Published in the Contra Costa Times on
Q. I would like to plant color in pots for winter in a
garden visited regularly by deer. What would you recommend?
A. Winter
annuals, (and a few perennials), can provide plenty of color and cheer through
most of the winter weather we are likely to have in this area. Plant these plants into good potting soil,
and incorporate a slow-release fertilizer into the soil prior to planting. Be
sure to water the plants in well. Deer resistance is variable, as what the deer
eat in one garden they ignore in the next.
Here are a few of our favorites worth trying:
Antirrhinum majus Snapdragon: Purchase these plants with buds on them, and they will
bloom for you through the winter. Susceptible to rust fungus. Available in a
wide variety of colors and heights.
Cyclamen hederifolium Cyclamen: Beautiful winter color in the
white-red range. Flowers are held above the foliage. Deer resistant. Susceptible to root rots if over-watered.
Primula malacoides Fairy
Primrose: White to red blossoms bloom
all winter long. Deer resistant.
Primula obconica Wide color range on low plants.
Deer resistant
Matthiola incana Stock: This is one of the
wonderfully fragrant bedding plants available in the winter months. Blooms in
the white-red –lavender range. Height varies with the cultivar.
Myosotis sylvatica Forget-Me-Not: This is an annual (occasionally biennial) with
light blue flowers that bloom in late winter. May re-seed into shady places.
Senecio hybridus Cineraria: Late winter color. Look for the dwarf plants
(12-15” in height) May be damaged by frost. White to lavender blooms.
If deer
continue to nibble on your plants, cover them with deer netting for a couple of
weeks. Deer are creatures of habit, and if they can be persuaded that your
containers are not the best salad bar in town, they might eat elsewhere. The
deer repellants work occasionally, but not reliably.