Alamance Gardener. Oh, Deer! Coming Events. Alamance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Department

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1 November 2016 Volume 7, Issue 11 Alamance Gardener Coming Events Wed., Nov. 9th Forest Management Workshop (see page 6) Mon., Nov. 21st Deadline to order Holiday wreaths from Alamance County 4-H (see page 5) We re working on our slate of classes for Think Green Thursdays in Classes will begin in February. Let us know if there s a topic you would like to see covered. We ll work on it! Alamance County Cooperative Extension Horticulture Department Oh, Deer! Meanwhile, for all your garden questions Contact us : Alamance County Cooperative Extension Service 209-C N. Graham Hopedale Rd. Burlington, NC Phone: Mark Danieley Mark_danieley@ncsu.edu Chris Stecker Christine.stecker@alamance-nc.com Visit our website: Follow us on Facebook! Just click here: It seems like every time we plant a plant there is some kind of creature that wants to eat it. It doesn t matter if it is a tree, shrub, flower or vegetable, there is a pest for almost every plant. Insects are perhaps the most common pest we have to deal with, but fortunately most of them don t do that much damage. We do usually have several effective options for controlling the insects that are a problem. Animals are a whole different problem. While your neighbors don t care if you spray a little Bt to control the tomato fruit worms, they most likely would take a dim view of you shooting the squirrels stealing your tomatoes. That is especially true if their children are playing in the back yard next to your garden. Birds, rabbits, groundhogs and even turtles can damage our plants, but the worst offender in my opinion is the deer. White-tailed deer used to be only a problem for the folks that lived in the country. Now with increasing development they have become a problem in town. We have had our share of animals (mostly rabbits and groundhogs) here in Arbor Gate Garden, but did not think we had a deer problem until I was shown the above picture. The deer had been feeding on the Shasta daisies and the plants in the water feature. Hopefully this deer was just a visitor and not a permanent presence in our garden.

2 Alamance Gardener Volume 7, Issue 11 Page 2 Oh, No! Not Bambi! So, the question is, what do you do about deer in your garden? Plant selection is the first option. There are some plants that deer don t prefer. I hesitate to say that any plant is deer proof because a hungry deer will eat most anything to stay alive. That doesn t mean that every plant in the landscape needs to be deer resistant. If half the plants are not too tasty the deer may get discouraged and move along. Planting deer resistant plants around the vegetable garden may also be beneficial. Here is the link to an article that has a list of plants that deer seldom damage. The next step is to try a repellent. There are many commercial chemical repellents on the market that work pretty well. Unfortunately most of them will need to be applied frequently because they can wash off in a heavy rain. Other repellents like human hair and strongly scented soap have shown some success. A homemade repellent can be made by mixing four eggs in a gallon of water and spraying the mixture on the plants you want to protect. Hanging up old CDs or aluminum pans may scare some deer, but they aren t particularly attractive. A good dog can also do a decent job of scaring deer and are used in several large orchards to reduce deer damage. All of these methods can be effective, but they all also have some limitations. Once the deer get used to the smells or sights, the buffet begins again. Lastly are the physical barriers. The simplest barrier is a black plastic mesh that can be spread over azaleas, hosta and other desirable plants. The mesh is almost invisible from a distance and will discourage deer feeding. The mesh does need to be moved a little every few days during the growing season to keep shrubs from growing through the mesh. Electric fencing can be very effective especially if it is baited. Place a tablespoon of peanut butter on a piece of aluminum foil and hang the foil on the fence. The deer are attracted to the peanut butter and get a shock. They quickly learn to stay away from the electric fence. A six foot tall solid fence that the deer can t see through can be effective. If you are building a woven wire fence it should be at least eight feet high. While the eight foot tall fence is the most effective it can also be very expensive. The method of deer protection you choose will depend on the amount of damage you experience and how much you are willing to spend. If you have any questions about deer control or any other gardening topic, please give me or Chris a call. Prevent Predation, Plant the P s - Pungent, Prickly, Poisonous Pungent plants are those with a strong taste like many herbs. Prickly plants and those with hairy stems and leaves like Lamb s Ears don t appeal much to deer, but, unfortunately, roses are the exception to this rule, especially the new tender growth. Poisonous plants and those with thick sap like Euphorbia are also less toothsome to deer.

3 Alamance Gardener Volume 7, Issue 11 November Garden Tips ontinue planting C spring-flowering bulbs this month. Plant tulips, hyacinths, and jonquils 6 inches apart and 8 inches deep (to the bottom of the bulb). Crocus, anemones, and grape hyacinths should be planted 2 inches apart and 4-5 inches deep. If deer are a problem, stick to members of the narcissus family jonquils and daffodils. et out forget-me-nots, S pansies, snapdragons, violas, sweet William, pinks and other hardy plants for flowering in winter and early spring. P ut packets of unused seed inside screw-top glass jars. Add a small tissue packet of powdered milk to the jar to serve as a desiccant, soaking up moisture from the air inside the jar that would otherwise get into the seeds and reduce their longevity. Store the jar in the refrigerator. fter leaf fall, maintain A rose beds by raking up and discarding old mulch and fallen leaves and replace with a fresh layer of mulch. This will help reduce next year s disease and insect problems. T reat perennial weeds such as mock strawberry and wild garlic this month. Apply a broadleaf herbicide when temperatures are above 50 degrees. Add a spreader-sticker to the mix to help the herbicide stick to skinny leaves. N ow is a great time to plant or transplant trees and shrubs. Dig a planting hole no deeper than the plant s root ball and at least twice as wide. Remove containerized plants from their pots and loosen the roots a bit. Balled-and-burlap plants should be set in the hole with burlap intact. After placing, loosen the burlap and ties and pull back from around the trunk. Plant containerized or B- and-b plants so the root ball is a couple of inches higher than the surrounding soil. Backfill, then tamp lightly to settle the soil around the roots. Water thoroughly and follow with a 2- to 4-inch layer of mulch, keeping it away from the trunk. Wait until spring to fertilize. Page 3 B ring in your rain gauge to avoid freeze damage. Drain and store water hoses to extend their lives. Clean and service garden tools for winter storage. Oil blades of shovels and other tools to keep them from rusting. Drain gas tanks of garden equipment to prevent water buildup. P urchase amaryllis bulbs and pot them up yourself. Be sure the pot has at least one or more drainage holes. Since amaryllis like to be pot bound, choose a pot that is no more than an inch or two wider than the diameter of the bulb. Clay pots are better than plastic because their added weight will help support the amaryllis, which tends to get top heavy when in bloom. The top third of the bulb should extend above the soil. R educe botrytis blight on peonies and powdery mildew on bee balm and phlox by trimming away and disposing of old, dead stems and leaves now.

4 Alamance Gardener Volume 7, Issue 11 Page 4 Arbor Gate Plant of the Month Witch Hazel Hamamelis virginiana Those of you who follow Alamance Gardener and are familiar with Arbor Gate Garden may remember this plant as Hamamelis x intermedia Jelena, and, indeed part of it is still Jelena. I ve always marveled that this plant (labeled as Hamamelis x intermedia Jelena ) appeared to have two seasons of bloom brilliant yellow in November, then beautiful coppery orange in late winter. As it turns out, Jelena was grafted on more common rootstock, as are most of these named varieties, and, due to their colonizing nature, many suckers come up from below the graft. If you would like to keep the Witch Hazel you planted, be vigilant in removing suckers that come up in spring and summer. Blooming in November is Hamamelis virginiana common Witch Hazel, a native that deserves a spot in your garden if only for its November glow. Golden yellow fall foliage is followed by a cloud of fringy, fragrant yellow flowers. Against the brilliant blue of a late autumn sky, there is not much finer. This durable native does well in full sun or part shade (with full sun producing the most flowers) and can handle even heavy clay soil, as long as it drains well. Little pruning is required, except to limit colonizing by removing suckers. Read more here:

5 Alamance County 4-H Holiday Wreath Sale 2016 Fraser Fir & Boxwood Wreaths Fraser Fir $20.00 It s time to start decorating for the holidays, and what better way to do so than by purchasing a wreath to support Alamance County 4-H! These wreaths come from Pardue Tree Farm and Nursery in Sparta, NC. They are a threegeneration family-owned farm and have been in the evergreen business for over 25 years. They harvest by hand the Fraser Fir and Boxwood boughs to make their wreaths. Boxwood $22.00 Details: All proceeds will benefit Alamance County 4-H youth. The outside diameter of the wreath is approximately inches. Payment is required at time of order. Please make checks payable to Alamance County 4-H. Order deadline is Monday, November 21, Delivery Information: Fresh wreaths will be delivered to the Alamance County 4-H office and will be available for pick-up on December 5-6, 2016, between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Christmas Wreath Order Form Taylor Jones, 4-H Agent 209-C N. Graham-Hopedale Rd. Burlington, NC Phone: Fax: taylor_jones@ncsu.edu Price: $20.00 for Fraser Fir $22.00 for Boxwood Name Address City, State Zip code Home phone Cell phone # Fraser Fir x $20.00= $ # Boxwood x $22.00= $ Total: $ Method of Payment: Cash Check # 4-H er Name (if sold by 4-H er): Club Name:

6 Benefits of Forest Management Wednesday, November 9, pm. or 6-8 pm. The NC Forest Service is offering 2 different sessions for forest landowners to discuss the benefits of forest management, plan preparation, and the Present Use-Valuation for Forestry tax deferment program. Meal provided during each session. Location Agriculture/Environmental Center 209 N Graham Hopedale Rd. Burlington, NC Please register! There is no cost, but we need to have a head count for meals. Please contact: Monique Monique.McKinney@alamance-nc.com Phone: (336) ext.3; Alamance County Soil and Water Conservation