In my search for plant ideas to help in my heavily
deer-foraged garden, I came across the book 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants by
Ruth Rogers Clausen. The premise of the
book is that “you can still have a lush, thriving garden by making smart plant
choices. Many stunning plants are unpalatable to deer because of their
poisonous compounds, fuzzy or aromatic leaves, tough, spiny or bristly
textures, and for a variety of less obvious reasons.”
The author stresses that there is no such thing as a
deer-proof plant. During times when deer
are hungriest they will try to eat most anything. You might also notice that
one group of deer leave your asters alone while another group or individual browses
it any chance she gets. Plants that are considered “deer candy” and not
recommended are hostas, lilies, daylilies, tulips and roses (except Rosa rugosa which deer leave alone). Clausen offers a more complete list of these
favorites to avoid. But she lists in depth many more plants that you can
happily grow without feeling you need to keep watch over your garden.
How do you know if the damage you have is from a deer? Deer
do not have upper incisor teeth so the damage will look very raggedly torn.
Rabbits tend to cut off stems very cleanly. You’ll also notice shrubs that are
practically bare of leaves until about 5’ high. That’s about the chewing height
of a deer. Clausen reminds us, “Imagine if you had to deal with browsing
giraffes!”
The book rates plants based on the extent that a plant
species will be desired (aka nibbled on).
It then goes into good detail on how to successfully grow that
species. A healthy plant that is
occasionally nibbled may be able to withstand more deer attacks.
So what can you plant? Here’s a very short summary. You can
do an impressive bulb array using Narcissus,
Galanthus, Chionodoxa, and Scilla
sibirica. A sunny garden would do well with Geranium, Agastache, Echinops, Artemisia, Salvia, Nepeta and Coreopsis.
Other perennials include Iris, Monarda (Bee Balm) hellebores, ferns, and
ornamental grasses. Shrub choices include Mahonia
(Oregon Grape Holly), Caryopteris (Blue Mist Spirea), Boxwood,
Potentilla,
and Japanese Spirea. And there’s much
more: Russian sage, lavender, yarrow, catmint, Gaillardia, and Aconitum.
Clausen also includes some herbs and annuals in her book.
It’s great to see a list of plants that DO work with deer
instead of the depressing “don’t plant these” lists. Maybe I can start reducing the use of my gag-reflex-inducing
rotten egg/urine spray that sends the family into the house and closing
windows.
