Trees (fun!)

 Altitude: 100m

Winter conditions: cold winds from Whistler.
Hardiness: 9a (like Pender Island)

Hardiness: 8

Trees I would like to plant:

hardly, low maintenance, heirloom species.

Berries (raspberries, blueberries, Saskatoon berries, redcurrant, gooseberries, blackcurrant)
Apple - mixed types, various growing seasons.
Pears - mixed types, various growing seasons.
any fruit that could grow in this hardiness zone and wet climate...

Quantity:
Personal yearly consumption for a family of four.

Advice from Saturna Island:

if I were to plant only two fruits, they would be kiwis and apples, next would be pears and plums (yellow, purple).

KIWIs - A real champ, produce very well, a bushel this year. After it's well-established, will grow like a weed and must be pruned every year or else the kiwis, though still numerous, become small. Pick them before the first frost. Ripen a few at a time in a paper bag with an apple (or other fruit). 

If you wait TOO long to pick them, the raccoons will get there first.

Hazelnut (filberts) grow really well - nut production is so-so.

Grapes do ok some years, other years none at all.

Raspberries - do pretty well, birds a problem, so are raccoons.

Gooseberries - do well

Here on a Gulf Island (Saturna) deer are a major problem and I have a 7' fence around all of the above except the fiog near the house that os on a wire cage.

Oh = one more thing: I prune the larger trees every year (the internet is full of instruction about that) - plums before they go totally dormant, apples and pears in Jan. I also use dormant spray - usually in Feb.

Jim

HEDGE

For a formal evergreen hedge, try arborvitae (Thuja), zones 2 through 8; boxwood (Buxus), zones 6 through 8; and yew (Taxus), zones 6 through 9. Informal deciduous shrubs for hedges include potentilla ( (Cinquefoil), burning bush (Euonymus), and dogwood (Cornus). 

Thuja Smaragd (Emerald Green Cedar)

Pyramid Cedar

Rocky Mountain Juniper

Boxwood

Yew

cedar

Leyland cypress

English laurel

potentilla

burning bush

dogwood

Photinia Fraseri

California Lilac

Vilburnum tinus

EVERGREEN HEDGING (needled conifers)

Leylandii Cypress

• Foliage is a blue-green colour.
• Very fast growing evergreens. These shrubs often grow 3 feet per year! 
• Good for where you need extra height and width to screen out other buildings or highway noise.  
• Plant 3 feet apart for hedge and 5 feet apart for natural effect.
• Deer resistant once established.

Thuja Smaragd (Emerald Green Cedar)

• This is probably the most popular hedging item for urban coastal B.C. because it is ideal for small gardens.
• Low maintenance, nice bright green colour during all seasons. 
• Plant 2 to 2 1/2  feet apart for hedge.  Use where ever you need a slender hedge from 5 feet to 12 feet in height. 
• It’s very shallow root system must not be allowed to dry out during the dry summer months.

Thuja Pyramidalis (Pyramid Cedar)

• One of the best hedges for seaside plantings.  It can stand salt spray and survive. 
• The hedge turns to a bronze-green in winter and back to a vivid green for the Spring, Summer and Fall.
• Plant 2 1/2 feet apart.  Good for hedging from 5 feet to 12 feet in height. 

Thuja Plicata (Western Red Cedar)

• One of the fastest growing evergreens.
• Plant 3 feet apart. Trim and maintain for hedges from 6 feet to 15 feet in height. 
• Deer Resistant once established.

Juniperus scopulorum (Rocky Mountain Juniper )

• Upright and dense after pruning.
• Foliage can be dark green or blue-green.
• Plant 2 1/2 feet apart for hedge. Makes good looking hedge from 5 feet to 12 feet in height.
• Must have sun. Drought resistant once established
• Deer resistant once established. 

Pseudotsuga Menziesii (Douglas Fir)

• Often used on large properties where more natural screening is necessary.
• Plant double staggered rows for best results, 5 feet apart and 2 feet the other way.  Once trimmed for 3 to 4 years, they make a dense barrier that deer will not penetrate. There is a fair amount of maintenance after a few years. (i.e. heavy pruning.
• This hedge will make a height from 8 to 25 feet. 

Tsuga (Eastern Hemlock)

• This is used where you want to keep the hedge a little less formal.  It has a nice graceful, weeping, soft effect.
• Plant at 3 feet, 4 feet, or 5 feet spacing depending on how fast you want it to thicken together.
• Full sun to part shade with ample moisture in the summer months is required.

Taxus (Yew)

• Rich green or golden needles are flat and shiny with a fine feathery texture. 
• Valued for long life, ability to be sheared and shaped, and tolerant of  dense shade to full sun.
• More expensive, but worth it in the end for the classy appearance and low maintenance.
• Slow rate of growth, compact habit. Easily maintains a nice, clean, boxy look.
• Plant 2 feet apart for sheared hedge of 4 to 6 feet.
• Poisonous leaves and berries. (Male plants must be present for females to produce berries)
• Deer Resistant once established. (see above)

BROADLEAF  EVERGREEN  HEDGING 

Prunus (English Laurel)

• Bright, shiny, large, green leaves.
• Makes a thick hedge from 6 feet to 12 feet high.  Plant 2 feet to 2 1/2 feet apart for best results.
• Prune back early spring if any die back occurs.  English laurel recovers quickly from sever pruning.
• Can be used in shade or sun.
• Other laurels such as Portuguese laurel (colourful stems) and “Otto Luykens” (compact growth habit, smaller leaves) are also great hedging plants.
• All are deer resistant once established.

Photinia fraseri

• Green, shiny foliage but the new growth is all bright red.  This happens four to five times in the growing season with two hard sheerings.
• Plant 30 inches apart and shear side growth right away.  The height and spread can be maintained at 5 feet tall by 4 feet wide.
• Tolerates sun or partial sun.
• Prone to leaf spot during rainy springs—shear off damaged leaves and discard in garbage.  New growth is clear of spots when dry weather arrives.

Ceanothus “Victoria” (California Lilac)

• Dainty, shiny, dark evergreen leaves with little balls of blue flowers in spring and summer.
• Plant in semi-shade or full sun.  Drought tolerant once established.
• Good for seaside plantings as it will tolerate salt spray.
• Plant 2 feet to 2 1/2 feet apart.  Prune to maintain a height of 5 feet by 3 feet. 
• This cultivar was discovered on the Malahat mountain on Vancouver Island. 
• Deer resistant once established.

Escallonia “Pink Princess”

• Excellent seaside hedge.  Lush, evergreen, shiny leaves with showy pink flowers all summer.
• Plant 24 inches apart in sun or partial shade.  Fast growing hedge 4 to 6 feet in height.
• May suffer some winter die-back in severe windy locations but recovers quickly.
• Another Escallonia cultivar “Newport Dwarf” grows maximum 3 feet tall.

Buxux “Winter Gem” and “Green Beauty” (Boxwood)

• Best dwarf hedge for edge of driveway or for formal edging of rose gardens. 
• Plant 12 inches apart.  Growth is easily maintained at 12  to 24 inches in height.  Add lime to the soil yearly for healthy green foliage.
• Does well in sunny to shady locations and is drought tolerant once established.
• Deer resistant once established.  Add lime to the soil yearly for healthy green foliage.

Viburnum tinus

• Evergreen leaves with reddish twigs have a rosy glow.  Long flowering season of pinkish white flowers followed by interesting metallic blue berries.
• Plant 2 feet apart  for sheared or shaped hedge.
• The dwarf cultivar “Spring Bouquet” is a more compact form.
• Sun to part shade locations are best.

PLANTS DEER DO NOT LIKE TO EAT

Crape Myrtle

Crape Myrtle trees are low maintenance, long blooming trees that are deer resistant. They are quite resilient and grow well in a variety of climates though they do best where winters are mild. Since the trees grow to be quite large and have attractive, bright blooms, they can be used on the edge of your property to create an effective barrier against deer. 

Holly

Deer do not like the leaves or berries of holly bushes and will steer clear of these plants. There are many different varieties of holly but the most effective in repelling deer are those with jagged leaves since they are not appetizing to deer and are uncomfortable to chew. Planting these around your yard is an easy way to send deer looking elsewhere for their next meal.

Boxwood

Deer dislike it because of its pungent scent which bothers their keen sense of smell. Since boxwood can grow quite tall, this bush can be used around the perimeter of your yard or garden to create a natural boundary that deer will not want to cross.

Barberry

Barberry plants are hardy and provide nice foliage that is far from a deer favorite. The plant is covered in thorns that would make it quite hard to chew and digest. The yellowish stems are also quite unappetizing for deer that much prefer bland, leafy plants. The flowers also release a pungent smell that will send deer away from your garden. You can use barberry throughout your garden to keep deer away. It offers a nice decorative appeal since it can be found in both green and burgundy varieties.

 Daffodils

Deer are extremely unlikely to feed on daffodils, disliking both the foliage and flowers. This makes them one of the best flowers to plant in your deer-proof garden. They do not require much care and will multiply on their own, so plant them in an area where they will have room to spread out each year.

FLOWERS

http://www.gracefulgardens.com/deer-repellent

Perennials

Lavender

Sun, Zone 5-7, Summer. Who can resist the beautiful perfume of lavender? Their small blue spikes reach high above the foliage. They can be picked and dried in bunches for a fragrant decoration. A well drained sunny location will make them thrive and keep the deer at bay.

Lupines

Sun, Zone 4-7, EASY, Late Spring/Early summer. A stunning display of torch-shaped blooms give the cottage garden its spirited appearance. Very dependable in our garden, coming up year after year. The deer ignore them while the butterflies and hummingbirds seek them out. The gallery series offers 2ft tall sturdy plants with densely packed spikes.

Monarda

Shade or Sun, Zone 4-9, EASY, Summer. These mint family plants put out a spectacular display of flowers July through August and are absolutely irresistible to hummingbirds.

Penstemon

Sun or Part Shade, Zone 4-8. These colorful snapdragon-like flowers bloom all summer with the greatest profusion in June. Vaughns garden catalog of 1891 says, "Perhaps no class of plants are so valuable for producing a mass of bloom during the summer months as these. So grand are they in fact, when massed in beds and border that no words can adequately express their magnificence." They attract hummingbirds and songbirds, help repel deer, and make a great cut flower.

Perovskia or Russian Sage

Sun, Zones 5-9. There is no tougher plant out there with the beauty to match. With scented leaves and airy blue flowers, the provide a long season of bloom in the hottest time of the summer.

Salvia

Sun or Light Shade, Zone 4-9, EASY, early summer. These deep blue spikes provide a sweep of blue early in the garden season and continue to do so over a long period. They are hardy, long lived, and very easy to grow.

ANNUALS

Centaurea Bachelor Buttons

The brilliant blue of the cornflower is probably the most eye catching flower a cottage garden can have. It is easy to grow and its playful nature make it perfect for the cottage garden.

Cleome

Tall, airy, and graceful,these plants are adorned with huge flower clusters that open daily. They love lots of sun and are drought and heat tolerant. They fill out the back of the border beautifully or can stand on their own.

Datura

The huge tubular bells of these old Victorian plants bring fragrant romance back into the garden. Handsome and easy to grow.

Nicotiana

This is an ornamental species of tobacco. Sweet smelling, pest-free, the 21/2 " star shaped flowers bloom in profusion all summer long. They enjoy sun or shade and especially the summer humidity.

Salvia

These hardy annuals come in many habits and colors. We've chosen two distinctly different varieties though each has its own remarkable qualities.

FEDGE

Shadblow Serviceberry

Clusters of fragrant, white blooms become small, purple-black, edible fruit. Small, deep green leaves display yellow and red fall coloring. Ornamental tree or large shrub. 
Hardy to -40°F
Maximum Elevation: 8,000 Feet

Hardiness 3 to 7.

Growth Rate	Moderate
Light Needs	Full Sun
Mature Height	20-25 ft.
Mature Width	10-15 ft.

Mulberry 

Elderberry

Broom

Gorse

Bamboo

I have been adding hawthorne and mountain ash and willow in addition to the varieties mentioned above for a very mixed , multi layer perimeter hedgerow SMELL

Douglas Fir

• Really intense citrus (grapefruit), sweet, hot, rich resinous, and very fruity

Sitka Spruce

• Really intense, rich and fruity

Western Red Cedar

• Intense dried pineapple

Eastern Hemlock*

• Distinct lemon-zest scent

Rosemary

Mint

Lavender

Pine