Thank you ever so much for the encouragement.
I live in an old gold mining town in the mountains of northern California. The town is a wide spot on the highway, but we have what I call "town deer". These deer have been born and raised in town and have no fear of humans or human scent. I tried every method I could find and many products, both home made and purchased to discourage the deer from eating the roses Mrs. J planted in the top tier of the two terrace beds in the front yard and I think the deer just laughed. (One night I saw a deer tip toe through a rosemary bed to get to the roses.) Mrs. J. used to go out and cover the plants with chicken wire cages every night.
I finally gave up and widened the bed and put up deer fencing because the roses she planted are no longer in commerce and had probably been there for about 40 to 50 years and I just couldn't give them up. It actually looks pretty good, but I still have to paint the posts.
All of my roses are in the back yard and I have managed to fence off all of the access points, so that's where I play. My new long-term plan to allow me to indulge in collecting heucheras is to clear out Mrs. J's shade garden in the back and make it into a heuchera shade garden. I just have to do the work and find the plants that can handle intense dry heat. There are three species native to my county, so I know it's possible.
Smiles,
Lyn
