Dear Deer, STAY OUT!
If your lucky enough to live on a country lot or nearby a naturalized conservation area, chances are you’ve come in contact with a deer or two. Bambi may be cute but like it’s woodland affiliate Thumper they can be downright destructive. Some plants are simply deer bait such as narrow-leaf evergreens, especially arborvitae and fir, they also seem to have a taste for hostas, daylilies, and English ivy. So which plants do deer dislike? Well no surprise they avoid poisonous plants like poppies, foxgloves and daffodils. They’ll also tend to avoid fragrant herbs or heavily scented plants like sage, thyme, lavender or peonies. Prickly plants are also a good deterrent (would you eat it?) so cactus type plants are not appealing either. There are other forms of deer repellant such as natural human hair spread about the garden, hot pepper spray, moth balls or a commercial repellant formula. When all else fails fencing may be your only option.
Let’s assume that you’re ready to start with the least resistant method of control in planting undesirable flora in your space. Here’s a list of deer resistant plants, keep in mind there really are no completely deer-proof plants, if they’re hungry they’ll eat it.
TOP DEER-RESISTANT PLANTS
Yarrow
Monkshood
Ageratum
Onion
Serviceberry
Snapdragon
Horseradish
Tarragon
Silver Mound
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Wild Ginger
Asparagus
Aster
Astilbe
Barberry
Butterfly Bush
Boxwood
Helleborus
Cactus
Marigold
Dusty Miller
Bachelor’s Buttons
Larkspur
Lily of the Valley
Threadleaf Coreopsis
Bleeding Heart
Common Foxglove
Wood Fern
Purple Coneflower
Bluebell
Spurge
Blue Fescue
Snowdrops
Baby’s Breath
Hyssop
American Holly
Winterberry Holly
Iris
Juniper
Lavender
Sweet Alyssum
Lemon Balm
Mint
Bee balm
Forget-Me-Not
Bayberry
Daffodil
Catmint
Basil
Fern
Peony
Poppy
Russian Sage
Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Anise
Pine
Buttercup
Fragrant Sumac
Rosemary
Black-Eyed Susan
Rue
Willows
Garden Sage
Lamb’s Ear
Common Lilac
Common Tansy
Thyme
Yucca
Zinnia
If all else fails I’d like to impart the mantra “Que Cera Cera” Mother nature is has all kinds of creatures and they have a right to be here too. So grab a cup of coffee and watch these majestic animals in their glory.