IDAHO FIREWISELANDSCAPING ANDMAMMAL MITIGATION

Deer & Rabbit Resistant Plants for the Home Landscape

Presented by Andrea DormanHorticulturist & Outreach Coordinator

WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE

▪ Locally defined areas

▪ Boise Foothills – 15,831 acres

▪ Valley – 16,173 acres

▪ Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), defined as areas where homes are built near or among lands prone to wildland fire

▪ Not a place, per se, but a set of conditions

▪ Wildland fire: brush fires, forest fires, rangeland fires –all part of the WUI

https://opendata.cityofboise.org/datasets/wildland-urban-interface-wui-

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SAGEBRUSH STEPPE HABITAT – IMPORTANT PLANT SPECIES

▪ Sagebrush, Artemisia tridentata - sagebrush-dependent wildlife like pygmy

rabbits, sage-grouse / slow recovery after fire, often requires restoration efforts

▪ Bitterbrush, Purshia tridentata - many herbivores / sometimes re-sprouts after

fire

▪ Gray Rabbitbrush, Ericameria nauseosa - small mammals and birds, food source

and habitat / slow recovery after fire

▪ Green Rabbitbrush, Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus - highly palatable to rabbits /

vigorously re-sprouts after fire

▪ Netleaf Hackberry, Celtis reticulata - small mammals and birds, perch or roost

sites for predatory birds and owls / commonly survives and re-sprouts after fire

▪ Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Balsamorhiza sagittata - deer, elk in winter to spring +

birds and small mammals eat the seeds / high fire tolerance

▪ Biscuitroot, Lomatium - early spring pollinators, rare butterflies, sage-grouse

habitat due to plant attracting insects / re-seed after fire, important forb

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SAGEBRUSH STEPPE HABITAT – NATIVE FORBS

▪ Aase’s Onion, Tapertip Onion - Allium

▪ Buckwheat – Eriogonum

▪ Evening Primrose – Oenothera

▪ Globemallow - Sphaeralcea

▪ Lupine – Lupinus

▪ Milkvetch - Astragalus

▪ Phlox - Phlox hoodii, P. longifolia

▪ Pussytoes - Antennaria

▪ Sagebrush Buttercup - Ranunculus glaberrimus

▪ Sego Lily - Calochortus nuttallii

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SAGEBRUSH STEPPE HABITAT – NATIVE GRASSES

▪ Basin Wildrye - Leymus cinereus

▪ Bluebunch Wheatgrass - Pseudoroegneria

spicata

▪ Bottlebrush Squirreltail - Elymus elymoides

▪ Idaho Fescue - Festuca idahoensis

▪ Indian Ricegrass - Achnatherum hymenoides

▪ Need and Thread - Hesperostipa comate

▪ Red Threeawn - Aristida purpurea

▪ Sandberg Bluegrass - Poa secunda

▪ Thurber’s Needlegrass - Achnatherum

thurberianum

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Bunch grasses – singular plants in clumps or tufts rather than forming a lawn. Many species have long roots which aid in slope stabilization and erosion control. Native bunch grasses provide habitat and food for insects, birds, and small animals.

Link: A Field Guide to Plants of the Boise Foothills

https://dissolve.com/stock-photo/Bluebunch-wheatgrass-spring-palouse-prairie-rights-managed-image/102-D256-40-750

SAGEBRUSH STEPPE HABITAT – USING NON-NATIVES SAFELY

▪ Bulbs - compete for spring moisture from

invasive annuals such as cheatgrass

▪ Desert Marigold - Baileya multiradiata

▪ Small Burnet – Sanguisorba minor

▪ New Mexico Privet - Forestiera neomexicana

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https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=BAMU

SAGEBRUSH STEPPE – INTRODUCED, INVASIVE FORBS

▪ Bachelor’s Button - Centaurea cyanus

▪ Bur Buttercup - Ceratocephala testiculata

▪ Jim Hill Mustard - Sisymbrium altissimum

▪ Leafy Spurge - Euphorbia esula

▪ Prickly Lettuce - Lactuca serriola

▪ Puncturevine - Tribulus terrestris

▪ Redstem Filaree - Erodium circutarium

▪ Rush Skeletonweed - Chondrilla juncea

▪ Russian Thistle - Salsola tragus

▪ Scotch Thistle - Onopordum acanthium

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SAGEBRUSH STEPPE – INTRODUCED, INVASIVE GRASSES

▪ Bulbous Bluegrass - Poa bulbosa

▪ Cereal Rye - Secale cereale

▪ Cheatgrass - Bromus tectorum

▪ Crested Wheatgrass - Agropyron

cristatum

▪ Intermediate Wheatgrass - Thinopyrum

intermedium

▪ Jointed Goatgrass - Aegilops cylindrica

▪ Medusahead - Taeniatherum caput-

medusae

▪ Ventenata Wiregrass - Ventenata dubia

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SAGEBRUSH STEPPE – INVASIVE PLANTS, FUEL FOR THE FIRE

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IF YOU CAN...

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▪ Make observations of adjacent WUI areas… seasonal maintenance efforts, evidence of foothill restoration efforts past or present, overall health

▪ Use fencing to mitigate deer

▪ Incorporate plant material into your landscape that is labeled deer and/or rabbit resistant*

▪ Protect plants that are delicacies for deer and rabbits if you can… e.g. new plants, leafy greens - fencing or wire cages

▪ Key goal - create a garden that contains very few mammal favorites… and be OK with occasional visits

*Disclaimer: deer or rabbit resistant plant material is not a guarantee, it is labeled so because it is less desirable than others – no plant is 100% resistant to a hungry animal – something that works for deer may not work for rabbits, and vice versa – each year may be different depending on weather conditions and available food sources for mammals

Plant Name Plant Type Sun/Shade

Allium, Ornamental Onion* Bulb Sun, Light Shade

Cleome, Rocky Mtn Beeplant Annual Sun

Crocus, Crocus Bulb Sun to Part Shade

Fritillaria, Fritillaria Bulb Sun, Light Shade

Galanthus, Snowdrops Bulb Sun to Part Shade

Narcissus, Daffodils Bulb Sun

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FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT ANNUALS & BULBS

Plant Name Plant Type Sun/Shade

Ajuga, Bugleweed Perennial Part Sun to Shade

Antennaria, Pussytoes Perennial Sun

Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’* Perennial / tall GC Sun

Cerastium, Snow-In-Summer Perennial Sun

Ceratostigma, Plumbago Perennial Sun or Shade

Geranium, Cranesbill Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Marrubium, Horehound Perennial Sun

Mirabilis, Desert Four O’Clock Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Monardella, Scarlet Monardella Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Stachys, Lamb’s Ears Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Teucrium aroanium, Gray Creeping Germander*

Perennial Sun

Veronica, Turkish Veronica or ‘Waterperry Blue’

Perennial Sun, Light Shade

Vinca, Periwinkle Perennial Part Shade

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FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT GROUND COVER

FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT GROUND COVER

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Plant Name Plant Type Sun/Shade

Agastache, Hyssop* Perennial Sun

Aquilegia, Columbine* Perennial Part Shade

Baptisia, False Indigo Shrubby Perennial Sun

Coreopsis grandiflora, Tickseed Perennial Sun

Erigeron, Fleabane Perennial Sun, Light Shade

Euphorbia, Cushion Spurge* Perennial Sun, Light Shade

Iris, Bearded Iris Perennial, Rhizomes Sun

Kniphofia, Red Hot Poker Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Leucanthemum, Shasta Daisy Perennial Sun, Light Shade

Linum, Flax Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Nepeta, Catmint Perennial Sun

Penstemon, Beard Tongue Perennial Sun

Saponaria, Soapwort Perennial Sun

Sphaeralcea, Globe Mallow Perennial Sun

Veronica, Speedwell Perennial Sun, Light Shade

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FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT PERENNIALS

FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT PERENNIALS

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Plant Name Plant Type Sun/Shade

Arctostaphylos, Manzanita* Shrub Sun

Berberis, Barberry Shrub Sun

Buddleia, Butterfly Bush Shrub Sun

Buxus, Boxwood Shrub Part Shade

Chaenomeles, Dwarf Quince Shrub Sun to Part Shade

Chilopsis, Desert Willow Large Shrub Sun

Cotoneaster, Cotoneaster* Shrub Sun to Part Shade

Daphne, Rock Daphne Shrub Sun to Part Shade

Mahonia, Oregon Grape Shrub Sun to Part Shade

Potentilla, Cinquefoil Shrub Sun, Light Shade

Ribes sanguineum, Currant Shrub Part Shade

Rhus ‘Gro-Low’ or ‘Autumn Amber’, Sumac

Shrub Sun

Syringa, Lilac Shrub Sun

Yucca, Adam’s Needle/Yucca Shrubby Perennial Sun

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FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT SHRUBS

FIREWISE DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT SHRUBS

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Plant Name Plant Type Sun/Shade

Ageratum, Floss Flower Annual Sun to Part Shade

Cercis, Redbud Small Tree Sun

Dicentra, Bleeding Heart Perennial Part Shade

Geum, Avens Hybrids Perennial Sun

Ginkgo, Maidenhair Tree Tree Sun

Eryngium, Sea Holly Perennial Sun

Heuchera, Coral Bells* Perennial Part Shade

Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon Large Shrub Sun

Lupinus, Lupine Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Monarda, Bee Balm Perennial Sun

Pachysandra, Japanese Spurge

Perennial Ground Cover

Part Shade to Shade

Platycodon, Balloon Flower Perennial Sun to Part Shade

Spiraea, Spirea Shrub Sun

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DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT PLANT MATERIAL NOT CURRENTLY BEING TESTED BY IDFW

Plant Name Plant Type Sun/Shade

Achillea, Yarrow Perennial Sun

Chamaebatiaria, Fernbush Shrub Sun

Fallugia, Apache Plume Shrub Sun

Lavandula, Lavender Perennial Herb Sun

Perovskia, Russian Sage Perennial Sun

Rosmarinus, Rosemary Tender Perennial Herb Sun

Salvia dorrii, S. pachyphylla Perennial Sun

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DEER AND RABBIT RESISTANT PLANT MATERIAL – XERIC BUT OILY

Sources: ▪ Missouri Botanical Garden▪ High Country Gardens▪ Proven Winners▪ College, University and

Extension Sources

Plant Observations –

Is it extremely fragrant when touched? Oil content… How big will it get at maturity? More fuel for the fire…Does it brown out in August? Loss of moisture content, flammable…

Plants that we ‘forgive’ for having some oil content due to low growth habit: Arctostaphylos x coloradoensis, Teucrium aroaniumChoose dwarf cultivars, limit numbers, and site carefully: Agastache, Monarda, Salvia

SOURCES & HELPFUL LINKS:

Contact: andrea@idahofirewise.org

https://www.fs.fed.us/rm/pubs_other/rmrs_2013_utz_j001.pdf

https://kensgardens.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/deer-rabbit-resistant.pdf

https://cals.arizona.edu/extension/ornamentalhort/landscapemgmt/plantmaterial/deerresistpts.pdf

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/animals/deer.aspx

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/pests-and-problems/animals/rabbits.aspx

https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/top-ten-lists/12-hardy-deer-resistant-proven-winners-perennials

https://www.highcountrygardens.com/plant-finder/deer-resistant-plants