Many of us spend a great deal of time working in our gardens and perfecting our landscaping. We spend hours on end planting, trimming and watering. We take pride in our hard work. We literally reap the fruits (and flowers) of our labor. Waking up one morning to find that hungry deer have ravaged our plants make us madder than a wet hen.
There are things we can use to deter deer from eating our plants. Elephant garlic, Deer-Off, Liquid Fence, baby formula, hot sauce, and (my personal favorite) predator urine do alright for dissuading them, but rather than chase deer away from plants they love we can save ourselves a lot of frustration by planting things that they don’t particularly like to eat.
Now, you might have heard that there is no such thing as a deer proof plant. All plants are subject to being mowed down by deer if they are hungry enough. There are, however, plants (nice looking ones) that are generally avoided by deer.
Here’s what we know about deer dining habits:
- As much as 90% of their water requirements are met by munching on lush greens and tender young, plant growth.
- Deer prefer high protein crops such as peas, soybeans, turnips, alfalfa and corn.
- They like trail mix. Fruit, nuts and seeds are especially important when the green vegetation starts to dwindle.
- There are very few animals that can resist the sweet smell of apples. Deer are one of them.
- They will happily rip off the bark of maples, aspens and dogwoods. They get water from their bark and it sits heavily in their four-chambered stomachs, keeping them full longer.
Okay, we know what they prefer. Now what do they avoid?
- Deer are sensitive to smells and most strong scents can drive them away (unless that smell is apples!)
- Like small children, deer don’t like strange textures in their food. They prefer not to eat things that are fuzzy, prickly or thorny. (They do like roses though. I guess in their case, the thorns are worth the taste of the delicious flower.)
- Deer avoid plants with milky sap and other plants that will upset their stomachs or give them heartburn.
- Deer prefer not to walk through sharp ornamental grasses or thorny brush to get to food.
Deer avoid the prickly center of zinnia flowers
Okay, now for the good stuff!
There are a variety of beautiful flowers, shrubs and trees that we can plant in our yard that deer are unlikely to do much damage to. I have compiled this list based on information I have collected from searching educational websites, retail and wholesale suppliers’ recommendations, public forums and my own personal experience.
In honor of the Winter Olympics, I will divide them up into two categories: SILVER (plants that deer generally dislike eating) and GOLD (plants that deer really dislike eating).
First, the SILVER medal winners:
- Beebalm
- Buckthorn (Rhamnus)
- Calla Lily
- Columbine
- Coral Bells (Heuchera)
- Echinacea (Coneflower)
- English Lavender
- Evening Primrose
- Gladiolus
- Lily Turf
- Oriental Poppy
- Parsley
- Rose of Sharon
- Rudbeckia (Black-eyed Susan)
- Sage (Salvia)
- Smokebush
- Speedwell
- Weigela
- Yarrow
- Zinnia
…And for the GOLD:
- American Holly
- Arrowwood Viburnum
- Barberry
- Bayberry
- Bleeding Heart
- Bluebell
- Blue Fescue
- Butterfly Bush
- Catmint
- Common Boxwood
- Dwarf Alberta Spruce
- Foxglove
- Germander
- Hummingbird Mint
- Iris
- Japanese Blood Grass
- Lamb’s Ear
- Lily of the Valley
- Lungwort
- Maiden Grass
- Oregano
- Poppy (note: Oriental Poppy scored a silver)
- Purple Moor Grass
- Red Hot Poker
- Riverbirch
- Rosemary
- Russian Olive
- Russian Sage
- Snap Dragon
- Switchgrass
- Thyme
- Yucca
Of course there are always exceptions. Time of year and scarcity of food will ultimately determine the eating habits of deer. Feel free to post your comments or suggestions below.
Make sure to check that all of the poker players have their hunting licenses in order! And let their wives know what time to show up with the barbecue sauce, potato salad and baked beans.
Solution To Deer = MAS
MINIATURE AMERICAN SHEPHERD
Trust me. 😊
The only thing those ravengers don’t eat here in Tom’s River, NJ, are Vinca (the flower, not Vinca Vines). Have not touched one in 20 years.
The last two years they’ve even devoured my marigolds regularly.
I moved from Tom’s river to Whiting and for a plant lover it’s not the place to live. Deers all over the place. I have 2 tall full rose bushes and I literally had fence them in.
Is the herb plant “Madder” deer-resistant? I live in the small town of Leakey, west of San Antonio Texas.
Richard,
I don’t know, might have to google it.
Hi,
I live in Kerrville, and the deer run in herds. I use a product that has worked well. It’s called Repels All and comes in granules or spray. Be diligent and when starting to use it on your plants, be sure to reapply after a rain. I have all kinds of flowers that have been left alone. This stuff stinks when first applies, but once dry, no smell. When the deer or other critters rewet it with their saliva, it reactivates the horrid smell. I have found bites of flowers and roses left on the ground by next to the plant, and the deer never returned for more! LOL I buy mine at Home Depot or Walmart. Good luck!
I’m a landscape designer and have dealt with deer issues for years.
Deer herds have a set feeding territory and repetetive browsing habits, and a plant avoided by one herd may well be eaten to a nub by another redent group a mile away. Evidently deer, like humans, have varying tastes.
In my experience I’d put only two garden plants in the Never Eaten category: Narcissus and Helleborus. Hellebores even seem to act like a mild repellent. Both plants are fatally toxic if ingested and the deer seem to know it. In the Almost Never category I’d put Buxus and Epimedium — in all my years I’ve only seen deer damage on each genus once.
Thanks Marty, great info!
Deer eat my hellebores in winter.
Appreciate your website and information. Here on the CO Plateau we are going xeric (mostly) and deer/rabbit resistant plants are our choice. We are planting around old established Yucca and due to last years deer eating ALL of our Yucca blooms I am cutting them off the plants this year so to prevent deer trampling the new plantings. I’m surprised Yucca made your Gold list? Thanks!
Following descriptions in Fine Gardening several years ago, we put a double fence around our Vegetable/Rose garden. Two fences, about 4 ft apart, about 5 ft tall…the deer do NOT jump it. They need to be sure of their landing spot, that it is wide enough for them to be able to jump twice. The only deer that has made it in was there only because we forgot to close the gate! It is a beautiful fence, rather close to our house, but not at all unsightly. Lots of shrub roses are in the spaces between the fence and clematis wander up the fences all around. My roses are smiling.
Cynthia,
Great information, thanks for sharing.
All the reminders about what deer will or will not eat is that it definitely depends on if you had a rainy winter and spring. Without a doubt, if the deer natural food sources ie… grasses and tree leaves are not available they will get despret. I’ve seen them eat cacti, yucca. Think about it. If I took almost everything to eat from you…. you would eat pretty much anything! I have 32yrs practical field knowledge…trust me nothings really safe.
Austin.tx.
You know, until this year I would have agreed with you about gladiolus being deer resistant, but those little boogers took a real liking to them THIS YEAR only! I sprayed them with repellent; it worked.
The overpopulation of deer in my area have made everything on the plant list an appetizer. I have found that there is nothing they won’t eat-including poisonous Datura..Peonies, Solomon’s seal, gladiolus, bleeding hearts, Rose of Sharon, zinnia, columbine, etc. etc. Daylillies for dessert!
I have sprayed every deterrent on the market -they think it’s a condiment and devour the plants that evening. I have used row cover film -they bite right through it. 8′ high fencing in small corral-type enclosures is the only thing that deters them. However, it is unsightly and expensive. Nuisance culling has reduced the population somewhat -at least I get to see one flower each summer!
Thank you Mike for the Silver and Gold Lists to deter the deer from eating my plants! Can you also help with maybe a Bronze List to keep rabbits from eating plants. I thought if we planted Marigolds, that would deter both the deer and rabbits. No such luck! The rabbits are eating my Hollyhocks right off, along with the Marigolds. I live in Michigan. I told my husband we are going to have BBQ’d Rabbit for dinner if that rabbit doesn’t stay out of my flower gardens. ha ha
So far here in Iron Mountain Michigan our rabbit eat anything growing it seems. I have my dogs go out more often they chase it away.
BBQ rabbit is good. Wrap in bacon, cover with BBQ sauce and bake.
In South Jersey, the deer eat just about anything ! The only sure fire things for my yard are, bacopa, licorice vine, lavender cleome peonys and sometimes superbells.
I need help identifying a plant. Your site wont let me upload the picture. Can you help me? My mom got it from a yard sale. The guy told her that the berries are inedible. Deer WILL NOT eat them either.
Alena,
There is no way to upload pictures or email them to me. In the members area we do that, but not on this site.
When I cut back rugosa roses I stick the branches in the foliage of my hydrangeas. It’s not visible but when the deer try to munch the new growth they get a mouth full of thorns!
Great idea Mary!
You can add Lantana and all it’s varieties to your “Gold” list. Living in central Texas it has become my go to for when I want a nice pop of color, but while the deer will leave it alone and it has a very long bloom time, it is cyclical and is also prone to mildew or lacebugs.
The deer here in south Jersey eat pretty much anything…the only things I have found that they never touch are: licorice vine,, cleome, lavender , daffodils, bacopa, lantana, marigolds and peonys It took a lot of trips to the garden center to find this out !
Here in No. Florida, the deer have feasted on my echinacea for years. Now it is protected in my garden. I also put clip-on garlic oil tubes (Plant Pro-Tech) I got from our local native nursery on my roses and the deer generally, tho not always leave the roses alone, They didn’t provide protection to my pansies at all. I’m still wary about my hostas, that are mostly planted near the house but in too much shade for them to really thrive. I have my fingers crossed with a new bed that I will plant with agapanthus and day lillies.
After years of ignoring them, deer have started eating my agapanthus. The leaves as well as the bulbs before the flowers opened. The leaves look terrible now as they just ate the top half. Looks like someone hit it with a weed eater.
I’m having the same problem. The agapanthus are eaten down to their base.
Day lilies , are you serious ! The deer love them ,especially just before they bloom ….
I live deep in the heart of Texas near San Antonio. Unfortunately, deer came and mowed down my Iris’ that I had painstakingly transplanted from my dead grandmother’s gardens when their homestead was sold off. Other Iris’ that I had transplanted to the same area in the last 30 years have been left untouched. To say I was madder than a wet hen was an understatement!! They are up again this year, and thankfully they didn’t actually pull any of the bulbs up. But, I can’t help to think that they might come again and decide they are going to mow them again. Especially since they are blooming right now.
Years ago, my cousin told me to spray milk on my hostas, lilies, and anything else that deer like to eat. I put milk and water (about half and half) in my pump sprayer and spray everything that I think they’ll eat. It works great until it rains and I forget to re-spray. It is the simplest remedy that I’ve found.
Joyce,
If you mix a couple of raw eggs in with the milk that will make the potion stronger which is important during the winter months.
Every year a few more plants are added to the list of things that used to be deer resistant, but no longer are. They now eat Golden Glow, Echinacea, Rudbeckia, sedums….I have a serious veg garden and tell everyone the equation is simple: no fence= no garden. Deterrents help to some extent but not in rainy weather and who wants vegetables that smell like rotten eggs?
Len,
You are right, nurseries tried everything years ago and they only thing that truly made a difference was a tall fence.
I’ve tried all the deterrents, and none is fool-proof, or deer-proof! This summer we had a family with triplets living on our 10 acres and those babies ate everything in sight, including zinnias, lilies (before they bloomed), weigela, red and yellow twig dogwoods, rhubarb, cucumbers, jalapeno peppers and even pulled up garlic and onions! I have a 5 foot fence around my veggie garden which has been sufficient in the past, but not this year. They jumped the fence to get to the corn, then peppers, cukes and tomatoes. So, needless to say, nothing worked to deter them this year! The salvia, iris, sedum and foxglove made it without being touched. I’m getting more of those! I tried hanging irish spring soap, numerous pin-wheels, garlic … nothing stopped them, and I refuse to use the egg/milk stuff because it makes me gag! Hopefully, next year will be better. I’ll be adding another 2′ section to the top of my fence and planting lots of salvia and sedum, red hot poker, iris and goldenrod. Happy gardening, y’all.
I can’t grow plants on my property unless I protect them with wire fence. We have lots of deer and my free-range chickens will also join in the plant-eating party. I put out feed for my hens twice a day and I’m thinking about putting out food for the deer, far away from the gardens. Maybe gifting the deer some easy-access food will keep them from breaking into my gardens to find sustenance.
Giving the deer food will just cause them to multiply faster. The spawn will be back for your prized vegetables and landscape plants soon enough.
I make a potent grand wormwood tea and spray all my veggies. It seems to last through rain. I usually only apply 3x’s a year. Works against rabbit, chickens and squirrels too..
What is woodworm tea ????
Take the leaves from the wormwood plant if you grow it, and steep them in hot water to make tea.
how about putting out some deer corn or other food they like. they were there first and they have to eat too. pregnant deer require more food. people take over the land and i guess they just expect the wildlife to evaporate.
I think the problem is more the we’ve eliminated natural preditors and so now the deer are much to populist and are raveging our forests as well as gardens
I think you’re right about finding a way to share the land with the deer. We can’t get rid of them, and they can’t get rid of us, so compromise is a wiser course of action.
As for fuzzy. dear love okra. Leaves. flowers and pods.
I tried the fishing line fence this spring. (after the darn deer ate all my flowers to the ground) It works better than anything else I’ve tried and it’s not ugly, but not fool proof. I took the fishing line down three days ago. Yesterday morning, there was two of ’em 5 feet from my front door eating the ornamental sweet potato vine that they had not touched all summer, so the fishing line works.
Only problem with the fishing line fence is you have to string it all around the yard or garden, and it can get in the way with cutting grass or taking the tiller into the garden. I used to strands, one about 15 inches from the ground and another about 15 inches above that and tied it to those small metal posts that are sometimes used for electric fences. I’ll use it again next year.it’s cheap and as effective or more than anything else here in Mid Missouri.
A more high-tech variation of the “fishing line fence” is to set up a laser beam which surrounds the perimeter of the area you want to protect. Every time a deer breaks the laser beam it activates an audible sound device, just as the fishing lines that are tied tin cans. You could set up water-proof speakers in your garden & an MP3 of a roaring lion to scare them off. Unlike the fishing line, this electronic version resets itself automatically ready for the next deer.
I have used wind chimes in my flower bed to keep deer away.
Thousands of dollars lost to deer damage here in northern New Jersey. Moved here twenty years ago and you may have spotted one or two. Fast forward we are overun with them. They will eat anything unless your spraying once a week and then the ground hogs arrive and literally wipe everything out overnight. Have thrown in the towel!!
I had ground hogs 20 years ago in North Jersey it was all out war. Buried wire fence 2 feet deep then out 2 feet and above ground 5 ft finally kept them out
Don’t plant oleander if you have pets- highly toxic to cats and dogs. What about knockout roses? Anyone have any experience with them? Crepe Myrtles or Japanese Maples? Thanks!
My personal experience… Yes, they love to eat knock out roses… But they have never touched my crepe myrtles or my Japanese red maples.
In my yard, deer seem to love Japanese Maples. allmost more than hosta!
the Deer here in KY love Japanese maples and knock out roses. But racoons are worse. Also, Datura is poison to deer and they they won’t touch it
What a brutal winter, leaving deer to forage almost anything. Giant Thuja deer resistant? Maybe older 20′ plants but not younger ones less that 4′ tall! Arborvitae – delicious!! according to the latest deer survey; they are the first to get stripped (except the very tops if the plant is over 9′ tall. Holly is another they will munch on.
On line tips have included stringing fishing line at deer knee level in two rows. They can’t see the line and are spooked by the feel against their legs and they won’t jump over what they can’t see. Attach some enclosed tin cans with marbles and the noise spooks them even more. We’ll see.
A few I thought of was creating a plastic tarp wall in winter, taking it down after the snow is gone. I would use it along a row of Arborvitae on each side of the trees, enclosing the ends. Not sure if that or any evergreen needs sun in winter though. Using scents mentioned above on the tarp may deter also. Plastic tarps or even erosion fencing (black material stapled to stakes) are moderately inexpensive options to putting up other more permanent fencing.
Another thing other than chimes or cans containing marbles would be to run a 12v LED revolving light like you see on the top of snow plows at night. The flashing light would most likely discourage midnight dining in winter just as a LED light bulb kept on 24/7 in my attic has deterred mice all winter.
I’ve got to do something next year. This is the first year I’ve seen plant devastation to such a degree due to a fierce winter! This is war!
Thanks for all your hard work and wonderful info Mike…You’re the best!! Now, what I’ve discovered that works best to keep the deer away is garlic. I used to sprinkle garlic powder on the plants and that worked great till it rained, then I had to re-apply. So we bought some minced garlic, put it into small cloth bags and hung them on garden fences, tree protectors, stakes, etc. Now when it rains, it just refreshes the garlic smell, and the deer stay away from the whole area! I’m a much happier gardener now!!
I see you listed Buckthorn in the Silver. Is that the same as Ceanothus? They delight in the tender growth of Ceanothus. They LOVE thornless blackberry (eat it to the ground) Also Agapanthus. We had hundreds of deer at an old estate in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The adults are a little picky, but the greedy fawns are tall goats. Nibble anything and everything. I had to cover my Hydrangia with strawberry netting to get any flowers.
Do you know Santolina? Brass Butttons, I think. They leave that alone. Probably Datura too (Angels Trumpet, a halucinogen)
We found that pregnant deer love blue point junipers. All other deer leave it alone because it is prickly.
Thorns matter not one bit. I have wild blackberry in the back yard, loaded with thorns, and they prance right through it, eating to their hearts content. They tore up my hostas two days ago, which I thought were safe right next to the house, as they’ve never come close to the house before. My garden fence is only 4 feet tall, and they are leaning in over it to eat what they can reach. My dogs don’t scare them, and even when I yell at them and tell them to get lost, they look at me like I’M crazy!
In the Sierra Nevada foothills, I’ve found that a single strand of electric fence wire baited with a bit of peanut butter on a strip of tinfoil sends bambi away. Haven’t had a nibble taken since doing this and this was deer central for years before. They’ll jump any fence you care to build but will run away from this one. Probably not a good solution for the suburban yard though.
Jim.
My deer in NE Pa are special they will eat anything anytime any where.
Hi Mike,
Thanks for this deer resistant list!
Because DEER like green rich foods, ANYTHING that has been grown with nitrogen is fair game. What we buy from the nursery, all full and fluffy green with beautiful flowers, is full of nitrogen! Even if on this deer resistant list, the deer will browse and nibble that first year. My 2nd year growth on trees and bushes has been avoided.
Landscape plants are not our problem. The garden is. They not only eat pretty much anything, but they also destroy the rows by walking on then to get to what they want.
We have come to the conclusion that we will have to put up a fence, hopefully to discourage them from coming in.
This winter we had problems with rabbits and coons eating the turnips, cabbage and collards. We put up a makeshift fence and it worked. The plants were able to survive then.
I’ll tell my husband about the liquid fence. We have not heard of that, but if some of you use it and it is effective, we might try that before putting up a fence.
Pat
I would think that deer repellents would be fairly effective during the summer when the deer aren’t so desperate and can be selective about where they graze. However, repellents must be re-applied in order to remain effective.
the liquid fence — Deer Be Gone or something like that. i did try that. It is coyote urine or a combination with mountain lion urine. Doesn’t smell very good, Must be reapplied after rain (or sprinklers here in California), AND it brought in the coyotes!
The favorite food of all time for coyotes is cat, kitty cat, and small doggies, so i wasn’t happy with that aspect.
To keep the deer out of my vegetable garden last year, I followed an old remedy from my elderly neighbor. In a 5 gal bucket, put in 6 eggs. I chucked them in there hard, shells and all. Add 2 gallon water. Mix with a stick, cover and leave it sit out in the heat a week. I actually forgot about it and left it 2. Pour around perimeter of garden. It’s so nasty, it’s no wonder the deer won’t cross it! Don’t get on your shoes! Lasted about a month before it needed replenishing!
LOL, i have just hear of this one! It calls for a dozen eggs, all tossed in the blender and into a bucket, poured around the garden and the deer don’t want to cross over it.
I think I wouldn’t want to cross the line either.
Thank you Mike and Amber .
I know the deer also do not like the strong smell of Iris spring bar soap. We put them in feet of hose and hang them on our evergreen trees.( They love Thuja evergreens) but you do have to refresh them as they loose the strong small with time. Unfortunately, most of the items aren’t blooming or leafy when the deer are hungry. I am going to spread some Russian sage around my garden too. Have a lot of that come fall.
Going to plant a lot of Zinnias also in the spring, see if they come and eat my grape plants and garden. Usually, in the nice weather I don`t see much damage , but just in case they decide to visit.
I have a lot of beautiful roses and they do not bother them. But they might tramp on them to get at the Manhattan Euroymus behind them They will eat them like they are candy. But this winter, the freezing temperatures made the leaves dry out. Hope the leaves grow back this spring as they are large bushes.
Really helpful blog, Mike. What about caladium carolyn whorton and caladium candidum? Are these plants resistant to deer?
Thanks,
GK
Gerry,
I don’t honestly know, but . . . somebody else??? They might know.
Deer chomped down all my caladiums to dirt level this last weekend. Also devoured a huge blooming begonia. I replaced with zinnias and butterfly bush; we’re how that goes.
I always plant mustard mixed in with turnips and that seems to keep rabits and deer out of the turnip patch
The deer here in NJ eat American Holly along with the majority of your gold and silver list. Heck they even eat my 6 different varieties of Bamboo !
Myron,
Truth is, it depends on how hungry they are, how desperate for food they are. When it’s tough they’ll eat about anything.
Dear Mike, Thanks for all the great info. You can add Rose Campion to your list. I have a perennial patch about 2 ft. by 50 ft. of them and the deer do not touch them. Thanks again, Damon Hague
If you have the space you might plant something they do like. I worked 15 years as office manager for an organic garlic farm. When customers back east asked how to keep deer from eating their garlic I was confused. Did they have different deer back there? Deer never bothered our garlic. It took a while to realize that our fallow crop was alfalfa. They would much rather eat that.
There is a company called “White Tail Institute” that will send free samples of deer food if you have room to plant it. I am not sure if it helps or if it draws hundreds of hungry deer to your place.
Here in the Upper Hudson Valley they have trimmed our Boxwoods down good this year.. But it has been a hard winter.
In the Gold Medal Category….Have never had them eat a Common Fern nor a Daffodil. Gold to Marigolds also.
It’s not exactly a growing thing, but …
Poker, as in Texas Hold ’em, will discourage deer. Put a card table near the garden area you wish to protect. Get 4 to 6 men who love poker … and beer.
Works every time. Repeat poker match after every rainy spell. Yep, poker. Deer hate it.
Hahahaha LOVE IT.
We have a limitless supply of deer. Nothing will stop them but hunters. A stout electric fence will help until the hunters arrive. Anything else is silly.
I have had good luck with deer not bothering blueberry bushes or Japanese Andromeda, for what it is worth. Maybe some others out there can relate their experiences with these plants.
..Rod..
Well I have had the deer really eating my blueberry bushes this winter. One morning I saw that they were still asleep under the tree right next to the blueberry bushes.
I hope there will still be some berries as they are quite tall bushes. At least this year I have not seen them eating the mahonia bush or the holly bushes. Maybe that is because they have been eating the bird seed as often as they can sneak in the yard even during the day. They only run if I go out on the deck, the dog barking only sends them few feet away and they will come back if they see me go in the house.
Deodorant soap works great. Drill hole in the soap and put plant friendly tie through hole then tie around tree or shrub. Cab be staked next to plants if soap is to heavy.
I love your emails. I planted over 1,000 daffodils because the deer will not ate. I planted tulips in the center of my many flower bed hoping the deer won’t eat the tulips. I will send you some pictures as soon as they bloom.
What happened?
Good list here. Sure enough those listed that I have are never bothered by the deer. I will print this of! Many thanks. Johere
Just a note that buckthorn is an invasive species. It grows tenaciously even here in zone 3! I think several other “deer proof” such as mount olive which was once sold by a conservation group here is also on the invasive list.
Also French Broom, invasive to the max in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Pretty, fragrant yellow flowers and the deer hate it. (Mildly toxic)
I assume “Mt. Olive” is the same as “Russian Olive” which, indeed, is an invasive species. Here in the rural northwest corner of NJ, Russian Olive has literally taken over every empty piece of land larger than one square foot, Fields left fallow for 2 or 3 years turn into untold acres covered with the stuff which can out-compete any other plant. Yes, it provides good h abitat for small game and birds, but kills off native plant species., Should not be propagated or sold!!!
What about rabbits? Any plants they don’t like?
Pat,
Rabbits and deer pretty much eat the same things. Rabbits love Burning Bush!
I suspect that no matter how may of these kinds of deer-resistant plants, trees and shrubs I plant, until I get rid of the ones the deer like, they will still be drawn to them. And in the case of maple trees, I am stuck with the deer invasion, because they have already stripped one of them down to the inner core in one spot on the trunk. My neighbors kept telling me that the deer would go through our neighborhood nightly, but I didn’t believe them until one night my motion light came on in the back yard. I looked out, and saw no less than a dozen deer in my yard, in the street behind me, and in my neighbor’s yards, too. Thing is, many of my neighbors put out food to draw them, so I will never be free of the problem.
There was mention of stickers and prickly shrubs that could be a deterrent…does that include pyrocantha? I could plant a row of them inside the row of burning bush that borders my yard, and maybe that would work as a natural hinderance? What I don’t get is why they walk right past my neighbor’s garden full of spring blooms and bulbs, and head right to my few tulips every Spring. I finally got rid of them completely.
Marilu,
I’d say pyracantha and or Washington Hawthorne.
We had a problem with rabbits eating the bark on our fruit trees. Had to wrap the young ones in chicken wire! Not pretty, but it works.
In southern west va, deer thrive on rudbeckia
I live on the Kitsap Peninsula across from Seattle Washington and we have LOTS of Deer. Believe me, I’ve learned a lot about stuff they hate because it was getting expensive replacing plants. In addition to your gold list, they won’t eat Rhodies, Camellias, Hydrangeas, English Laurel, ivy, Dogwoods (Red Bark & Yellow Bark) Vincas (major & minor) Lilacs or any of the Conifers. I guess there’s enough Aspen Trees, soft grasses and other stuff in the woods to keep them happy:)
They love my rhodies, lilacs, hydrangeas here in Southern Maine.
I live in Shelton, Wa. and my sister lives in Gig harbor. We have found that the deer get ‘dung lung’ to the different nasty scents we use. So, we change it every couple of weeks. And we heavily protect what we don’t want to move. I have had them eat on my Hydrangeas that are next to the house and only 30 feet from the Apple trees. And they have eaten all the blooms off my small Rhodies and azaleas. They LOVE Glads and have had them eat 1/2 of my 4 year old Pointsettia and Avacodo that were getting sun right off my deck. Destroyed a small lilac. But didn’t touch the established ones (to much). I have been planting lots of Zinnias and cone type flowers and coriopis as I have found that they don’t like them. And as much as I didn’t care for them myself, I have come to love the newest ones on the market. I have planted large lavender bushes around my mini roses. They just walk over it to get their rose hip fix!! My parents had an 7 foot fence. Yep! They jumped it. They then had a welder come out and weld 2 foot extentions that leaned alittle out. Then barb wired it. Looked prison like but it worked. We had to take it down. But are looking into something similar. But first we are going to get a dog. Hubby is allergic but is finding it might be the best choice!
I have seen a herd of deer jump an 8 ft fence on a downhill slope on one side of a highway, run across the pavement, and clear an 8 ft fence on the UPHILL on the other side of the road. It was absolutely amazing to watch! So, I think that one straight fence is just not much of a deterrent for deer. But, a covered wire enclosure would stop them—I mean wire over the top, too, to let in sun and rain—and high enough to walk into and work inside. I’ve thought about building some enclosures like that here in Florida, where I could have shade cloth on top to keep the plants from frying in the intense heat. If the wire enclosure had cemented-in -the-ground posts to support it, I could also cover the garden with a heavy tarp before a hurricane and be able to save my plants from being ruined by the storm. With a bit of planning, they wouldn’t have to be an eyesore, and could even be part of the landscape design. Well, that’s the dream…now I just have to find a way to make it work!
And of course, the silly fauns will try anything! They are tall goats!! At Villa Montalvo in California they munch Agapanthus to the ground. We have to cover Hydrangia and Ceanothus with bird netting to keep some of the leaves. They are as bad as cats with Catmint.
Thank you for the list, plants that deer don’t enjoy.
They chewed up just about everything in one small garden of mine, hostas are very delicious, and including all the rosebuds of a small prickly rose, but they didn’t look at hellebore, which is poisonous. Smart deer. Now they didn’t do that all at once, just taking a bit more every time they came past their salad bar.
I will plant Zinnias among other plants and see what happens, with some deer repellant.
Thank you for all the information you post. I appreciate it all. .
Eleanor
P.S. Robins came back too soon; everything covered here under feet of snow. but it is very slowly melting now with warmer days. So maybe spring will arrive in MN too.
you can add oleander to the list, but take it inside during freezing.
LIQUID FENCE HAS MY ENDORSEMENT. WE LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE DEER ARE
ABUNDANT AND SO ARE THEIR APPETITES. — LIQUID FENCE IS PERFECT,– SMELLS
TO HIGH HEAVEN AND WORKS LIKE A CHARM – JUST DON’T PLAN TO GO ANYWHERE
WITHOUT CHANGING YOUR CLOTHES AFTER SPRAYING THIS FANTASTIC REPELLANT..
THANKS FOR THIS ARTICLE, VERY GOOD…
Amen to Liquid Fence…. I find the concentrate is the best value application wise compared to other concentrates in cost per gallon. Expensive though for what it is.
Working on a formula to make my own. Check the ingredients on your concentrate. It is basically rotten eggs with each Mfg putting in their own “added” ingredients. 2013…Tried a batch with cayenne added but it had a tendency to clog a sprayer and I had to fuss with it too much. Gonna tweek it to make it work. Dozen eggs ($3.00) will make up enough to make 20 gallons or more.
mix cayenne pepeper in water let set over night and then strain it w/ (I use a dish towel) then you won’t clog the sprayer, wprks great for me
Could probably also use any “hot sauce” which would save the trouble of soaking cayenne … although it may be a tad more expensive. My question is what to add to make the mixture stick rather than rinsing away in a heavy rain. Any suggestions?
alittle dishwashing liqiud like Joy or Dawn
The pepper and dish soap works to keep the bugs away too!