Suja,

Based on my experience:

Acer palmatum 'Villa Taranto': nice dwarf A.palmatum. There are many
similiar A.palmatums, all nice. Mine are eaten more by rabbits than deer. I
have to put a cage around small ones for about three years to let them get
big enough to withstand winter rabbit munching

Camellia 'Winter's Interlude': one of the many Ackerman hybrids. I have had
no deer damage to mine in ten years.

Cryptomeria Japonica 'Spiralis': I had one that I removed. The spiral growth
habit is a matter of perception, to my eye there was very little spiraling.
No deer or rabbit damage.

Magnolia Sieboldii: my favorite magnolia. Deer will remove some winter buds.

Viburnum carlesii 'Compacta': wonderful small shrub. I can't understand why
this plant is not more popular. No deer damage in ten years.

Hope this helps,
--beeky


Suja wrote:

Made the mistake of checking the ForestFarm site, and decided to go
through their list of plants. Now I have a long list of shrubs and trees
I want, and am trying to figure out which ones I should order or attempt
to find locally. The FF online catalog is very stingy with details, and
I've tried to fill in the gaps as much as possible with info from the
web, but am still unclear about which plants will do well.

I have a lot of land, and the plants will go in conditions of either
light shade or full sun. If there is a particular shrub that is a must
have and needs more shade, I am sure I can find a spot for it. The sunny
spots drain really well (on a slope), the shadier spots less well. The
soil is amended clay and slightly acidic. I'm in Zone 7a, Northern VA
(about 30 minutes West of DC), where the winter lows get close to 0 F,
and the summers are insanely hot and humid. Oh, and we have tons of
deer, so deer resistant shrubs would be preferable, although I certainly
don't have any problems taking the trouble to protect the special plants.

Acer palmatum 'Villa Taranto'
Callistemon 'Woodlander Hardy Red'
Camellia 'Winter's Interlude'
Chaenomeles 'Cameo'
Cryptomeria Japonica 'Spiralis'
Fuschia 'Aurea'
Kerria Japonica Picta
Magnolia Sieboldii
Myrtus communis 'Variegata'
Phygelius rectus 'Sunshine'
Viburnum ichangense (recommended pollinator?)
Viburnum carlesii 'Compacta'

Does anyone have experience with these shrubs? If you think any of
these plants would be especially good (or not) for the conditions I've
described above, I would love to hear about it. If you have
recommendations for other shrubs I should consider (shorter shrubs are
easier to find homes for), I'm all ears.

Suja