Planting Guides

The PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources website provides helpful resources to help you landscape with native plants. The use of native plant species offers many advantages to using non-native species:

Adapted for Local Climate and Conditions: Native plants are adapted to local soils, climate, and conditions and will persist through frost and drought.
Bird Food: Native plants provide seeds, insects, and caterpillars.
Pollinators: A planting of native plants will attract native pollinators, such as native bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, and hummingbirds. The DCNR Bureau of Forestry promotes and tracks pollinator plantings.
Low Maintenance: Native plant species require less maintenance such as water and soil amendments. Once the plants are established they will require little else.
Maintaining Native Biodiversity: Native plants experience multiple threats such as habitat conversion, invasion of exotic species, deer herbivory, pollution, and over collecting. By using native plant species you can help to maintain the native biodiversity of Pennsylvania.

Native Plant Recommendations

Invasive Plant Fact Sheet

For help in identification of invasive plants, treatment, and protection suggestions for your property, explore the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources fact sheets.

Deer Resistant Plants

This comprehensive list prepared by Rutgers rates landscape plants according to their resistance to deer damage. Realizing that no plant is deer proof, plants in the Rarely Damaged, and Seldom Severely Damaged categories would be best for landscapes prone to deer damage. Plants Occasionally Severely Damaged and Frequently Severely Damaged are often preferred by deer and should only be planted with additional protection such as the use of fencing, repellents, etc..

Tree Topping Alternatives

Tree topping has always been a prevalent practice within the Buck Hill community – It’s easy, cheap, and provides improved visibility. Unfortunately however, the negative impacts of tree topping outweigh the positive ones – In fact, tree topping is perhaps the most harmful tree pruning practice known. This guide, prepared by our Foundation, provides alternatives to consider while improving your view.