Advice please - a sedum hedge and deer

[JandM]

We're hatching a plan to replace the lavender surrounding the terrace with sedum. The lavender keeps dying on us - probably because it gets half buried under oak leaves for part of the winter. I tried improving the drainage a couple of years ago, but it didn't make any difference. Also lavender doesn't look that great outside the flowering season.

So, time for a change. We're going to use sedum 'Autumn Joy', which I think is the most commonly grown garden variety. It grows to about 2 feet, is be about the same height as the lavender and carries on looking good after flowering, right through to late winter. Plus, it's just as drought resistant as lavender and will be far less scratchy on the hands when weeding in and around it. Plus plus, it is easy and cheap to propagate, so I reckon we'll get a 80 foot hedge out of two or three bought plants.

But there's a but. I've just been reading that deer like sedum. There's no way we can keep deer out of our garden, so are we likely to be wasting our time, producing nothing but fodder for our cervine visitors?

Anyone had any experience here, or thoughts?

[Patf]

We have a few sedums and they do well here (not far from you.) But I can't imagine 3 of them would make an 80ft. hedge. Do you mean 8ft? ps I see you mean to propagate from them, so maybe it will work.

Maybe ours are a different kind of sedum, they're more pink.

Also we get deer in our garden too and they go for the roses, but have left the sedums alone. Had to move the roses into containers near the house. So maybe if they're around the terrace the deer won't come so close to the house.

Although I cut them back in the winter when the flower skeletons start to lose their attraction the green shoots start to return quite early.

No scent though.

[JandM]

Three plants could make an 80 foot hedge, but it would have two enormous gaps in it :-)

Good to know that deer haven't eaten your plants, Patf. There might be hope for us. They will be close to the house but as we're away for up to three months at a time, I imagine that they'll come right up anyway. We'll propagate by cutting six inch long shoots and letting them make roots in water before planting them out. I'll plant two rows, staggered at 12 inches apart, so I'm going to need about 160 plants. Come to think of it, three plants might not be enough. Still, I'll see how it goes.

[Patf]

Santolina would also make a good hedge, it's one of my favoutites for this climate. Also rosemary. We have both. And gaura, and a type of sage with tiny red flowers.

These are the only flowers which have survived in our garden, in open beds, with very little attention.

[Hoddy]

I'm not sure if deer eat them, but I'm a big fan of gaura too because it seeds itself all over the place so there are always plenty of new plants to replace any that die. I have that sage with little red flowers too which seems to withstand anything.

I'm not sure how different the climate is though.