Challenging plant problem! Ideas needed!

Kidhenduckohmy

Songster
8 Years
Jun 18, 2012
128
18
136
Upper Michigan
I have a small area that I would like to plant something. Its between the garage and a stone path I just put in. It forms a V about five feet long and 3 feet at the widest.
I have been googling all sorts of things, but I am thinking what I want is impossible because....
1) Has to be chicken resistant. Its not in the run, but I let the chickens out in the evening. and they will be near it.
2) I am zone 3 (Upper Michigan)
3) It is a shady spot. Only sun in the first few hours of morning.
4) I want a perennial.

So far I have come up with chives.

Any other ideas?
 
I have a small area that I would like to plant something. Its between the garage and a stone path I just put in. It forms a V about five feet long and 3 feet at the widest.
I have been googling all sorts of things, but I am thinking what I want is impossible because....
1) Has to be chicken resistant. Its not in the run, but I let the chickens out in the evening. and they will be near it.
2) I am zone 3 (Upper Michigan)
3) It is a shady spot. Only sun in the first few hours of morning.
4) I want a perennial.

So far I have come up with chives.

Any other ideas?


Well chives would work... Do you eat a lot of them or is this just for looks? ;)

Something short, or medium height? Mosses, ferns, delphinium, hosta, Jacobs ladder, bleeding heart... Don't do nasturtium, chickens love it lol...no phlox, they love it too... Hmmmm ...

Oh, maybe artemesia, it looks like a light gray ferny sage brush; so pretty... Chickens won't go near it ;)

Iris, nobody touches iris...

Need more? :D

I can go all day here lol, that's right up my alley ;)
 
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So chickens don't like hosts? Great. I am going to buy more. I like pachysandra as a ground cover. It will fill in eventually and keeps out weeds. Then you could fill in with other plants. Don't know if chickens would eat it or if it is safe.
 
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Shortgrass, Wow! Thanks! I will have to do some research as I do not even know what half of those plants are.
I do like chives for cooking, but maybe just two plants, not the whole area.
Here is the space I am needing to fill. I guess I need some taller stuff and shorter for around the edges. I am not much of a gardener.

400


Thank you for your replys.
 
You'll probably have to fence the chicken out of the area, at least until the plants are well established.
A couple chicken can tear up an area that small in about 30 minutes just by scratching around.
 
Oh boy lol...right next to the coop door... Front edge would need something to keep then from trampling stuff...

THAT'S more of the problem with chooks and plants... If they don't want to eat it, they'll scratch AROUND it, damaging roots, so key points would be something tough to withstand walking on and possible digging...
Artemesia for sure.
Iris.
Hosta, that close they may get trampled, they do have delicate leaves, so they can incur damage from being walked on, but minimal if placed correctly..

Bleeding heart and fern, they would be "fluffy" enough that the chooks could still dig around under them when they're mature(the plants) and not cause too much damage to roots. :)

Delphinium along the wall... They're beautiful and get tall, but that would be the perfect place for them.

For the most part, chickens will TRY everything at least once lol, most they actually avoid, but there are some things that I grow JUST for the chickens, and their tastes determine whether it's an issue or not...

I have Borage in the middle of irises, they wont go into the irises more than a foot, so they go through the strawberry bed to get to it, and they kick up strawberry runners in their journey to the herbs. Irritating lol, but not killing them.

If they see greenery in the flowerbed and nowhere else, they will end up in the flowerbed, so its always a good idea to plant THEM something to deter them from the flowers ;)

A flowerbed for me, a flowerbed for the chooks ;)

Edit. Your zone! Lol mostbif what I put down are plants hardy for zone 5... Most of them should be OK in warmer zones, the iris may not bloom without a frost if your zone is warmer.
 
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Chives aren't exactly chicken resistant. Mine love to eat chives and it gives the eggs a mild onion flavor. Great for omlettes and savory dishes, but not so good for baking.
 
Hostas get eaten too! Mint, pick one that will hardy enough for your zone. How about some shrubs? Viburnum, blueberry (needs acid soil). currants. Wintergreen (grows wild up there!), iris if there's enough sun, Russian sage, and mulch. Catmint/ catnip!!! Chickens like being under shrubs and trees, and they won't get trampled. Mary
 

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