There have been many reports of deer invading gardens and flower beds this year. You would think with all the rain there would be plenty for them to eat out in the wild but seems like they prefer the cultivated crops.
You can minimize damage they can do by avoiding plants they prefer and instead use plants that deer avoid due to toxicity, fragrance or texture. For instance, they love tulips in the spring but leave daffodils alone.
Other plants they avoid include yarrow, ageratum, ornamental onion, columbine, wax begonia, coneflower, heliotrope, sweet alyssum, peony, poppy, geranium, Russian sage, blue salvia, dusty miller, lamb’s ear, and marigold.
Shrubs they leave alone include Japanese barberry, bittersweet, red dogwood, forsythia, Mugo pine, rhododendron, azalea, lilac and nannyberry.
If you are wanting to increase your perennial flower bed, there are several self-seeding perennials to consider. They include columbine, monkshood, chives (avoid garlic chives or you will be inundated!), swamp milkweed, butterfly weed, blue false indigo, perennial bachelor’s button, sweet William, purple coneflower, verbena and violet.
Bellflower is another self-seeder but one that you don’t want to have in your garden as it is considered very invasive.
If you are needing to install a new septic mound and are wondering what to plant on top of it, these sites require minimal disturbance to keep the drain field intact. Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant plants are ideal. Fibrous root systems help hold the soil and prevent erosion off the mound.
Plants to consider for this project include butterfly weed, purple coneflower, fescue, prairie smoke, false sunflower, daylily, blazing star, bee balm, beardtongue, little bluestem, sedum and prairie dropseed. Another plus is that a lot of these plants are loved by pollinators.
Robin Trott, University of Minnesota Extension Educator, has put out a warning that if you see trees turning color earlier than expected, there are some benign reasons for color changes as well as indicators that something may be stressing your tree.
“Though some maple varieties turn color earlier than others, when maples start changing color in midsummer, it may be about the health of the tree. Trees respond to stress by shedding leaves or shifting pigments, trying to conserve energy and protect themselves. … This summer’s excessive rains could be the culprit in turning our trees early.
“Maple’s shallow root systems, combined with saturated soils, can cause problems. Maples are especially sensitive to standing water, which can quickly stress their roots. When roots sit in soggy soil for too long, they can’t get the oxygen they need. That leads to poor nutrient uptake, and the tree may respond by dropping leaves or changing color — much like it would in fall, but for all the wrong reasons.”
Rain is not the only stressor. “Maples are sensitive to a range of environmental challenges including drought and heat, nutrient deficiencies, compacted soil and pests and diseases (anthracnose or verticillium wilt). A soil test can help pinpoint nutrient issues. Mulching can help regulate moisture but don’t pile it against the trunk — think donuts, not volcanoes.
“Early leaf color doesn’t mean your tree is doomed. It could be a heads-up that something’s off, and with a little care, most maples bounce back.”
Robin advises the next time you see a red leaf fluttering down in mid-summer, don’t reach for your pumpkin spice latte just yet. Your tree might just be asking for a little help.
Master Gardener Sue Morris has been writing a column since 1991 for Kandiyohi County newspapers. Morris has been certified through the University of Minnesota as a gardening and horticulture expert since 1983. She lives in Kandiyohi County.
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