Smoke plant is one of several deer-proof choices

Q: We live next to a forest preserve and frequently lose plants during winter to browsing deer. Can you recommend low-maintenance shrubs that take full sun and that deer don't eat? I prefer plants that won't attract many bees. Shirley Smiley, Orland Park A: Unfortunately, deer will eat almost anything when they are hungry, but the best low-maintenance options they tend to avoid are junipers (Juniperus spp.), a versatile evergreen offering plants in a wide variety of heights, shapes, textures and needle colors. There are two flowering shrubs you might consider. Vernal witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) flowers in late winter or very early spring, before bees are active. Another choice is smoke tree (Continus coggygria): Pruning it to the ground in late winter every year will keep it from flowering (and intensify the color of red- or purple-leaved varieties). Though not shrubs, other low-maintenance, deer-resistant options that don't attract bees are many of the ornamental grasses, including blue fescue (Festuca glauca), fountain grass (Pennisetum spp.) and prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepsis).
Robin Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden
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