The plantings around Highstead’s Barn headquarters provide visitors with useable ideas for creating ecologically sound and aesthetically pleasing naturalistic home landscapes and wooded areas in the presence of high deer populations.
Some of the principles and practices we employ to accomplish this goal include:
1) Giving priority to native species represented in the adjoining woodlands and meadow to help blend the Barn into its natural surroundings and to ensure a local sense of place is maintained.
2) Planting multiple layers of native vegetation of different sizes and forms, as well as using native alternatives to invasive ornamentals that provide equally desirable flowers, fruit, and fall color in order to promote biodiversity.
3 ) Utilizing a combination of deer resistant plants, sprays, and fencing that effectively reduce deer damage.
