My Sweet Hostas, I Miss You Already
July 18th, 2007 
by Susan
Have I complained mentioned yet that we have deer in our wooded valley this year? I’m feeling pretty calm about it, assuming as I do that they won’t stick around longer than a week or so - because that’s been their pattern the few times they’ve appeared and because I can’t get my brain around the notion of gardening with deer that don’t go away. I’ve seen the chronic frustration of the deer-plagued gardener. I’ve sensed the violence swelling up in the gentlest of animal-huggers.
So let’s just say I feel your pain, deer-plagued gardeners, and I’m having sad feelings about these beauties be
cause I won’t see them this year. They were scarfed up before they’d really unfolded into their glory. In the photo above, how about this combo of ‘Frances Williams’ with Celandine poppies and the white blooms of an azalea?
On the right is another winner that’s long gone this year, the Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’, pictured with the blooming Green and Gold (Chrysogonum virginiana ‘Pierre"). Sigh.
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July 18th, 2007 at 9:39 pm
The slugs ate mine within a week, which saddens me greatly because I adore hostas and would do a whole yard full of them if I knew they’d survive our heat and bugs. Alas, hosta la vista… baby.
July 18th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Although there have been deer sighted in my yard at least once, I think that they are generally too panicked about their wrong turn from the woods to actually eat anything. THANK GOODNESS!! The squirrels are bad enough!
July 19th, 2007 at 11:52 am
Last night I chased deer away from the petunia pots on my front porch. That’s a first. Most of my hostas are now gone, only the sad, spikey stems left behind. Coral bells are almost gone too. I have more deer in my yard this year than squirrels. I’ve always loved and envied your massive hostas down by the streambed and always wondered why deer didn’t dine on your plants more often. (NB: I live only 5 miles away from Susan.) Having retired in May this is my first full-time season in the garden, and I’m so discouraged today that I’m considering replacing everything with vinca and calling it a day. I guess I need to take a more balanced attitude and just accept that to coexist with the damn deer I have to let go of the garden by mid-July.
July 27th, 2007 at 5:02 am
It’s very unpleasant an animal to eat your plants. I had a similar problem a year ago. Almost all of the flowers in my garden were damaged.