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Three pollinator garden ideas Pollinators can find everything they need in this very low-maintenance landscape. When his parents bought a house in Carroll, Iowa, Austin Escheid saw what many aspiring garden designers dream of: a blank canvas. "The weekend they left I drove home with a car full of plants," says Eischeid, who at the time was working toward a bachelor's degree in horticulture at nearby Ames. He arrived at their new location with a clear view of meadow-like meadows and a landscape of blooming perennials. He got the idea after hearing horticulturist Roy Diblick lecture on the beauty of natural gardens and their ability to attract pollinators. Practically speaking, Eischeid saw the approach as a way to relieve his parents of frequent pruning, watering and mowing. So out went the mowed lawn of the front yard, along with the shrubs and vines grown in the backyard. In their place, Eischeid arranged lawn-like plants in drifts, a move he learned while w

Do Deer Eat Hydrangeas? Although some types of hydrangeas have certain characteristics that attract deer, these shrubs are not considered deer-resistant plants. "Deer, like all hydrangeas, just because your hydrangeas haven't been mowed down yet, doesn't mean it won't," says Lorraine Ballado, author of Success with Hydrangeas: A Gardener's Guide. "The extent of deer damage can vary from season to season and depends on deer herd size, available forage, competition for food and changes in deer habitat," says Ballado. Tips for Protecting Hydrangeas from Deer If you find yourself constantly trying to keep deer away from your hydrangeas, you're not alone. Implement some of the following strategies to reduce deer damage. 1. Use deer repellent plants as a barrier. No plant completely kills deer. However, some plants are low on the deer menu, including prickly spines, leathery leaves or milkweed. Garden designer and author Ryan McEnaney reco