Today’s photos are from Joan DeRosa. She says, “This are scenes from my garden in Old Field, East Setauket, Long Island, New York. The house and grounds face west and overlook Smithtown Bay. I have been gardening here since 1988, making too many mistakes to mention. Until recently I thought the sometimes harsh winds were the greatest hazard, but that was before the deer began to take over. Now much of the garden will probably take on an ephemeral quality as it is discovered by the hungry herd.”
Oh Joan. How have you escaped the deer for this long? You garden is gorgeous. I hope they don’t take too much of a toll in the years to come! Please do send us more photos. I sense there is much more loveliness to see…
Photo/Illustration: Courtesy of Joan DeRosa
>>>>>> BOOK GIVEAWAY PART 2!!
Hey all–there are still 3 books left for another giveaway.
50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants by Ruth Rogers Clausen
Front Yard Idea Book by Jeni Webber
The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour
I’ll choose randomly from everyone who sends me garden photos by the end of the day TOMORROW to win your choice of the remaining books (last photo), plus a mystery bonus! (Hint–it’s from one of our sister publications). Email hi-res photos and a description of your garden and what you’re showing us to [email protected]. I can’t wait to see what you send!
Want us to feature YOUR garden in the Garden Photo of the Day? CLICK HERE!
Want to see every post ever published? CLICK HERE!
Want to search the GPOD by STATE? CLICK HERE!
**Check out the GPOD Pinterest page, where you can browse all the post in categories…fun! CLICK HERE!**
Fine Gardening Recommended Products
A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo
Fine Gardening receives a commission for items purchased through links on this site, including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programs.
Comments
Lush, dense, and beautiful! The day deer move in to my garden would be the day before I moved into a condo with no yard......
Oh yes, here in Wading River, NY the deer are a real problem. I plan to make a rose garden surrounded by a 10' fence. Roses are candy for deer!
Joan, this sounds so lovely and picturesque..."the house and grounds...overlook Smithtown Bay" and facing west, no less...you must have magnificant sunset views! That is...when you're not looking down at your beautiful plants combinations.
So sorry to read that your garden has been discovered by hungry deer. It's hard to shake off our childlike love for Bambi, but grrr...treating devotedly nurtured gardens like a Shoney's buffet does push the envelope of acceptance.
I agree that the little pink flower looks like a clematis. and it complements the other flowers in your picture perfectly. Note to self...stop being lazy about doing a fall planting of Allium bulbs. Those tall stately purple globes look stunning.
Oh so sorry about the deer! Hope they don't become too much of a pest. Beautiful garden. I too think that pink flower is a clematis. I've been looking as well into planting Allium and was wondering if those photos I was looking at were color inhanced and nope they're not - your Allium are bright and beautiful - will have to get some next year (unless I can plant in the spring)
We live on 10 acres in Northern Minnesota - prime deer country. As much as we enjoy seeing the deer, the distruction to our gardens and the recent introduction of deer ticks and lymes disease to our area convinced us to fence about a half acre of our property. We put up a seven foot fence made of deer fencing material, much of it runs through the woods and the fencing it's self is nearly invisible. We love it! No need to cover or spray etc and a safe place for our grandchildren to run without getting lost in the woods! Wish that we had done it sooner, can't wait to garden more.
Ah, Lung Guyland's north shore, my old stomping grounds, I lived in Rocky Point, Port Jefferson Village, and mostly in Shoreham Village, just seven miles north of where I worked, at Brookhaven National Laboratory, in good weather I rode a bicycle to and from work, can't count how many times the weather was sunny in the morning and then I pedaled home in a rain storm. During warmer weather the deer migrated accross LI Sound to CN and returned, they also would visit Block Island. I was amazed that deer could swim those distances but they certainly can and do. Deer are very boyant for the same reason they easily survive very cold winters, their hair is hollow. Long Island has a large deer population but not nearly so large as here in the Catskills. Here I fence individual plants and beds that are at risk and mostly leave and clear around the native plants that deer don't eat add to the landscape... my totally natural wildflower meadow of about three acres is more gorgeous in bloom than any anyone could plant... there are deer browsing in the meadow all year but the plants keep flowering faster than they can eat, and most they avoid; thistle, goldenrod, and many others have the most beautiful blooms but the deer don't touch them. Joan, please send lots more pictures (those two are just a tease), wait for a sunny day and stand further from your subject, include a horizon and sky. I plant foxglove too, they're highly toxic, the deer avoid those.
Windwalker810: Just a friendly reminder to caution your grands about not eating or even touching the plants in your fenced woods, many are highly toxic... wooded areas are usually not all that safe for adults, let alone children, fenced or not. And the ticks are there whether there are deer present or not, check yourself and your grands carefully and often... and when coming in from the woods it's a good idea to leave all worn clothing outdoors, and carefully check footwear. Launder all that clothing in hot water and dry on high. Besides ticks that's how fleas are brought indoors... you don't need to have pets to have fleas in your house, fleas like human blood as well as dogs and cats. And one other very important caution, if there are tall trees in your woods have your grands wear head protection, people who work in the woods always wear hardhats, a small branch falling from height can easily penetrate the skull and death is as instant as if from a bullet... lumber jacks call those "widowmakers". Children running about cause vibrations that will shake branches loose. The woods is not a very safe playground on many levels, there are stinging/biting insects of all types, poisonous snakes, and even tree frogs can be highly toxic to the touch. I wouldn't allow children to play in my woods.
Meadow:
Joan... you are quite the tease! Lush and lovely are the words that immediately come to my mind when looking at your garden. Best of luck dealing with Bambi and family.
Beautiful! I planted the Globemaster Alliums for the first time this fall and hope to see some of those beautiful blooms here next year.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
Sign up Log in