Up here in the north Georgia mountains there are some critters that we love to see frequent our gardens. Monarch butterflies, honey bees, a cardinal, blue jay, or finch, maybe even a spare humming bird to two. On the other hand, there are lots of other woodland creatures that we hope to never see walking through our freshly planted gardens of tender spring-green leaves – deer and rabbits! Whether you are a strict vegan or an avid huntsman, no one wants to see the supposedly ‘gentle’ creatures chowing down on your hard earned and hard worked landscaping. At Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA, we specialize in creating deer-resistant landscapes that are less likely to become lunch for the white tailed wanderers.

Deer Dos

When choosing plants for your landscaping, keep in mind which do and don’t attract deer. There are some plants – like roses – that deer absolutely love. Instead of filling your landscape with these beautiful but thorny blooms, choose other flowers that are less likely to attract deer. Some great choices are red cedars, magnolias, barberry, lilac, quince, bleeding hearts, and carolina jessamine. If you just love geraniums (deer do too) and must have them in your yard, plant them in a high traffic area that the deer are less likely to access like around your front or back door.

Deer Don’ts

If you want to enjoy your plantings, don’t select varieties that you know the deer population finds tasty and spread them throughout your yard. If you are growing vegetables or an orchard, position it away from your other landscaping and be sure to pick the fruits and vegetables before they can become deer dinner as well.

One of our specialties at Whispering Springs Nursery is creating beautiful landscapes that will last and blend into the north Georgia woodlands in our surrounding areas of Jasper and Canton, GA. Give us a call today to schedule a landscape design appointment, or come by the nursery. We hope to see you soon!

Deer are herbivores. Just about anything lush and green, they will munch on and when it comes to your garden, the prettier and more highly prized your flowers are, the more likely the deer are to eat them. So what do you do? You call in Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA and have us install a deer resistant garden. 

Recognize Deer Damage

Orange flowers of Butterfly Weed  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You may be getting munched by your local herd of deer, and not even know it. The first steps to preventing deer damage is to learn to recognize it. Do you seen torn or shredded leaves from ground level to about five feet up? That’s a sign of deer. Because they don’t have upper incisor teeth, they tear their food rather than cutting through it. If you happen to see some deer droppings near by then you can rest assured that the deer have deemed your garden as a perfect place to snack.

Creating a Deer Resistant Garden

No plant is going to be 100% deer proof, but when choosing flowers to enhance your landscape, you can at least choose flowers that they are less likely to munch on. And don’t let the term ‘deer-resistant’ scare you away. There are many types of plants that deer are less likely to eat that are just as beautiful and showy as roses and tulips but aren’t as high on their list of favorite foods. Instead, go for purple-leaved basil, with silvery lamb’s ears, and ‘Moonshine’ yarrow.  Butterfly weed is a great option for a splash of orange color, caryopteris for purple blooms, and crocosmia with their sword shaped leaves and red, orange, or yellow blooms.

Are you ready to get planting? Or would you rather someone else come design and install your deer-resistant yard for you? Just call us at Whispering Springs Nursery and we will come up with a beautiful creation just for you!

Whispering Springs is situated in Jasper, GA and we are surrounded by beautiful woodlands. Pine trees, old oaks, honeysuckle, and wild azaleas can be found around almost every turn so when we install landscape designs, we do our best to beautify the natural area and work with the plants that grow best in our region.

Woodland Gardens

Our woodland gardens incorporate many of our deciduous plants, trees and shrubs. We do our best to make our landscape installations look like they have been there for years, on day one. Rather than trying to create a neighborhood look in the middle of the north Georgia mountains, we work with what nature has provided. When we are invited to your home to develop the perfect landscape design for you, the first thing we do is look at the lay of the land and the current trees and shrubs that are already growing. We do our best to work with those plants and trees that are already established and bring out their natural beauty instead of trying to replace them with a less natural, and therefore higher maintenance option.

Designing with Nature in Mind

We will be looking for things such as water run off or retention, shade versus sun, and encroaching undergrowth when deciding how we can best create a low maintenance  but relaxing and beautiful woodland garden for you. Some of our favorite plants include azaleas, hydrangeas, hostas, and ferns. These are all plants the grow well in our Georgia soil, without much amendment or additional care.

Would you like to create a shade garden to enjoy on these beautiful summer evenings? Give us a call today! We will create the perfect space for you in your Jasper, GA yard.

Welcome to the brand new Whispering Springs Nursery website and blog! We are thrilled that you are here and can’t wait to share all kinds of information, photos, projects, and inspiration with you!

About Whispering Springs Nursery in Jasper, GA

Whispering Springs Nursery is owned and operated by James and Debbie Grno. They live on the same property as the nursery, right out back! This is their passion project that they started in 2000 and since then they have completed many woodland garden projects in the near by neighborhood of Big Canoe, among others.

Whispering Springs takes pride in the fact that we grow many of our own plants – both annuals and perennials  This gives us control over their growing cycle and allows us to grow the varieties that thrive in the north Georgia climates and soil. Because of the dense population of deer in our area, we specialize in deer-resistant plants. No one wants to spend money on installing a beautiful new garden and have it immediately eaten by woodland creatures! To help preserve your investment, we help you select the plants that are not only beautiful, but will not become a salad bar for the friendly creatures that we share our homes with.

We will be sharing with you here on our blog weekly. We will share everything from the latest plants that are growing in the nursery, inspiration for your garden, and tips and tricks on how to help your garden thrive. We look forward to getting to know you over the many weeks to come!

Make sure you have also joined Whispering Springs Nursery on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ as well! There, we will be sharing info, inspiration, and the latest goings on at the nursery! If you have a question or comment for us, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are all great ways to get in touch with us. We would love to help you solve any gardening problem you may have.

Come see us in Jasper, GA soon!