Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Thursday - October 22, 2015
From: GEORGETOWN, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Deer Resistant
Title: Deer eating Non-native Asiatic Jasmine in Georgetown, TX
Answered by: Mike Tomme
QUESTION:
Is there a spray or granular material that will prevent deer from eating asiatic jasmine?ANSWER:
The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. Asiatic Jasmine is native to Korea and Japan and is outside our area of expertise at the Ladybird Johnson WIldflower Center.
However, we do know a little about deer. In Mr. Smarty Plants opinion, the long term answer top your question is no. There are many products for sale that claim to repel deer and I'm sure some, if not most, of them work - for a while. Here is an article that summarizes pretty well various approaches to repelling deer: Deter Deer In The Garden. Mr. Smarty Plants has previously proposed a device that makes a sound like a mountain lion's tummy growling whenever a deer approaches.
There may be a bright spot for you. Deer do not generally eat asian jasmine unless they get pretty desparate. As the weather cools and the summer drought relents, other plants may start to recover and the deer will leave your jasmine alone and start eating the rest of your landscape.
More Non-Natives Questions
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August 05, 2010 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
My friend's Mayten tree (green spray)leaves are yellowing and we don't know if it is under-watered (surrounded by grass and fed with a time sprinkler for 20 min. maybe 2 or ...
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Non-native, invasive, poisonous Chinese yam
October 16, 2005 - I found a vine in my yard [central Indiana] which I believe is Dioscorea oppositiflora and I wanted first to confirm my identification and second to find out about edibility [especially of the airborn...
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Problems with non-native Chinese pistache tree in San Jose CA
May 30, 2009 - We have a Chinese Pistache tree that is between 25 and 30 years-old. Over the past couple years, we have observed more and more branches dying. They turn black, and remain leafless in the spring, when...
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Problems with non-native Star jasmine
April 27, 2009 - My Jasmine leaves are turning red. I think it's a Star Jasmine as it get those pretty little white fragrant flowers that look like a star. What is causing this and is it something I should be conce...
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Difference between invasive Chinese and Japanese wisterias and native wisteria
September 12, 2014 - Dear Mr or Ms Smarty Plants,
Is there any way I can tell for sure if my wisteria is native? I bought it at a place when it was in bloom that sold a lot of native plants. I Would like to know for sure...
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