Hello!

Those pesky deer! With decreased habitat and increased home building, we are seeing more deer move into home landscapes for food, particularly during snowy winter months.   While no plant or shrub is completely deer resistant, it is a wise gardener who plans ahead with their choices and avoid their favorite plants when hungry deer are in the area. Both Birds Nest Spruce and Kings Gold False Cypress offer some resistance for deer grazing.

In general, deer don’t like plants with distinct odors (both your choices have strong scents), rough or hairy leaves (like the false cypress) or prickles (like the bird’s nest spruce). By putting plants with these characteristics in your landscape, you are encouraging the deer to look elsewhere (hopefully back to their native habitat) for something to eat. Sometimes, though, plants can still be damaged by antler rubbing or by a young deer who is just learning about how things taste. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/winter_deer_damage_heavy_seek_deer_resistant_plants

Here is a great list of plants that offer differing resistance to deer browsing:

https://www.canr.msu.edu/ipm/uploads/files/deer_resistant_plants.pdf

Burlap can be found at big box home improvement stores (look online if it isn’t in stock), tractor supply companies, some larger nurseries, and – if all else fails – it can be found with online shopping.

Hope you find this helpful! Best of luck to you and your landscaping project!