapt to, you know, human surroundings. One coyote can 58 00:03:52.000 --> 00:03:54.719 only do so much switch when it comes to a 59 00:03:54.759 --> 00:03:58.439 giant deer. So we can't count on them. And of course, 60 00:03:58.479 --> 00:04:01.240 you know, people if you try to say to people, well, 61 00:04:01.479 --> 00:04:04.080 you know, we'll encourage coyotes to try to manage a 62 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:06.000 deer problem, while people are going to then freak out 63 00:04:06.000 --> 00:04:10.520 about having coyotes around. So we're really in a rough situation. 64 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:12.599 And I do want to say, you know, I have 65 00:04:12.719 --> 00:04:16.040 seen the arguments on local Facebook groups, and I have 66 00:04:16.079 --> 00:04:18.920 seen people say, literally word for word, there is no 67 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:23.160 flower in the world worth a deer's life, right, And 68 00:04:23.399 --> 00:04:25.519 the fact is, this isn't just about the fact that 69 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:28.560 we love gardening, and it's not just about the fact 70 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:32.639 that gardeners should grow whatever they want without any repercussions. 71 00:04:32.680 --> 00:04:34.800 That's not the point at all. But a lot of 72 00:04:34.879 --> 00:04:38.839 us like myself, who are gardening for pollinators, you know, 73 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:41.240 if a deer comes along and eats all the flowers, 74 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:44.199 well there goes your potential for pollinators and all of 75 00:04:44.199 --> 00:04:47.160 those other reasons that you're gardening for birds, for a wildlife. 76 00:04:47.160 --> 00:04:50.000 And of course deer are wildlife, but they have an 77 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:55.439 outsized role in the damage that they cause to our landscapes. 78 00:04:55.680 --> 00:05:01.839 Yeah, exactly. And it's a controversial subject because hunters basically 79 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:06.839 remain as the check on deer population growth. But there 80 00:05:06.879 --> 00:05:10.319 are today less hunters than there used to be, and 81 00:05:10.360 --> 00:05:11.519 it's just a fact. 82 00:05:11.720 --> 00:05:15.000 And you know where people hunt, because of course there aren't. 83 00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:17.560 People needs to be safe enough for them to fire 84 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.360 a shotgun or a bow an arrow. Are not where 85 00:05:22.360 --> 00:05:24.759 the deer problems are. You know, I live where I live, 86 00:05:24.800 --> 00:05:27.920 they don't allow guns to be fired, So there is 87 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:31.639 no hunting. Even if everyone, even if every qualified hunter 88 00:05:31.720 --> 00:05:34.279 around here went deer hunting, it still wouldn't take care 89 00:05:34.680 --> 00:05:36.040 of the urban deer population. 90 00:05:36.199 --> 00:05:39.560 Yeah, suburban sprawl. I mean, it doesn't make sense to 91 00:05:39.639 --> 00:05:42.759 have a hunter shoot a deer and then chase it 92 00:05:42.879 --> 00:05:46.839 across ten property lines and have it expire in your 93 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.000 backyard while you're back there having a margarita and eating 94 00:05:50.199 --> 00:05:51.360 chocolate bondbonds. 95 00:05:51.560 --> 00:05:52.839 Well, it's better than TV. 96 00:05:54.959 --> 00:05:57.680 Now. Of course. With this study here in the county 97 00:05:57.680 --> 00:06:03.680 that adjoins ours, they also found that when they survey 98 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:07.800 the general public, there are some townships where the number 99 00:06:07.879 --> 00:06:13.720 of people who enjoy watching and feeding deer exceed those 100 00:06:13.879 --> 00:06:17.079 who do not like the deer. There are other counties 101 00:06:17.120 --> 00:06:21.800 where they simply are tired of the deer problem. And 102 00:06:21.839 --> 00:06:25.360 so you have people who represent the deer, and then 103 00:06:25.399 --> 00:06:28.839 you have people who represent the plants. And that's why 104 00:06:28.879 --> 00:06:32.480 coalitions like this exist, because we got to find a 105 00:06:32.519 --> 00:06:34.279 way to get along together, you know. 106 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:37.800 And out here in Michigan, we fortunately do not yet 107 00:06:37.879 --> 00:06:41.439 have a huge issue with tickborne illness and specifically lime disease, 108 00:06:41.879 --> 00:06:46.360 which requires a deer to complete its life cycle. But 109 00:06:46.439 --> 00:06:48.279 when I lived in New York, lime disease, of course 110 00:06:48.319 --> 00:06:51.560 is named for lime Connecticut, where it was first identified, 111 00:06:51.639 --> 00:06:54.720 and all around the metro New York area, the deer 112 00:06:54.759 --> 00:06:58.639 pressure is outrageous. I mean, of course, it's very, very populated. 113 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:02.360 I can honestly say this is not an exaggeration, even 114 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:04.399 though it's going to sound like it is. As a 115 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:07.639 horticulturist who worked in New York City, I did not 116 00:07:07.839 --> 00:07:12.079 know a single other gardener who worked in Westchester or 117 00:07:12.160 --> 00:07:14.639 upstate who did not get one disease at least once. 118 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:17.839 Not a single one. Wow, everyone got it. 119 00:07:18.199 --> 00:07:23.360 Yeah, yeah, it's amazing. And you know, I guess some 120 00:07:23.439 --> 00:07:27.360 strategies can be employed. We could hunt more, but we 121 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:33.160 already said that there are less hunters today. Reintroduced predators, 122 00:07:33.240 --> 00:07:34.319 which is laughable. 123 00:07:34.759 --> 00:07:37.959 I mean, it's interesting, but you know, not gonna work. 124 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:43.639 Of course, they've looked at sterilizing female deer or trapping 125 00:07:43.720 --> 00:07:47.600 and killing animals. All come with trade offs. I mean 126 00:07:47.639 --> 00:07:51.560 in ann Arbor, a city here in Michigan, they tried 127 00:07:51.639 --> 00:07:56.399 the deer sterilization program, but it didn't work. They put 128 00:07:56.480 --> 00:08:00.000 it on hold. It's very expensive, it's difficult. You've got 129 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:04.319 to get at least eighty percent of the female deer sterilized, 130 00:08:04.360 --> 00:08:06.399 and that that's a difficult task. 131 00:08:06.560 --> 00:08:08.839 Well, and I read a study not all that long 132 00:08:08.879 --> 00:08:13.480 ago that found that ovary tissue could grow back in 133 00:08:13.600 --> 00:08:16.439 deer that were sterilized, which is outrageous. I mean, it's 134 00:08:16.519 --> 00:08:20.279 crazy to even think about, but to think about investing 135 00:08:20.319 --> 00:08:22.480 the time and money and of course the stress on 136 00:08:22.519 --> 00:08:26.720 the animals of a for sterilization and then to not 137 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:29.839 even have it work. I mean, and plus the when 138 00:08:29.879 --> 00:08:32.320 they did sterilize the deer, they put this giant tag 139 00:08:32.399 --> 00:08:34.720 in their ear. I mean, it was huge. So my 140 00:08:34.720 --> 00:08:36.399 friends lived in ann Arbor and I was looking out 141 00:08:36.399 --> 00:08:38.159 their back door one day and I was like, what 142 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:40.840 in the world is with that deer? Looks like it's 143 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:43.039 got some kind of crazy earring on. So it's also 144 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:44.519 you know, humiliating for the deer. 145 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:47.360 Yeah, it is. I mean it's just there are there 146 00:08:47.360 --> 00:08:51.039 are not easy answers. Now the buck stops here, So 147 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:54.000 we're going to try and give you some help. For example, 148 00:08:54.039 --> 00:08:58.120 at my home where there's tremendous deer pressure, the front yard, 149 00:08:58.320 --> 00:09:02.080 I plant nothing but deer resistant plants and it works 150 00:09:02.159 --> 00:09:06.159 quite well. The backyard I built a compound, put up 151 00:09:06.200 --> 00:09:09.720 signs that say no deer allowed, and that works quite well. 152 00:09:10.240 --> 00:09:13.840 But fencing is expensive and in some neighborhoods you just 153 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:19.320 can't do it. It's maybe even unsightly. Of course, deer 154 00:09:19.440 --> 00:09:23.080 repellents some work better than others. And I do want 155 00:09:23.120 --> 00:09:27.399 to share real quickly a story, and that is I 156 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:30.159 have mentioned on the program before that I use a 157 00:09:30.200 --> 00:09:35.360 deer repellent called Bobex. Now, the reason it's called Bobex 158 00:09:35.480 --> 00:09:40.120 is because the gentleman who invented it, bob Exady, is 159 00:09:40.159 --> 00:09:43.039 a Navy veteran and he was a chemist. He had 160 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:47.200 a degree in chemistry, lived in Connecticut, had three hundred 161 00:09:47.240 --> 00:09:48.279 tomato plants. 162 00:09:48.440 --> 00:09:50.039 Wow, that's a lot of tomatoes. 163 00:09:50.159 --> 00:09:52.879 Yes, And this is a gentleman who loved plants. He 164 00:09:53.000 --> 00:09:56.759 passed away a few years ago. But now his son, 165 00:09:56.840 --> 00:09:59.679 Greg who I've spoken with as CEO of the company. 166 00:10:00.159 --> 00:10:04.320 So they call it bob X because all of Bob's 167 00:10:04.320 --> 00:10:07.120 friends called them bob X, so they call the product 168 00:10:07.279 --> 00:10:11.200 bob X. But the point is is how well do 169 00:10:11.399 --> 00:10:16.080 these repellents work? And he had three hundred tomato plants 170 00:10:16.120 --> 00:10:19.559 and he found that with the plants that he fed 171 00:10:19.679 --> 00:10:24.799 with a fish fertilizer, the deer left them alone. So 172 00:10:24.879 --> 00:10:29.759 he went to work as a chemist. And it's interesting 173 00:10:29.799 --> 00:10:32.679 when I read the label, it, for example, has stuff 174 00:10:32.720 --> 00:10:36.639 in it like cat food. Oh, and I asked Greg, 175 00:10:36.720 --> 00:10:39.960 I said, cat food in my spray? He said, well, 176 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:44.360 essentially what it is is it's chicken livers. And so 177 00:10:44.480 --> 00:10:48.320 when you look at deer, which are herbivores, and compare 178 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:52.200 them to cats or dogs, they'll put chicken livers in 179 00:10:52.440 --> 00:10:56.000 dog and cat food. But herbivores, of course, do not 180 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:59.639 like it. The fish oil makes for a great sticker, 181 00:11:00.120 --> 00:11:03.240 it does not wash off the foliage real quickly. So 182 00:11:03.320 --> 00:11:09.000 again I'm not being paid by Bobecks. I'm not sitting 183 00:11:09.000 --> 00:11:11.840 here just endorsing their products so that I can be paid. 184 00:11:12.840 --> 00:11:15.720 Coming from the garden center industry, I have used many 185 00:11:15.799 --> 00:11:20.360 repellents over the years, many repellents, many different types. This 186 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:23.360 to me, stacy is the closest thing to a fence. 187 00:11:24.000 --> 00:11:25.919 Bobecks really works. 188 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:29.960 All right, I'm a plants good person. Definitely bring your 189 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:32.480 family and tell your neighbors to go inside before you 190 00:11:32.519 --> 00:11:36.639 spray it. But it also works, just smells ghastly. 191 00:11:37.000 --> 00:11:39.879 In the case of bobex of course, it's used as 192 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:45.480 a sticker or something, fish oil essentially as an adhesive 193 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:48.720 for this smelly stuff. And as we've talked about on 194 00:11:48.759 --> 00:11:52.399 the show before, putresse and egg solids, garlic, all this 195 00:11:52.519 --> 00:11:55.080 sort of stuff is put in the sprays also, and 196 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:58.039 it's not fun going out there every night and spritsing 197 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:00.759 those plants and coming back inside smelling like it. 198 00:12:00.840 --> 00:12:01.879 No, it smells terrible. 199 00:12:02.039 --> 00:12:06.440 It's not fun, but it beats building these little deer 200 00:12:06.600 --> 00:12:11.320 pens around the plants in your landscape. And you'll see 201 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:16.080 that in landscapes. Now, there are many great plants that 202 00:12:16.159 --> 00:12:22.639 we can suggest for deer resistance and stacey right off 203 00:12:22.639 --> 00:12:26.360 the top. My favorite, of course is ornamental grasses. They 204 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:29.759 don't touch ornamental grasses. There are so many great cultivars 205 00:12:29.799 --> 00:12:35.759 of ornamental grasses. So between ornamental grasses, nepeta lavender. There 206 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:39.720 are a number of plants that are suited to deer resists. 207 00:12:39.759 --> 00:12:42.120 Tons. Really, there are tons of plants. I'm gonna talk 208 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:44.080 about that a bit in Plants on Trial, But yeah, 209 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:45.840 you are spoiled for choice when it comes to plants 210 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:48.440 that the deer white. There really are so many amazing 211 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:51.080 options basil. How glad am I that the deer don't 212 00:12:51.039 --> 00:12:51.879 eat basil. 213 00:12:51.720 --> 00:12:56.559 Exactly, So we'll look at that list in segment four today. 214 00:12:56.879 --> 00:12:59.080 Let me give you a quick limb. A Rick on 215 00:12:59.159 --> 00:13:02.320 this topic says, though I live in the wild Frontier, 216 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:06.440 the nibbling on my plants is quite severe. They polished 217 00:13:06.480 --> 00:13:10.519 off my shrubs, my flowers down to nubs. What to do? 218 00:13:11.200 --> 00:13:15.519 I have no idear maybe Stacy has a few ideas 219 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:18.120 for us in Plants on Trial. That's coming up next 220 00:13:18.159 --> 00:13:20.960 here on the Gardening Simplified Show. 221 00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:30.000 Beautify your home and community with Proven Winner's Color Choice 222 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:33.159 Shrubs with over three hundred and twenty five unique varieties 223 00:13:33.159 --> 00:13:35.840 to choose from. There's a flowering shrub or evergreen for 224 00:13:35.879 --> 00:13:39.080 every taste and every space. Just look for the distinctive 225 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:41.840 white container your local garden center or learn more at 226 00:13:41.879 --> 00:13:47.559 Proven Winner's Color Choice Dot com reeting's gardening friends, and 227 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:50.240 welcome back to the Gardening Simplified Show, where the order 228 00:13:50.279 --> 00:13:52.399 of the day is deer. And of course, if you 229 00:13:52.440 --> 00:13:55.279 have been listening to us for some time, you already 230 00:13:55.320 --> 00:13:58.720 know that both Rick and I struggle mightily with deer 231 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:01.399 in our yards. Has put up a fence, he might 232 00:14:01.440 --> 00:14:04.159 be being saying, like, Stacy, you complain about deer all the time, 233 00:14:04.440 --> 00:14:07.679 why don't you just put up a fence. And the 234 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:10.840 fact is that the way that my yard is where 235 00:14:11.000 --> 00:14:13.480 the position of my driveway and everything else in my 236 00:14:13.600 --> 00:14:16.600 yard makes putting up a fence is quite difficult. I 237 00:14:16.639 --> 00:14:18.879 would need a very large gate to get over my 238 00:14:18.960 --> 00:14:23.279 driveway and seal off that part of my yard. I had, 239 00:14:23.440 --> 00:14:26.279 I have had quotes, I have had fence people tell 240 00:14:26.320 --> 00:14:28.919 me that that gate will be a nightmare in the winter. 241 00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:35.120 Don't do it. So that's why I don't have a Fenceless, 242 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:39.759 I am defenseless, but I'm I am without offense, but 243 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:42.159 I am not without defenses. Now, I do want to 244 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:44.960 just give you like a brief little background if you 245 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.120 haven't heard this story before. When we finally bought our house, 246 00:14:48.200 --> 00:14:51.600 I was like so excited to finally have a garden. 247 00:14:52.039 --> 00:14:54.879 You know, this is like a culmination of years of 248 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:56.679 living in the city and not being able to afford 249 00:14:56.720 --> 00:14:59.519 a house, and then moving back to Michigan and living 250 00:14:59.519 --> 00:15:01.320 in New York not having a garden. And I was 251 00:15:01.399 --> 00:15:04.399 just like ready for it. And you know, we find 252 00:15:04.440 --> 00:15:06.840 the right house. It's got tons of sun, it's a 253 00:15:06.960 --> 00:15:11.240 nice flat lot, blank slate. My head is just swimming 254 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:15.879 with ideas, so excited. And there was this sort of 255 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:18.759 old vegetable garden at the back of the property. And 256 00:15:19.480 --> 00:15:21.159 one day we had been at the house and I 257 00:15:21.240 --> 00:15:23.159 saw that there was a potato coming up in it, 258 00:15:23.200 --> 00:15:24.919 and I was like, oh, all right, cool, you know 259 00:15:25.039 --> 00:15:27.320 old potato, that's fine whatever. It was about to flower. 260 00:15:28.000 --> 00:15:30.600 So a couple days later we were back at the house. 261 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:32.519 We were talking to our neighbor in the back, meeting 262 00:15:32.559 --> 00:15:35.159 him for the first time, just chit chatting, and as 263 00:15:35.159 --> 00:15:37.600 we walk away, I say to my husband, I wonder 264 00:15:37.639 --> 00:15:39.799 what ate that potato? It was just about to flower. 265 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:42.159 And my neighbor turns around and goes, oh, that that 266 00:15:42.360 --> 00:15:45.320 was the deer. And I wish it was one of 267 00:15:45.320 --> 00:15:47.440 those moments in life where I wish there was a 268 00:15:47.480 --> 00:15:50.840 camera so that I could have seen my face because 269 00:15:50.879 --> 00:15:53.240 it was like one of those scenes in the movie 270 00:15:53.799 --> 00:15:56.519 where you're just like, you know, happy and smiley and 271 00:15:56.559 --> 00:15:59.879 then like just like mood change on a dime. I mean, 272 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:02.480 I couldn't believe it because it's in an urban area 273 00:16:02.600 --> 00:16:05.360 and I never would have expected that it's a problem. 274 00:16:05.440 --> 00:16:08.240 And not only are deer a problem, they have become 275 00:16:08.360 --> 00:16:12.519 significantly worse in my area than they were when we 276 00:16:12.559 --> 00:16:14.120 moved into our house ten years ago. 277 00:16:14.759 --> 00:16:16.919 Same here, they walk right up the front steps and 278 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:17.919 ring the deer. 279 00:16:17.759 --> 00:16:22.360 Bell pretty much right like they're fearless. And I will 280 00:16:22.360 --> 00:16:26.360 say this, we also have rabbits, and you know, the 281 00:16:26.440 --> 00:16:30.279 rabbits are also very, very destructive. But I will give 282 00:16:30.279 --> 00:16:34.360 the rabbits credit. They come around, they look darling. We 283 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:37.080 get some entertainment value out of the rabbits, you know, 284 00:16:37.559 --> 00:16:39.799 I can forgive them a little bit. And of course 285 00:16:39.799 --> 00:16:41.279 if they eat too much, well then the plant just 286 00:16:41.320 --> 00:16:43.240 dies and it dies out, and then I don't have 287 00:16:43.240 --> 00:16:46.559 as many rabbits anymore. The deer, you know, I could 288 00:16:46.639 --> 00:16:50.000 appreciate them a little bit more if I ever saw them, 289 00:16:50.440 --> 00:16:53.080 but no, they do their damage under the cover of 290 00:16:53.120 --> 00:16:56.200 the night. I don't know what time, ten pm one 291 00:16:56.240 --> 00:16:59.600 in the morning anytime I am sound asleep, so I'm 292 00:16:59.600 --> 00:17:02.519 not even I'm getting like, wow, it was really cool 293 00:17:02.559 --> 00:17:05.319 to sit here and observe this deer like that. I 294 00:17:05.359 --> 00:17:07.519 get nothing in return. All I get is damage. 295 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.359 Have you tried any of the motion activated stuff? 296 00:17:11.000 --> 00:17:14.200 I had a call a week ago today, in fact, 297 00:17:14.680 --> 00:17:16.839 a local gardener called me and I had to ask 298 00:17:16.920 --> 00:17:20.319 some questions and he was talking about his hostas, and 299 00:17:20.359 --> 00:17:23.240 I was like, wow, you have hostas out here. He goes, well, 300 00:17:23.279 --> 00:17:24.759 you know, the deer surgery eating. But then I got 301 00:17:24.759 --> 00:17:30.119 one of those motion detectors sprinklers. Okay, so no, here's 302 00:17:30.119 --> 00:17:33.759 my solution. Here's what I have done. Even though I 303 00:17:33.799 --> 00:17:36.680 took a year there where I was deluding myself into 304 00:17:36.680 --> 00:17:38.680 believing that I could grow whatever I want and do 305 00:17:38.759 --> 00:17:42.839 whatever I wanted in my property and spraying things and 306 00:17:42.880 --> 00:17:47.039 putting up cockamamie contraptions to block plants off from deer, 307 00:17:48.039 --> 00:17:50.240 I finally just decided, you know what, this is just 308 00:17:50.319 --> 00:17:52.799 going to be a deer resistant garden. And I have 309 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.240 made all of my plant choices based on things that 310 00:17:56.240 --> 00:17:56.960 the deer won't eat. 311 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.480 Yeah, And like I said, that's what I did. In 312 00:17:59.519 --> 00:18:03.519 the front ornamental grasses, nepeta, lavender, et cetera, et cetera. 313 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:06.160 Right, So it is a choice that you can make 314 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:09.559 if you are unable like me to fence off your yard, 315 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.319 or you don't want to, or you know, if you 316 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:15.720 live in a larger lot, fencing may become very impractical. 317 00:18:16.319 --> 00:18:19.119 So there's lots of reasons why. And I have to 318 00:18:19.200 --> 00:18:21.720 say that not only has this been an amazing learning 319 00:18:21.759 --> 00:18:25.599 experience for me, because I have, I really have learned 320 00:18:25.720 --> 00:18:28.759 so very much about plants and what deer will eat 321 00:18:28.799 --> 00:18:31.680 and all of that. But it's been rewarding and I 322 00:18:31.720 --> 00:18:35.119 have a lot lower maintenance garden as a result. And 323 00:18:35.160 --> 00:18:37.559 I have to tell you now, sitting here, you know, 324 00:18:37.640 --> 00:18:41.000 ten years later, nine years later, after this decision was made, 325 00:18:42.039 --> 00:18:45.079 I have no regrets and I don't feel deprived at all. 326 00:18:45.079 --> 00:18:46.880 Now I do wish I didn't have to have a 327 00:18:46.920 --> 00:18:50.160 giant fence around my vegetable garden. It would be really 328 00:18:50.279 --> 00:18:53.079 nice to just be able to stroll out magically to 329 00:18:53.119 --> 00:18:56.039 the vegetable garden and pick stuff without having to undo 330 00:18:56.119 --> 00:18:59.480 a bunch of you know, links and get into my 331 00:18:59.599 --> 00:19:02.920 vegetable But I'll take what I can get. But yeah, 332 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:06.640 you you don't really miss out on great plants by 333 00:19:06.640 --> 00:19:08.839 limiting your palate to just things that dear won't be. 334 00:19:08.960 --> 00:19:10.839 I think you have to adjust. You know. One of 335 00:19:10.880 --> 00:19:13.359 the things we didn't mention in the first segment is 336 00:19:13.400 --> 00:19:16.720 the climate is changing also, and if the winters are 337 00:19:16.920 --> 00:19:21.039 milder again, you're going to have more a lot more damage. 338 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:22.960 This is a problem that's not going to go. 339 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:25.839 It's not going to give away. But this is plants 340 00:19:25.880 --> 00:19:28.279 on trial, So we're supposed to be talking about a plant, 341 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:31.759 and I am pleased to share with you a fantastic 342 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:36.200 plant that I adore that is very, very dear resistant 343 00:19:37.400 --> 00:19:42.480 and it is a sweet emotion Abelia. Great plant, Great plants. 344 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:46.519 So Abelia Abelia is a plant that we've talked about 345 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:48.960 occasionally on the show. If you live in a colder climate, 346 00:19:49.039 --> 00:19:51.640 you may have never heard of it because most abelias 347 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:54.759 that are really popular are considered more southern plants. They're 348 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:58.559 hardy down to about USDA Zone six. They're broad leaf evergreens, 349 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:00.519 so they can suffer a little bit of winter damage. Well, 350 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.440 today's Abelia, Today's plan on trial. Sweet emotion abelia not 351 00:20:04.680 --> 00:20:08.400 an issue. It is actually hardy down to USDA Zone four. 352 00:20:09.079 --> 00:20:11.720 It is probably the hardiest and one of the only 353 00:20:11.839 --> 00:20:15.000 hardy abelias out there. And so I wanted to talk 354 00:20:15.039 --> 00:20:18.279 about sweet Emotion today because it is a member of 355 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:21.759 our deer Proof program here at Proven Winners Color Choice Shrubs. 356 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:24.079 And this is a program that we started a few 357 00:20:24.160 --> 00:20:29.000 years ago, knowing how many people struggle with deer and 358 00:20:29.160 --> 00:20:31.720 knowing that when someone goes into a garden center and 359 00:20:31.880 --> 00:20:34.680 needs to find a plant that deer won't eat, that 360 00:20:34.759 --> 00:20:36.720 they don't want to look at one hundred and fifty 361 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.079 different plant tags trying to figure out what the right 362 00:20:39.119 --> 00:20:42.119 plant is to put in their yard. So we came 363 00:20:42.200 --> 00:20:44.519 up with deer Proof. Yes it is a bold name, 364 00:20:44.599 --> 00:20:47.359 because deer will eat pretty much anything, but these are 365 00:20:47.400 --> 00:20:51.039 plants that truly are lowest on their list. And while 366 00:20:51.039 --> 00:20:54.160 they may need a little bit of protection when they 367 00:20:54.160 --> 00:20:56.559 are fresh and new, because when something is fresh from 368 00:20:56.599 --> 00:21:00.000 the garden center or grower, that growth is really tender. 369 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:03.880 It's been super juiced up with water and fertilizer. So 370 00:21:04.039 --> 00:21:06.759 even plants that are deer resistant once they are established, 371 00:21:06.880 --> 00:21:09.119 can be a little bit delicate in those first couple 372 00:21:09.240 --> 00:21:11.960 weeks or months coming home from the garden center. But 373 00:21:12.000 --> 00:21:14.720 if you can get him through that these are plants 374 00:21:14.720 --> 00:21:17.400 that will be a long term investment in your landscape, 375 00:21:17.480 --> 00:21:20.559 no matter if or when or how many deer come up. 376 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:22.519 But the other reason I wanted to talk about Sweet 377 00:21:22.519 --> 00:21:26.279 Emotion Amlia is because it was just blooming in our 378 00:21:26.319 --> 00:21:29.039 gardens here a few weeks ago, and Adriana and I 379 00:21:29.079 --> 00:21:31.839 were making a video and not on Sweet Emotion. We 380 00:21:31.880 --> 00:21:33.759 were making a video on Whygela that will be out 381 00:21:33.880 --> 00:21:37.759 very shortly, if it's not out already, and all of 382 00:21:37.799 --> 00:21:41.119 a sudden, we just got overwhelmed with this amazing fragrance 383 00:21:41.200 --> 00:21:42.960 and we were like looking all around, you know, there's 384 00:21:42.960 --> 00:21:44.480 so much in bloom in the garden that we're like, 385 00:21:44.519 --> 00:21:47.960 it could be any number of things, and we quickly 386 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:51.880 realized it was Sweet Emotion. And the fragrance, I mean, 387 00:21:51.960 --> 00:21:54.559 I like, I'm at a loss for words. It was 388 00:21:54.680 --> 00:21:58.400 so powerful and so lovely. The closest way that I 389 00:21:58.400 --> 00:22:02.079 can describe the fragrance of Sweet Emotion Abilia is it 390 00:22:02.160 --> 00:22:06.920 is like warm jasmine tea. And it was a warm 391 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:10.079 day when we were out there and the sun just 392 00:22:10.400 --> 00:22:13.960 lifting the fragrance off of these flowers. It was it's glories. 393 00:22:14.000 --> 00:22:17.759 It's intoxicating. There really is very few other plants that 394 00:22:17.920 --> 00:22:21.960 smell this lovely, especially for cold climates like USDA Zone 395 00:22:22.000 --> 00:22:23.279 four five or six. 396 00:22:23.480 --> 00:22:26.079 So if you can handle a cold climate, is deer 397 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:30.880 resistant fragrant blooms, then you add to that the if 398 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.160 I recall correctly, gorgeous fall color. 399 00:22:33.279 --> 00:22:36.079 Gorgeous fall color a great plant. It is a great plant, 400 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:39.039 and it's it's about five to six feet tall. Now 401 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:40.880