Me too. My husband was afraid to tell me because I do all the pruning and feeding. It was down to sticks. I cut it back even more and put up thin black deer netting. It’s coming back with leaves and buds but now I’m more determined than ever to win this war.lol I’ll be spraying and soaping everything in sight.
Tried to transplant a Rhododendron from my mother’s yard. Deer ate all the leaves. It didn’t make it. But I have some established azalea that they barely touch. I do like the idea of a deer with a Rhodo tummy ache; maybe they’ve learned a lesson.
I planted 15 rhododendron last year in Northeast PA. The deer ate them to the ground. Is there a specific type they don't like? They ate my blackeyed susan (native) they ate the ferns I moved from the woods (native) they ate all of my butterfly bushes (native). So far, all i have saved are the ornamental grasses. I want to give up, but now it's personal...lol
I think you guys have supernatural deer over there on the East coast, lol. I have tons of deer roaming my property on a daily basis and they eat everything except the rhododendrons. Don't they encourage deer hunting over there due to the overpopulation of deer? Deer jerky sounds good to me.
@@MikeKincaid79 As I was weeding near dusk, a fawn came up behind me and when I turned around he didn’t move. Just seemed to be looking for a handout. They fear nothing. We had just moved in and I have learned to make a lot of noise whenever they come around. Actually have to go out and shoo them away. Do you think they run? Nope- just saunter away.
Everything I've planted is labeled "deer resistant" but I guess my deer didn't read the manual, lol. They've eaten my trumpet vine, burning bush and even nibble on my peppermint. The only thing I've found truly deer resistant is hellebore. Anxious to try rhododendrons.
I've got the same problem over here and have had all the same plants get demolished. I finally dedicated myself to rhododendrons. My landscape has hundreds of rhododendrons throughout it and I never have a problem with deer. I still have 3 burning bushes planted and they're about 1.5 feet tall after 4 years because the deer eat them down to nothing every year. They walk right by the rhododendrons though.
Mike Kincaid, when I first saw the deer eating it, I scared it away, but when I arrived home from work, the Rhody was trashed. I couldn’t believe it. Weird. It was in the winter.
@@captainspaulding4777 They might have been starving. I live in western WA state and the deer here don't touch any of my Rhodies. I agree with you, weird.
I, too, have had deer chomp on the leaves. They didn't eat all of it but damaged the tips of several branches. Hasn't happened again in a few years although I now include thise plsnts ehen using deer repellent spray.
Deer are devouring my rhododendrons in Massachusetts. They go after younger plants and/new growth. Can't plant any new Rhodies...bummer. Wasn't the case 10 years ago but the deer population is higher now.
I keep hearing this about the east coast. You guys must have a massive population of deer with nothing else to eat. I have deer walking through my place on a daily basis and they eat everything but the rhody's, lol.
Maybe it’s just NJ dear but our herd will eat ANYTHING. Last winter one came up two steps to my front door landing and nibbled on my very realistic faux spiral trees. Even plastic is on the menu here. They will decimate a rhododendron in northern Jersey. The only thing that they will not touch is a barberi.
I would have never thought it was possible but I've heard this so many times now by people on the East coast. As you can see, the deer leave them alone over here. We have about 4 deer that roam through here on a daily basis, every year. We never have a problem with the rhododendrons but if I try to plant anything else, it's open season.
My question is a little off topic but here goes: What about goats? I live in South Carolina and we can grow Azaleas here easier than Rhododendrons (actually hard to grow here). I found a fantastic deal on Azaleas and bought 100 plants. Then I learned Azaleas will kill goats (which we plan to bring to our small farm). Needless to say I thanked the seller and gifted the plants back to him. So, I am left with what to grow instead of Azaleas. My little farm is around 30 acres and my planned yard will be 2 acres - 1 acre of it my "secret" garden full of flowering plants, shrubs and trees - a quiet haven for me. I hope the goats stay fenced in but well, goats don't always pay attention to boundaries. I don't want to kill any of the animals with my plants and I really don't want big vet bills. Thank you for your videos. I'm learning a lot. ~Sherrie from South Carolina
Rhododendrons and azaleas are definitely poisonous to goats or any other animal that tries to eat them. I don't want to give a recommendation because I haven't researched it thoroughly enough so you'll have to research the plants in your area that won't kill goats. If I were you, I would focus on building a fence that will keep the goats in. We had goats in the past and the best thing I can recommend is 2x4 horse fence with a couple strands of hot wire.
They'll take a range of sun/shade but somewhere close to 50/50 is best. It could be dappled shade throughout the day or half shade and half sun like on the side of a building. The one thing they don't do well in though is full sun in the afternoon when its the hottest. Here's a video of how the sun moves across my rhododendrons: ruclips.net/video/r2660GN7hN8/видео.html
Hi Mike. I have a couple mature flame azaleas (rhododendron calendulaceum) which are native here in Western NC but they are in a spot that’s too shady. I would love to propagate them and move them to a better location. Any advice?
Deciduous azaleas are notoriously tough to propagate but if you're up to the task, the cuttings are taken as softwood cuttings soon after they flower so get your propagation frame ready quick. I have propagated them before but success rates can be low so take a lot of cuttings. Bottom heat can help and make sure the frame is in a spot with a lot of sky light but no direct sun. Most deciduous azalea that are grown commercially are propagated by tissue culture.
Hi Mike, I am try to found a place to buy Rhodys... I have all ready 3 in my yard, and they are doing pretty good... I have a lot of deers around, the last year they eat some of the leaves, no a lot, but they do only one time, no more... I am happy.... I like to buy hardy rhodys, the ones who grow big and tolerate more shade, I have many shady areas.... I try to contact VanVeenNursery in Portland, but they dont answer my mail yet... do you know about an other place??? do you want to sold me some of yours??? thanks in advance....
It's been a few years since posting this and I've had a lot of conversations with east coasters about the issue. As you can see, the deer don't touch rhododendrons over here in the west but it sounds like they love them on the east coast. Regardless, all parts of the plant are poisonous so I think you have a bunch of dead dear piled up under bushes all over the east coast, lol.
Unfortunately the only way to prevent deer from eating azaleas and rhododendrons and other plants is to just put up deer fence out of sight but then circle the area otherwise they get in and they will eat them. But thanks Mike love your videos
You must live on the east coast. I've had several conversations with people over there and it seems that you have a different breed of deer over there. Over here, the deer walk all through my rhododendron landscape and never touch the rhodys. I've had a lot of people on the east coast tell me that they can't keep rhododendrons due to the deer. They will nibble on the evergreen azaleas over here though so I don't keep many of them because of that.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks for the reply Mike, I actually live in mid Michigan, I have over 350 rhododendrons, many azaleas but not too many, dear love those. I also have mountain laurel and large American holly. I surround our 2 acre lot with a 7 1/2 foot tall deer fence held up by conduit pipes painted black for aesthetic purposes. I found your videos 6 to 8 months ago and was thrilled to see someone doing something similar that I’ve done. Growing as many rhododendron varieties as possible. The deer here are Whitetail deer what you have out thereFrom my visits appear to be mule deer. However when driving through the Cascades and staying at various bed-and-breakfast is I would see Cedars and other shrubbery chewed up about 4 feet.
@@MikeKincaid79 from Michigan again, the only way to keep rhododendron out here is to put 4 to 5 foot metal cages around them. Usually done in black and left all your round, and opened and enlarged as the plants expand. The deer seem to be a pest throughout the entire continental North America now. Some varieties tolerate the deer better than others. I once mentioned to you finish hybrids, those seem to be the most resistant as they were chosen for the reindeer resistance in Finland. They are extremely cold hardy and tolerate temperatures up to -30° below zero, not that we need that here. Anyway as I said before I really like your videos, your enthusiasm and all of your beautiful rhododendrons which I always wanted to see in flower and growing. Take good care of yourself and keep up the good work.
Good news about putting seeds in the icebox for three months according to an experience youtuber. Thy I'll germinate as I stated but they will not survive beyond seedlings
There's no way to answer this without knowing your weather and the location that the rhody is planted in but 3 of my favorites are Anna Rose Whitney, Lem's Monarch, and Grandiflorum.
I bought 5 beautiful Rhododendrons for my front garden....Everyone was gone overnight....They chomped them to the ground... DO NOT DO THIS..if you have a deer problem, the will be eaten.
Yep, you must live on the east coast, lol. You guys have terminator deer with iron guts over there. Either that or you've got a pile of dead dear out back somewhere.
What is the difference in the wild mountain laurel that we have here in North Ga compared to roadies? My son (14 yr old) ask me why I purchased a plant that grows wild here... Tell me there is a difference, 😁 😂 😅 😆...
Haha, don't worry, you more than likely didn't buy something that just grows wild there. We have mountain laurel over here too and it actually comes from a different genus called Kalmia. It looks similar to rhododendrons but nowhere near as beautiful.
I'm convinced that you guys have 'super deer' over there. Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to eat several rhododendrons without even the slightest stomach ache.
You’re doing a great job and I love your videos, but I need to tell you that this is not true. I put in 30 Rhododendron, combination of roseum, chionoides and ‘boursault’ that we’re all good sized five gallon nursery plants and they were entirely stripped, including the twigs from last year’s growth, this winter. I live in the mid-Atlantic and I don’t live in a crazy high population density urban or suburban area and this winter wasn’t particularly bad, there was plenty to eat aside from my Rhodos this winter. You’re content is great and I hope your experience is more common than mine, but I needed to mention mine. Edit - also my evergreen azaleas weren’t touched!
Hey Michael, thanks for the comment, I've heard this from another viewer on the east coast. This is absolutely true in my area as evidenced by all the beautiful rhododendrons growing in my landscape for the past 10 years despite many deer traveling through on a daily basis. I think you guys have robo-deer over there, haha. Every part of the rhododendron is poisonous for animals to eat so if your deer are eating them, there's probably a pile of dead deer laying around somewhere close. My mother-in-law had a goat get out and it ate one of her rhododendrons to the ground and was dead within a few days. One problem I do have with deer (not a major problem) is that the bucks will choose 1 or 2 rhododendrons every year to rub on and they'll tear the hell out of it and sometimes kill it just be rubbing their antlers on it. I'm sorry to hear that these plants aren't working out for you in your area. I'm very interested in this and will look into it further because like I said, I've heard this before from a guy on the east coast.
Hi from Kiowa Colorado. we have herds of deer that walk our property daily I would love to find something deer proof here. Now we have goats and horses here with us and as for Rhododendrons and Azaleas, they're HIGHLY poisonous (as in stop the heart of a goat, type of poisonous) so unfortunately that's a no go for me. I wish we could use them, or find something the dear won't destroy that's pretty like those... without having to use 7 foot deer fence😔.
We use to have cows but they were out in a pasture. Do your horses and goats walk around up by your house? Consider just landscaping with rhododendrons around your house.
Yes they free range our property, all except our front and back patios /yard. Are they able to grow in large pots? My husband said he would be concerned about leaves falling/blowing around during fall. Would that be of concern too?
I grow some in large pots on my patio. I've got hundreds of rhododendrons planted on the front of my property and a cow pasture out back. Never had a problem, of course, if the animals get to the rhododendrons and eat them then there will be a problem.
I've got the same problem here and that's one of the reasons I originally got into rhododendrons. Every part of the plant is poison to the deer and they leave them alone. Occasionally I'll see a nibble on a leaf but that's it and they just walk right through. I have a couple burning bushes and lilacs and the deer eat them to the ground every year unfortunately.
You certainly have a different kind of deer but what do you mean by "nice try", lol. I've shown you a video of close to a thousand rhododendrons that haven't been touched by deer and they walk through here daily. I think it depends more on deer pressure and availability of food source. Deer won't touch them on the west coast. Maybe it's time to move.
@@MikeKincaid79 They come in at the end of February and begin stripping those and hemlock needles. After a long winter in New Hampshire, they'll eat anything green to keep from starving. I've seen herds of 30 or more deer in my yard at one time. I didn't mean any disrespect on the "nice try" comment. Only that our experience here in the northeast is obviously different. Please keep posting.
Wow I ordered 3 beautiful Ken Janeck Rhododendrons based on this video…installed yesterday. Now after reading the comments wonder how on earth to protect them… you should take this video down, clearly deer eat rhodies… Bummed!
I hear this from people all the time. Maybe we have different deer here, lol. I have 6 or 7 deer that roam my place all year and they never touch them.
I received a beautiful rhododendron as a gift and the deer ate every leaf on it....I had to set out traps to get rid of the deer....a nuisance animal for sure.
Yes, they are. I've heard of deer eating rhododendrons on the east coast of the US. I suppose they will eat them if populations are higher than available food in the winter. Every part of the plant is poisonous so if they eat enough it could kill them.
Seriously, I don’t have a rhodo left in my yard that doesn’t look like a Pom Pom as they like them almost as much as hostas! They will eat them all day long, year after year.
@@MikeKincaid79 yep, in northern NJ where it’s not unusual to see a dozen or more at a time meandering through the neighborhood on my morning walks. They will eat just about anything and everything. This year for the first time, they went around and ate all the buds off the mums everyone puts out in the fall. All the rhodos fell victim to them over 10 years ago. It’s a function of deer pressure and my guess is that the pressure in your area is just a fraction of what it it here. They even eat compact hollies and other supposedly deer resistant plants when they are hungry enough.
I suspected you're back east. A few years ago I made a video about how rhododendrons are deer proof and immediately got a lot of back lash from east coasters. Over the years, I continue to get comments from people on that side of the nation that can't grow anything due to deer. Rhododendrons are actually poisonous to all animals and they won't touch them over here. I see 3 deer in my yard almost every morning but I think the deer pressure must be immensely different over there. Hope they never find their way over here, haha.
@@MikeKincaid79 At best, it may give them some heartburn. Just the other morning, there were four of them, a doe and three fawns feeding on one of the few I have left in my front yard 6 feet from my garage door that I had inadvertently forgot to fence off for the winter. Ordinarily, they tend to avoid standing on driveways to browse but these guys trimmed a foot off while standing on the driveway, along with all the buds, in about 30 minutes. So yes, anyone out here takes deer resistant plant advice with a grain of salt.
Ughhh, my mother had rhododendrons for 40 years, and the deer have almost completely destroyed them,they should be three times there size, but the deer eat them.😢
Wrong! Deer at both of my rhodies this year. The devastated everything else then went to work on my rhodies. There is NOTHING they won't eat except may be your chives or garlic. They did leave alone my weigela and my spirea, but the rhodie was on the menu.
Haha, I've had several conversations with people on your side of the country and I'm convinced that you have steel gut terminator deer east of the Mississippi.
You speak in absolutes. Only a sith deals in absolutes. Instead of starting your sentence how you did, maybe realize that other people have different experiences. Case in point. I started growing rhododendrons because they really don't touch them here, and I've got many videos proving it over the years. So starting your approach like you did makes you look wrong, not me. Another way of putting it is, do you have any proof that the deer do eat them? Because I've got a lot of proof that they don't. You're essentially staring at a ball and screaming.......THAT BALL'S NOT ROUND! Let me help you young padawan. I've looked into it extensively and found that the deer on the East Coast are more prone to nibbling on rhododendrons because of the deer pressure you have over there. Every part of the plant is still poisonous but because they have less to eat and more competition, they do what they can to survive in certain areas. I'd be willing to bet that you live back east somewhere. Am I right? Anyway, I didn't hope to achieve anything by writing this, just had a beer in me and it was fun answering you.
Planet Washington State, haha. I'll bet you're on the east coast. I constantly hear that deer on the east coast eat rhododendrons like crazy. This is perplexing to me because every part of the rhododendron is poisonous. My mother in law had goats that got out and ate her rhododendrons and they both died within a week. Either way, my videos are proof that deer don't eat rhododendrons on my property and I have whole families of them traipsing through the yard on a daily basis. So am I right? East coast?
I think you need to do more research they love to eat rhododendrons and even stand on hind feet to reach the top. The flowers are like cotton candy to them. Giving this video a thumbs down.
Lol, yeah, I've heard from so many people on the east coast. I actually got into rhododendrons in part because the deer leave them alone and I've got deer on my back doorstep daily. Not sure why it's such a problem over there. You guys must have way more deer pressure. Time to go hunting.
Narrow minded thinking. You're sitting here watching a video of a landscape that is full or uneaten rhododendrons. A landscape in which deer live in and walk through daily. Seeing is no longer believing. Instead of a response like you had, maybe there are other questions to ask. Like, "How is this possible for this guy?" Oh well, carry on.
Deer cleaned every leaf and bud off my rhododendrons, nothing but sticks left!
East coast?
Same in Canada, west coast
Me too. My husband was afraid to tell me because I do all the pruning and feeding. It was down to sticks. I cut it back even more and put up thin black deer netting. It’s coming back with leaves and buds but now I’m more determined than ever to win this war.lol I’ll be spraying and soaping everything in sight.
You’ve given me hope. Deer 🦌 came into my area the first time this year and ate everything to ground.
After years of listening to people across the US, it seems that deer will eat them on the east coast but not the west coast
Tried to transplant a Rhododendron from my mother’s yard. Deer ate all the leaves. It didn’t make it. But I have some established azalea that they barely touch. I do like the idea of a deer with a Rhodo tummy ache; maybe they’ve learned a lesson.
LOL, I'm sure they had a tummy ache from it.
I planted 15 rhododendron last year in Northeast PA. The deer ate them to the ground. Is there a specific type they don't like? They ate my blackeyed susan (native) they ate the ferns I moved from the woods (native) they ate all of my butterfly bushes (native). So far, all i have saved are the ornamental grasses. I want to give up, but now it's personal...lol
I think you guys have supernatural deer over there on the East coast, lol. I have tons of deer roaming my property on a daily basis and they eat everything except the rhododendrons. Don't they encourage deer hunting over there due to the overpopulation of deer? Deer jerky sounds good to me.
@@MikeKincaid79 As I was weeding near dusk, a fawn came up behind me and when I turned around he didn’t move. Just seemed to be looking for a handout. They fear nothing. We had just moved in and I have learned to make a lot of noise whenever they come around. Actually have to go out and shoo them away. Do you think they run? Nope- just saunter away.
Probably need cactus. Keeps away deer and neighbors maybe.😂
Everything I've planted is labeled "deer resistant" but I guess my deer didn't read the manual, lol. They've eaten my trumpet vine, burning bush and even nibble on my peppermint. The only thing I've found truly deer resistant is hellebore. Anxious to try rhododendrons.
I've got the same problem over here and have had all the same plants get demolished. I finally dedicated myself to rhododendrons. My landscape has hundreds of rhododendrons throughout it and I never have a problem with deer. I still have 3 burning bushes planted and they're about 1.5 feet tall after 4 years because the deer eat them down to nothing every year. They walk right by the rhododendrons though.
Rhododendrons are like crack for the deer. The deer ate the first 5’ completely bare in my yard.
That was their last supper.
Mike Kincaid, when I first saw the deer eating it, I scared it away, but when I arrived home from work, the Rhody was trashed. I couldn’t believe it. Weird.
It was in the winter.
My mother in law's goat ate her rhody to the ground and died within a week.
@@captainspaulding4777 They might have been starving. I live in western WA state and the deer here don't touch any of my Rhodies. I agree with you, weird.
I, too, have had deer chomp on the leaves. They didn't eat all of it but damaged the tips of several branches. Hasn't happened again in a few years although I now include thise plsnts ehen using deer repellent spray.
WOW. You're in paradise Mike. Johnny must have been taking a nap. PS. I'm sticking petunia's since you showed us how to do it. J
Go, Jake, go!
Two thumbs up. Going to add as many as I can find of these to my landscape.
You'll be happy you did!
Deer top off my Panther Ninebark on a regular basis. They love my double Knock Out roses.
Yeah, they take out anything deciduous at my place. Deer can be very frustrating.
Wonderful view behind you.great job.
The variety is called 'Norph' and really lights up the shady areas in the landscape.
Deer are devouring my rhododendrons in Massachusetts. They go after younger plants and/new growth. Can't plant any new Rhodies...bummer. Wasn't the case 10 years ago but the deer population is higher now.
I keep hearing this about the east coast. You guys must have a massive population of deer with nothing else to eat. I have deer walking through my place on a daily basis and they eat everything but the rhody's, lol.
Spirea my fav that they don’t eat, also catmint. Ate my boxwood.
Spirea is a good one.
Maybe it’s just NJ dear but our herd will eat ANYTHING. Last winter one came up two steps to my front door landing and nibbled on my very realistic faux spiral trees. Even plastic is on the menu here. They will decimate a rhododendron in northern Jersey. The only thing that they will not touch is a barberi.
I would have never thought it was possible but I've heard this so many times now by people on the East coast. As you can see, the deer leave them alone over here. We have about 4 deer that roam through here on a daily basis, every year. We never have a problem with the rhododendrons but if I try to plant anything else, it's open season.
My question is a little off topic but here goes: What about goats? I live in South Carolina and we can grow Azaleas here easier than Rhododendrons (actually hard to grow here). I found a fantastic deal on Azaleas and bought 100 plants. Then I learned Azaleas will kill goats (which we plan to bring to our small farm). Needless to say I thanked the seller and gifted the plants back to him. So, I am left with what to grow instead of Azaleas. My little farm is around 30 acres and my planned yard will be 2 acres - 1 acre of it my "secret" garden full of flowering plants, shrubs and trees - a quiet haven for me. I hope the goats stay fenced in but well, goats don't always pay attention to boundaries. I don't want to kill any of the animals with my plants and I really don't want big vet bills. Thank you for your videos. I'm learning a lot. ~Sherrie from South Carolina
Rhododendrons and azaleas are definitely poisonous to goats or any other animal that tries to eat them. I don't want to give a recommendation because I haven't researched it thoroughly enough so you'll have to research the plants in your area that won't kill goats. If I were you, I would focus on building a fence that will keep the goats in. We had goats in the past and the best thing I can recommend is 2x4 horse fence with a couple strands of hot wire.
Deer Love rhododendron!!!
Only on the east coast, lol
Don’t rhododendrons prefer mostly Shade ??
Also curious, how much sun is too much for rhododendrons?
Randy Wood: Main get at least 4 hrs of morning sun & the rest of the day it's dappled light... I live in Zone 7..
That's perfect!
They'll take a range of sun/shade but somewhere close to 50/50 is best. It could be dappled shade throughout the day or half shade and half sun like on the side of a building. The one thing they don't do well in though is full sun in the afternoon when its the hottest. Here's a video of how the sun moves across my rhododendrons: ruclips.net/video/r2660GN7hN8/видео.html
I will have to do some more research on this. The deer are very active here.
I’ve heard from many people that east coast deer will eat anything.
Hi Mike. I have a couple mature flame azaleas (rhododendron calendulaceum) which are native here in Western NC but they are in a spot that’s too shady. I would love to propagate them and move them to a better location. Any advice?
Deciduous azaleas are notoriously tough to propagate but if you're up to the task, the cuttings are taken as softwood cuttings soon after they flower so get your propagation frame ready quick. I have propagated them before but success rates can be low so take a lot of cuttings. Bottom heat can help and make sure the frame is in a spot with a lot of sky light but no direct sun. Most deciduous azalea that are grown commercially are propagated by tissue culture.
Beautiful
Hi Mike, I am try to found a place to buy Rhodys... I have all ready 3 in my yard, and they are doing pretty good... I have a lot of deers around, the last year they eat some of the leaves, no a lot, but they do only one time, no more... I am happy.... I like to buy hardy rhodys, the ones who grow big and tolerate more shade, I have many shady areas.... I try to contact VanVeenNursery in Portland, but they dont answer my mail yet... do you know about an other place??? do you want to sold me some of yours??? thanks in advance....
Beautiful! The flowers look alike but the leves don't.
I love the different shaped flowers and leaves. All the new growth comes out different too!
I like that too! So interesting, God's creation is beautiful!
The deer have eaten my Rhododendrons. They keep the bottom trimmed off . However , once they can grow tall enough , the tops are beautiful
You must live on the East Coast.
Ummmm … here in NJ our deer LOVE LOVE LOVE rhododendron! 😳
It's been a few years since posting this and I've had a lot of conversations with east coasters about the issue. As you can see, the deer don't touch rhododendrons over here in the west but it sounds like they love them on the east coast. Regardless, all parts of the plant are poisonous so I think you have a bunch of dead dear piled up under bushes all over the east coast, lol.
Azaleia in portuguese.
So beautiful
Thanks, I love these plants.
Unfortunately the only way to prevent deer from eating azaleas and rhododendrons and other plants is to just put up deer fence out of sight but then circle the area otherwise they get in and they will eat them. But thanks Mike love your videos
You must live on the east coast. I've had several conversations with people over there and it seems that you have a different breed of deer over there. Over here, the deer walk all through my rhododendron landscape and never touch the rhodys. I've had a lot of people on the east coast tell me that they can't keep rhododendrons due to the deer. They will nibble on the evergreen azaleas over here though so I don't keep many of them because of that.
@@MikeKincaid79 Thanks for the reply Mike, I actually live in mid Michigan, I have over 350 rhododendrons, many azaleas but not too many, dear love those. I also have mountain laurel and large American holly. I surround our 2 acre lot with a 7 1/2 foot tall deer fence held up by conduit pipes painted black for aesthetic purposes. I found your videos 6 to 8 months ago and was thrilled to see someone doing something similar that I’ve done. Growing as many rhododendron varieties as possible. The deer here are Whitetail deer what you have out thereFrom my visits appear to be mule deer. However when driving through the Cascades and staying at various bed-and-breakfast is I would see Cedars and other shrubbery chewed up about 4 feet.
@@MikeKincaid79 from Michigan again, the only way to keep rhododendron out here is to put 4 to 5 foot metal cages around them. Usually done in black and left all your round, and opened and enlarged as the plants expand. The deer seem to be a pest throughout the entire continental North America now. Some varieties tolerate the deer better than others. I once mentioned to you finish hybrids, those seem to be the most resistant as they were chosen for the reindeer resistance in Finland. They are extremely cold hardy and tolerate temperatures up to -30° below zero, not that we need that here. Anyway as I said before I really like your videos, your enthusiasm and all of your beautiful rhododendrons which I always wanted to see in flower and growing. Take good care of yourself and keep up the good work.
Good news about putting seeds in the icebox for three months according to an experience youtuber. Thy I'll germinate as I stated but they will not survive beyond seedlings
Mike, I need to get some of these Rhododendrons on my new property. What are the best 3 types by name. It looks like you have several.
There's no way to answer this without knowing your weather and the location that the rhody is planted in but 3 of my favorites are Anna Rose Whitney, Lem's Monarch, and Grandiflorum.
I live in Missouri where it can get to 95 plus in July and August and down to zero in the winter. Where can I buys these 3 favorites.
I bought 5 beautiful Rhododendrons for my front garden....Everyone was gone overnight....They chomped them to the ground... DO NOT DO THIS..if you have a deer problem, the will be eaten.
Yep, you must live on the east coast, lol. You guys have terminator deer with iron guts over there. Either that or you've got a pile of dead dear out back somewhere.
Same happened to me
Thank you
What is the difference in the wild mountain laurel that we have here in North Ga compared to roadies? My son (14 yr old) ask me why I purchased a plant that grows wild here... Tell me there is a difference, 😁 😂 😅 😆...
Haha, don't worry, you more than likely didn't buy something that just grows wild there. We have mountain laurel over here too and it actually comes from a different genus called Kalmia. It looks similar to rhododendrons but nowhere near as beautiful.
Mike Kincaid: shhhh... I will remember this word from word & sound all smart when I tell the boy! Lol Teenagers... Smh..
The deer in Maine haven't seen this video. They don't seem to know rhododendrons are poisonous.
I'm convinced that you guys have 'super deer' over there. Faster than a bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to eat several rhododendrons without even the slightest stomach ache.
You’re doing a great job and I love your videos, but I need to tell you that this is not true. I put in 30 Rhododendron, combination of roseum, chionoides and ‘boursault’ that we’re all good sized five gallon nursery plants and they were entirely stripped, including the twigs from last year’s growth, this winter. I live in the mid-Atlantic and I don’t live in a crazy high population density urban or suburban area and this winter wasn’t particularly bad, there was plenty to eat aside from my Rhodos this winter. You’re content is great and I hope your experience is more common than mine, but I needed to mention mine. Edit - also my evergreen azaleas weren’t touched!
Hey Michael, thanks for the comment, I've heard this from another viewer on the east coast. This is absolutely true in my area as evidenced by all the beautiful rhododendrons growing in my landscape for the past 10 years despite many deer traveling through on a daily basis. I think you guys have robo-deer over there, haha. Every part of the rhododendron is poisonous for animals to eat so if your deer are eating them, there's probably a pile of dead deer laying around somewhere close. My mother-in-law had a goat get out and it ate one of her rhododendrons to the ground and was dead within a few days. One problem I do have with deer (not a major problem) is that the bucks will choose 1 or 2 rhododendrons every year to rub on and they'll tear the hell out of it and sometimes kill it just be rubbing their antlers on it. I'm sorry to hear that these plants aren't working out for you in your area. I'm very interested in this and will look into it further because like I said, I've heard this before from a guy on the east coast.
Mike Kincaid dude send some of your deer over here!! Lol, thanks for taking the time to reply, love your content!
Bamboo does the trick also
I love bamboo in the right setting but haven't figured out how to fit it into my landscape yet. Thanks for all the comments!
Hi from Kiowa Colorado. we have herds of deer that walk our property daily I would love to find something deer proof here. Now we have goats and horses here with us and as for Rhododendrons and Azaleas, they're HIGHLY poisonous (as in stop the heart of a goat, type of poisonous) so unfortunately that's a no go for me. I wish we could use them, or find something the dear won't destroy that's pretty like those... without having to use 7 foot deer fence😔.
We use to have cows but they were out in a pasture. Do your horses and goats walk around up by your house? Consider just landscaping with rhododendrons around your house.
Yes they free range our property, all except our front and back patios /yard. Are they able to grow in large pots? My husband said he would be concerned about leaves falling/blowing around during fall. Would that be of concern too?
I grow some in large pots on my patio. I've got hundreds of rhododendrons planted on the front of my property and a cow pasture out back. Never had a problem, of course, if the animals get to the rhododendrons and eat them then there will be a problem.
Use Weigela instead of Rhodies!
Is there an azalea that blooms twice a year?
Not sure about azaleas but there are several rhododendrons that bloom twice a year including 'Elizabeth' and 'Cunningham's Blush'.
Encore azeleas bloom spring summer and fall
I live in Vermont and the deer eat EVERYTHING, if they are hungry enough and snow is covering everything. 😩
I've got the same problem here and that's one of the reasons I originally got into rhododendrons. Every part of the plant is poison to the deer and they leave them alone. Occasionally I'll see a nibble on a leaf but that's it and they just walk right through. I have a couple burning bushes and lilacs and the deer eat them to the ground every year unfortunately.
I live in New York and the deer absolutely demolish them. They eat everything they can reach leaving only the tops on the big ones.
I'm convinced that you guys have radioactive super deer over there.
The deers devour rhododendron in this area, especially the buds. No stopping the deers on the east coast
Yeah, the east coast has a different set of rules, lol.
Deer ate mine to the ground!!! No buds, no leaves. Just sticks 😢 hope it will come back
I hope so too. You must be on the east coast.
@@MikeKincaid79I am. And deer will eat everything here 😢😢
Here in New Hampshire we have a different kind of deer. The kind that strips rhododendrons leaves like Cheese-its. Nice try.
You certainly have a different kind of deer but what do you mean by "nice try", lol. I've shown you a video of close to a thousand rhododendrons that haven't been touched by deer and they walk through here daily. I think it depends more on deer pressure and availability of food source. Deer won't touch them on the west coast. Maybe it's time to move.
@@MikeKincaid79 They come in at the end of February and begin stripping those and hemlock needles. After a long winter in New Hampshire, they'll eat anything green to keep from starving. I've seen herds of 30 or more deer in my yard at one time. I didn't mean any disrespect on the "nice try" comment. Only that our experience here in the northeast is obviously different. Please keep posting.
If they are REALLY hungry they will eat just about anything....but ours hav left my Rhodes and lavender alone!
Good to know about the lavender.
Hard to grow in Deep South
I'll bet there are many plants you can grow that are just as beautiful.
Deer have ravaged our rhodos mercilessly this winter
East coast?
@@MikeKincaid79 You betcha!!
Wow I ordered 3 beautiful Ken Janeck Rhododendrons based on this video…installed yesterday. Now after reading the comments wonder how on earth to protect them… you should take this video down, clearly deer eat rhodies…
Bummed!
They only eat them on the east coast.
Come to the NJ Pine Barrens You will not only see Deer eat Rhododendrons they will wipe them out
Iron gut deer, lol
I'm in northern California and they have desecrated mine.
I hear this from people all the time. Maybe we have different deer here, lol. I have 6 or 7 deer that roam my place all year and they never touch them.
@@MikeKincaid79 ... The dear I live with are called mule deer. I am truly jealous as Rhododendron are such a beautiful plant.
they certainly did eat Rhodies this past winter...
East coast?
I received a beautiful rhododendron as a gift and the deer ate every leaf on it....I had to set out traps to get rid of the deer....a nuisance animal for sure.
Yes, they are. I've heard of deer eating rhododendrons on the east coast of the US. I suppose they will eat them if populations are higher than available food in the winter. Every part of the plant is poisonous so if they eat enough it could kill them.
Seriously, I don’t have a rhodo left in my yard that doesn’t look like a Pom Pom as they like them almost as much as hostas! They will eat them all day long, year after year.
Do you live on the east coast.
@@MikeKincaid79 yep, in northern NJ where it’s not unusual to see a dozen or more at a time meandering through the neighborhood on my morning walks. They will eat just about anything and everything. This year for the first time, they went around and ate all the buds off the mums everyone puts out in the fall. All the rhodos fell victim to them over 10 years ago. It’s a function of deer pressure and my guess is that the pressure in your area is just a fraction of what it it here. They even eat compact hollies and other supposedly deer resistant plants when they are hungry enough.
I suspected you're back east. A few years ago I made a video about how rhododendrons are deer proof and immediately got a lot of back lash from east coasters. Over the years, I continue to get comments from people on that side of the nation that can't grow anything due to deer. Rhododendrons are actually poisonous to all animals and they won't touch them over here. I see 3 deer in my yard almost every morning but I think the deer pressure must be immensely different over there. Hope they never find their way over here, haha.
@@MikeKincaid79 At best, it may give them some heartburn. Just the other morning, there were four of them, a doe and three fawns feeding on one of the few I have left in my front yard 6 feet from my garage door that I had inadvertently forgot to fence off for the winter. Ordinarily, they tend to avoid standing on driveways to browse but these guys trimmed a foot off while standing on the driveway, along with all the buds, in about 30 minutes. So yes, anyone out here takes deer resistant plant advice with a grain of salt.
Ughhh, my mother had rhododendrons for 40 years, and the deer have almost completely destroyed them,they should be three times there size, but the deer eat them.😢
East coast?
@@MikeKincaid79 Yes
Wrong! Deer at both of my rhodies this year. The devastated everything else then went to work on my rhodies. There is NOTHING they won't eat except may be your chives or garlic. They did leave alone my weigela and my spirea, but the rhodie was on the menu.
they stripped mine right to the trunk
🤣 you have GOT to be kidding. Rhodies are DEER CANDY! NY
Not in Washington State, where this is filmed.
Weeds! They're deer proof🤬 They never eat the weeds in my yard
I've got the opposite problem here, although I do wish they'd eat my grass a little faster so I didn't have to mow this much.
Cincinnati deer love eating Rhododendrons
Haha, I've had several conversations with people on your side of the country and I'm convinced that you have steel gut terminator deer east of the Mississippi.
Sorry, but Canadian deer ate my rhododendrons two years in a row. ... they eat all the bulbs, and some of the leaves.
I should rename the video "the best deer resistant plants in Yelm"
Bull! They eat mine! I'm in PA.
It's only bull in your part of the country, lol
they are eating my in PA
You guys have robo deer
Wrong! I planted a brand new 7 gallon rhododendron. Deer at every leaf 😭😭😭
Move to the west coast.
Only the buds are poisonous
:)
Absolutely WRONG .... Deer LOVE Rhododendron buds. Second winter in row they ate ea and every bud on my plants. A rifle is the way to go ......
You speak in absolutes. Only a sith deals in absolutes. Instead of starting your sentence how you did, maybe realize that other people have different experiences. Case in point. I started growing rhododendrons because they really don't touch them here, and I've got many videos proving it over the years. So starting your approach like you did makes you look wrong, not me. Another way of putting it is, do you have any proof that the deer do eat them? Because I've got a lot of proof that they don't. You're essentially staring at a ball and screaming.......THAT BALL'S NOT ROUND! Let me help you young padawan. I've looked into it extensively and found that the deer on the East Coast are more prone to nibbling on rhododendrons because of the deer pressure you have over there. Every part of the plant is still poisonous but because they have less to eat and more competition, they do what they can to survive in certain areas. I'd be willing to bet that you live back east somewhere. Am I right? Anyway, I didn't hope to achieve anything by writing this, just had a beer in me and it was fun answering you.
Nonsense. Deer don't have a book of what they do or don't like. They'll eat anything if they're hungry, just like any living thing.
I don't know what planet you're on but the deer have destroyed all the rhodendrons in our neighborhood....
Planet Washington State, haha. I'll bet you're on the east coast. I constantly hear that deer on the east coast eat rhododendrons like crazy. This is perplexing to me because every part of the rhododendron is poisonous. My mother in law had goats that got out and ate her rhododendrons and they both died within a week. Either way, my videos are proof that deer don't eat rhododendrons on my property and I have whole families of them traipsing through the yard on a daily basis. So am I right? East coast?
I think you need to do more research they love to eat rhododendrons and even stand on hind feet to reach the top. The flowers are like cotton candy to them. Giving this video a thumbs down.
Deer eat all rhododendrons & azaleas!
Not mine
Deer eats ours
East coast?
@@MikeKincaid79 Yep
Lol, yeah, I've heard from so many people on the east coast. I actually got into rhododendrons in part because the deer leave them alone and I've got deer on my back doorstep daily. Not sure why it's such a problem over there. You guys must have way more deer pressure. Time to go hunting.
@@MikeKincaid79 haha would love to...in our area hunting is frowned upon.
Rhododendrons? WRONG!!!!!!
Narrow minded thinking. You're sitting here watching a video of a landscape that is full or uneaten rhododendrons. A landscape in which deer live in and walk through daily. Seeing is no longer believing. Instead of a response like you had, maybe there are other questions to ask. Like, "How is this possible for this guy?" Oh well, carry on.
Beautiful