My favorite flower pairing for a cottage-style home is, if I had to choose, climbing roses paired with abundant blue hydrangeas. As our renovation edges closer to completion—by closer I don’t mean it will be finished this week or even this month; there is still plenty to do—I’m planning the landscaping and getting ready to plant roses and hydrangeas that I can enjoy from the kitchen French doors.
There’s one complication: deer. We didn’t notice deer bothering flowers in Seattle, but here on the island the local deer are plentiful and very fond of the same blooms I love. They’re sweet and charming, so I enjoy seeing them around, yet I’m hoping they’ll leave my roses and hydrangeas alone.
We had the most heartwarming sight when a mama deer and her fawn nested safely under the trees among our construction materials for a week after the fawn was born. Recently I watched that mama with two babies stroll past the house. I adore watching them—just sniff and admire the flowers, I wish, but please don’t snack on them.
Despite the risk, I want to be surrounded by these animals and the plants I love. So I ordered several climbing roses and plan to plant blue hydrangeas as well. My hope is that the deer will have plenty of other places to forage—the protected 3,000-acre forest, open meadows and a nearby beach—so they won’t need to rely on my little backyard as a buffet.
I’m brainstorming ways to make the garden slightly less tempting to deer while still creating a welcoming, cottage-like setting. It may be a gamble, and with our small yard the experiment could fail, but I’m willing to try. We already have one climbing rose in the front yard that has survived, so there’s some reason for optimism.
If the roses and hydrangeas don’t thrive, I’ll adapt and plant other varieties that do well here. Either way, I’ll enjoy seeing these flowers where I can and borrowing inspiration from neighbors’ gardens when needed. Keeping my fingers crossed that the plants and wildlife learn to coexist.
Enjoy the inspiration in this week’s Sunday Strolls + Scrolls post.
Sunday Strolls + Scrolls is a series inspired by interiors and exterior spaces that capture a sense of sanctuary. It’s meant to feel like a peaceful walk down a charming street, a stroll through a garden, or a gentle peek inside a neighborhood home on a Sunday open house. I hope these posts bring a little calm and pleasure to your day.
Browse past Sunday Strolls & Scrolls inspiration posts in the series archive.
Did you notice the peek of our new backyard deck off the French doors? See the backyard mood board and sneak peek in the related post.