First, you plan your landscaping. Then you plant your trees and shrubs. Then the deer eat them. That seems to be the pattern for landscaping in large parts of the country. And that's why finding trees not on the deer menu is so important. If you need to plan around deer, here are 3 trees that look great to people, but don't appeal to our 4-legged intruders.
Photo courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Gardens Plantfinder
Juneberry is a tree with many names. Some people call it shadblow serviceberry, and Canadian serviceberry, so it's good to know its formal name, Amelanchier canadensis. Grown either as a shrub or a small tree, juneberry blooms early, offering slightly fragrant, thin-petaled white flowers in small clusters. You can grow this tree in all but the coldest parts of the country. It prefers full sun to partial shade with medium moisture. Juneberry can reach 10-20' or more in height and breadth, but can easily be pruned. If you're short on space, there are compact cultivars available. Best of all, juneberry produces edible fruit, which ripen to purple-black by June or July. The fruit is sweet and tasty right off the tree, or can be used in pies or preserves or even dried like raisins. You'll have to be quick to harvest the ripe fruit before the birds beat you to them.
» Find out about growing fruit trees
Native to the eastern United States, river birch (Betula nigra) is a favorite in the landscape due to its uniquely ornate bark. Sometimes known as red or water birch, It sheds its bark freely in papery strips, exposing the inner bark which can be tan, pink or orange-colored on younger stems. Older trunks are dark, reddish-brown, deeply furrowed, and broken into irregular patterns. Grown in either clump or tree form, it tolerates moisture and prefers an acid soil. It makes a very handsome, but large, specimen tree maturing at a height and spread of approximately 40 ? 60 feet. It's hardy to Zone 4 and provides a nice yellow to gold fall color. Smaller varieties are available for small yards.
» Find out more about river birch here
Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) is a fast-growing tree with fine-textured, needle-like foliage that turns orange to red or brown in the fall before dropping its leaves. Like its well-known cousin, the redwood, it has beautiful bark. Reddish brown when young, it darkens as it matures. Hardy enough for most of New England and the Midwest on south, this tree transplants easily, takes full sun, performs best in moist, deep, well-drained, slightly acid soils. It requires little or no pruning to maintain its uniform, conical shape. Reaching 70-80 feet in height at full maturity and 25 feet in breadth, it needs plenty of room. Use it as a screen or grow several in groves along streams or lakes.
Photo courtesy of the Missouri Botanical Gardens Plantfinder
» Find out about deer-resistant shrubs
