Just the other night, my husband and I watched 10 or so deer frolic in the front yard, outside our deer fence. The important part of that last sentence was ‘outside our deer fence.’ As gardeners living in eastern Cuyahoga County, aka deer country, we have no choice but to have a fence. Otherwise, we would essentially have no real garden to tend.

Here at Cleveland Botanical Garden, our visitors constantly ask us which plants are most deer resistant. Again, deer resistant is the key word, as deer will eat almost anything if desperate enough. Here is a good list to consult.

To wonder if deer will actually ever make it to the Garden here in University Circle scares me. I know they aren’t far. We frequently see them in Shaker and Cleveland Heights, and I feel sorry for them. Whether or not you think that humans are to blame for the burgeoning deer population, the fact remains that they are here to stay and it is up to us to manage them.

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod