Plant Patent 19,942. Cultivar name: 'Sarsid1'

This nice little Sweetbox is perfectly named, for it will perfume your garden deliciously in late winter! Dotted with masses of small white blooms, Fragrant Valley™ wakes the garden from its long winter nap to begin another year of glory in the shade!

An evergreen shrub much smaller and more spreading than the species, Fragrant Valley™ reaches just 18 inches high but quickly spreads up to 3 feet across. It is very dense and well-branched, with glossy deep green foliage that is more narrow than other varieties. This gives it a finer texture and even more full, lush look.

The shrub is attractive year-round simply because of its foliage, but the sweet-scented late winter blooms add another merit to its charms. They persist for several weeks in late winter, and you will smell them rather than see them!

The perfect plant for troublesome dry shade, Fragrant Valley™ is a Canadian introduction that boasts greater uniformity in size than other cultivars. This means you can create a low hedge or ribbon of evergreen color in the garden without pruning or shaping. Very disease resistant and unappetizing to deer and rabbits, Sweetbox is easy to grow and maintain. Give it a try in your landscape this season for years of nonstop color and heavenly scent! Zones 5-9.

As the deer population has boomed and food has become scarcer, they have become more aggressive. In some areas deer will strip your garden bare, leaving nothing green or flowery behind. While there is no such thing as a completely deer-proof garden, there are some effective things you can do to protect your garden from these hungry animals.

Use physical barriers

A High Fence
Deer can jump pretty high, but a fence higher than eight feet (higher on an up-slope) and flush with the ground will keep any deer out.

Electric Fences
They are a much easier and less expensive solution. Deer generally will not try to jump electric fences, but will rather try to climb through the wires, receiving a deterring shock.

Bird-Netting
An even less extreme physical option is to put bird netting over your larger and more susceptible plants.

Plant Deer-resistant Varieties

Herbs, some conifers, and many flowers are some of the best deer-resistant plants. More fragrant plants will often deter predation. Planting just a few deer-resistant plants will limit grazing of your other plants. Remember, "deer-resistant" does not mean deer-proof. A hungry animal will eat just about anything.

Having a dog In the Family

Owning a dog, especially a big dog will almost always keep deer from approaching your home. Just the scent of the dog will keep most deer away, and if your dog lives outside you will probably never see any deer.

For most gardeners, it is a combination of different solutions that works best. Every gardener has to find the solution that works best in their garden.

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