Chuck Wiley, Vineyard Gardens

1. Be aware of deer and rabbits
The Island has them in spades, few areas excepted. Repellents can be effective but must be reapplied regularly. Its very important to put down the repellent as soon as you plant because deer love to taste new plants and if the first taste is good, they're coming back.

2. Evaluate the area for sun vs. shade
Choose  plants carefully based on location. Don't try to put a sun loving plant in shade just because it looks good. You can thin out trees or even remove some to let in more light.

3. Allow room for the plant's eventual size
A common mistake is to overplant to make the garden look great from day one. Most perennials spread, so space them out. If you want to fill in, use annuals the first couple of years. The same applies to shrubs: know the eventual size and space accordingly. Some shrubs can be pruned annually to control their size but many don't do well or look good when pruned too hard.

4. Spend the most time and money on improving the soil
Since you can only do this efficiently and cost effectively before you plant, don't scrimp at the onset. Both sandy and heavy clay soils should have large amounts of compost added and tilled or dug into the existing soil.

5. Drainage is the key to overwintering perennials
If the soil is too wet in the winter many perennials will rot. Either improve the drainage or use plants tolerant of wet soils when dormant.

6.  Pick great plants
These are reliable, hardy and deer resistant
--Perennials:  Nepeta, Peony, epimedium, shasta and mauntauk daisys, Astilbe,foxglove
--Shrubs:  Hypericum, caryopteris, spirea, clethra, viburnum , holly
--Trees:  Styrax, stewartia, river birch, maples, kousa dogwood and kousa florida crosses, crabapples,  crepe myrtles.


Vineyard Gardens invites you to its weekly information sessions, Saturdays at 11 am through the summer.  New topic each week call 508-693-8511 for details.

photos by Marianna Cibulasova