November 21st 2008 • HOME •

Shrubs

Blueberries. Fire Island abounds in high bluberry bushes (vaccinium corymbosum). Sometimes they grow so tall that you can't reach some of the berries without a step ladder. But the fruit tastes great in pancakes!

Surviving the Deer. There are only a few shrubs that deer do not eat. One is Scottish broom, which some people find attractive (visually and in terms of smell) and some do not. It likes lots of sunlight.

Less demanding of light is Pieris japonica, commonly called Japanese pieris or simply andromeda. It can grow to a height of 6 or 8 feet, with leaves tinted various colors. It is a plant to which no one objects (except the deer). Hard to find, but Home Depot sometimes has them (for $6 and up).

For more information see "Resistance of Woody Ornamental Plants to Deer Damage." Available for $2.00 per copy. You can send a check, pick it up at Cornell Cooperative Extension - Suffolk County , 246 Griffing Avenue, Riverhead, NY 11901-3086, 516-727-4216, fax 516-727-7130, or charge it by phone on Visa, MasterCard or Discover. Or see their web site. Also good is the extension service of West Virginia University.

Updated 21 May 2003.