Native and deer-resistant plants are the way to go

Last week's column on landscaping with native plants drew an immediate stack of e-mail. Readers asked for a list of natives for the backyard and species that might be deer-resistant. I'll respond with some of my favorite plants, including scientific names, because relying on common names can be confusing. For more information, Google "native plants" and "deer-resistant" plants" for your state. Also check with your country extension agent or a local nature center, a nursery, or garden center.
If your goal is to create a butterfly garden, you must provide both nectar-bearing flowers for the adults and suitable host plants for the caterpillars. Milkweeds are beautiful, aromatic, easy to grow, and produce abundant nectar. And milkweed leaves are the exclusive host plant for monarch butterflies. Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) are my favorites, and common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is a widespread roadside plant whose seed pods can be collected in the fall.
Joe-Pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) blooms in July and August and is a favored nectar source for tiger swallowtails. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), a prairie native, thrives in open backyards. Blazing star (Liatris spicata) produces tall spikes covered with many small purple flowers that attract an incredible variety of bees, butterflies, beetles and other pollinators. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) suggests a miniature sunflower. In bloom, it attracts butterflies, and when the flower matures, finches eat the seeds.
Caterpillar host plants are actually more important than nectar sources because without food for the caterpillars, there will be no butterflies. Here are some common butterflies and the plants their caterpillars require: spicebush swallowtail (spicebush), pipevine swallowtail (pipevine), black swallowtail (Queen Anne's lace), Baltimore (turtlehead), fritillaries (violets), American snout (hackberry), American copper (sheep sorrel), red admiral (nettles), buckeye (plantains), and wood nymph (various grasses).
For a hummingbird garden, stick to plants with red or orange nectar-bearing flowers. Bee balm (Monarda didyma), trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), and trumpetcreeper (Campsis radicans) thrive in full sun, wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) does well in wooded areas, and cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis) and orange touch-me-nots (Impatiens capensis) fare better in damp shady spots. Think of a hummingbird garden as an infinite number of nectar feeders that never need refilling.
How to keep the deer out
Several readers were most curious about landscaping with plants that deer ignore. This came as no surprise because deer populations are booming, housing developments encroach on deer habitat, and we often landscape with plants deer love. The good news is that there are plants that deer prefer and others that they typically ignore. The bad news is that when deer get hungry, they'll eat just about anything.
And then there's individual variation. While deer in my backyard might ignore species "A," deer in your neighborhood may relish it. With those caveats in mind, here's a list of plants that many authorities agree are deer-resistant.
Among low growing wildflowers, the list of deer-resistant species includes wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum), wild ginger (Asarum canadense), various milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), New England aster (Aster novae-angliae), black cohosh or snakeroot (Cimicifuga racemosa), larkspur (Consolida ambigua), tickseed (Coreopsis lanceolata), blazing star (Liatris spicata), wild bergamot (Monarda hirta), May-apple (Podophyllum peltatum), black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), purple coneflower (Ecinacea purpurea), goldenrods (Solidago spp.), yarrow (Achillea spp.), and skunk cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus).
The list of trees, shrubs, and vines that deer typically ignore includes maple (Acer spp.), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), birch (Betula spp.), ash, (Fraxinus spp.), witchhazel (Hamamelis spp), American bittersweet (Calatrus scandens), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), pawpaw (Asimina triloba), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), trumpet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), and viburnums (Viburnum spp.).
Finally, if you've suffered deer damage in your backyard, here's a list of some plants you may have lost. Deer typically find these species irresistible: white pine, redbud, apple, crabapple, cherry, plum, clematis, holly, blackberry, raspberry, sunflower, geranium, Solomon's seal, trillium, lilies, day lilies, and tulips.
Plant more native and deer-resistant species, and you'll enjoy the satisfaction of being more ecologically responsible, you'll save money, and the plants will grow more vigorously.
Send questions and comments to Dr. Scott Shalaway, R.D. 5, Cameron, W.Va. 26033 or via e-mail to sshalaway@aol.com.