Garden Plants that Deer Do Not Like to Eat... Making your property deer resistant....
MAKING A PROPERTY DEER RESISTANT STARTS WITH A FENCE USUALLY 8-10 FEET HIGH. NEXT I USE BLOOD MEAL SPREAD AROUND THE FENCE LINE..FENCES CAN BE MADE WITH HEAVY COPPER OR CALVANIZED WIRE, CONNECTED USING EXSISTING TREES OR BAMBOO OR STEEL STAKES..I ALSO USE DEER RESISTANT SPRAYS(LIQUID FENCE), MALE HAIR CUTTINGS(NOT FEMALE) AND USED KITTY LITTER AROUND THE FENCE LINE. NEXT I STRING FISHING LINE 20/25 LB TEST STRUNG AROUND THE PROPERTY EITHER TO INCREASE THE HEIGHT OF AN EXSISTING FENCE OR MAKE A NEW FENCE. THE FISHING LINE CAN BE CONNECTED TO TREES AND SHRUBS. SOMETIMES I USE TWO ROWS OF FISHING LINE ONE 4 FT HIGH AND THE NEXT 6 FEET HIGH, THIS WILL CONFUSE THE DEER AS THEY CAN NOT SEE THE FISHING LINE AND GET TANGLED IN IT. I ALSO KEEP A PORTABLE RADIO, ON A TALK SHOW STATION, (NOT MUSIC) ALL NIGHT ,DEER DO NOT LIKE TO HEAR VOICES!
DEER RESISTANT PLANTS ARE A WHOLE NEW GARDENING CHALLENGE. PROTECTING YOUR GARDEN AND PLANTS FROM DEER IS A FULL TIME JOB. SOME PLANTS THAT I KNOW THAT ARE NOT EFFECTED BY DEER INCLUDE,GINGSING,PACASANDRA,NEPETA(CATNIP),PEONEYAND HELLABORES.THESE ARE PROVEN IN MY GARDEN TO BE DEER RESISTANT.I WILL ADD MORE PROVEN TIPS ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR GARDENS FROM DEER IN THE FUTURE. IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT HUNGRY DEER HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO EAT ANYTHING. SEE LIST BELOW...
CROWN IMPERIAL FRITILLARIA, IS A BULB THAT DEER WILL NOT EAT, AND THE SMELL OF THE BULB MUCH LIKE LIQUID FENCE WILL REPELL THE DEER.
Dr. Mark Bridgen Cornell University
Most articles that are written about plants that deer do not like to eat are entitled:"Deer Resistant Plants." That title seems inaccurate to me (although I use it on the attached table) because plants are not resistant to deer. When a deer chews on the leaves or flowers of a plant, the plants do not resist attack. That part of the plant will be damaged or destroyed. Luckily however, deer learn when a plant has an unpleasant flavor and will usually not return to that plant for a second course.
I am not only a professional horticulturist, but I am also an avid gardener who has lived in areas with strong deer pressure for more than 20 years. I can personally guarantee that the plants that are on the attached list have worked for me. That is the reason why I call the list: Dr. Bridgen's List of Deer Resistant Plants; if I put my name on something, I am putting my word behind it. There are probably more plants that should be on my list, but if I have not grown them in my Connecticut or eastern Long Island gardens, I have not listed them. I am writing this article because there are many inaccurate books and articles on line that list deer resistant plants that are just not resistant! Several of those articles list plants that I have seen devoured by deer many times.
Of course, as an academic, I want to be cautious and begin this article with a disclaimer. Although the plants on the attached table have been tried and true for me, there may be some parts of the country where deer are hungry enough to eat the plants. The number of deer in the United States has increased so dramatically in the past 15 years, that there may be some situations where the deer has to choose between starving and eating a distasteful plant. However, our house has 12 hungry deer who visit our small 1 acre woodland garden daily, and who constantly test our plants. I believe that our home garden is as close to a scientific control group as is possible because my wife (who is also a professional horticulturist and an avid gardener) and I have replicated plants several times. The tried-and-true plants are still standing and growing.
Deer are the number one problem for farmers and nurserymen on Long Island. The economic damage that is caused by deer is immeasurable. In addition, they damage home landscapes, cause increasing numbers of deer-related automobile accidents, and increase the incidence of diseases like Lyme disease. When they do not eat the plants outright, they may trample them or kill trees by girdling them when they rub their antlers against the trunk.
The only "guarantee" of zero damage from deer is a physical barrier such as an 8- foot fences or nets. Some of the spray-on deer repellents work very well and sometimes pet dogs can keep the deer away. Plant selection is only one way to protect the garden. Knowledge of deer habits can also be useful. Damage seems most prevalent in the spring when new plant growth is present and when new fawns are on the loose. The second time of year where they browse heavily is in the fall and early winter when males are claiming territory. If a repellant is used, these times of the year are critical for application. The use of a selection of different repellants on a rotating basis is helpful. In the winter, hungry deer will consume plants that they would not touch in the summer months when tastier alternatives are available.
The attached table of "Deer Resistant Plants" is listed by annuals, woody perennials, grasses, and herbaceous perennials. Although the list is not that long, remember that there are many cultivars of each of the species that offer a variety of novel colors, textures, shapes and sizes. There are only six grasses on the list, but I might go out on a limb and say that all ornamental grasses may be resistant to deer. Although we have not tried every species of grass, multiple comments from several other avid gardeners convince me that they may all be resistant. Also note that Nicotiana sylvestris is on the list. This species is totally resistant to deer, but I have not found this to be true for the shorter, garden varieties. Be sure to grow the correct plant!
I will continue to test other plants to determine if they are deer resistant. If you have a plant that you feel is truly resistant to deer attack, please send me an email and let me know. I will give it a try!
Dr. Bridgen's List of Deer Resistant Plants...
Genus I specific epithet Common Name Annual Asparagus springerii Asparagus fern Annual C/eome I hass/erana Spider Flower Annual Colocesie lescu/enta Taro; Elephant Ear Annual Datura Ispp. Angel's Trumpet Annual Lobu/aria maritima' Sweet Alyssum Annual Nicotiana I sy/vestris Tobacco Annual grass Pennisetum I setaceum 'Rubrum' Purple Fountain Grass Annual Senecio I cineraria Dusty Miller Genus I specific epithet Common Name Woody Perennial Berberis I thunbergii Japanese Barberry Woody Perennial Budd/eia davidii Butterfly Bush Woody Perennial Buxus microphylla Boxwood Woody Perennial Juniperus communis Common Juniper Woody Perennial Juniperus horizontalis Creeping Juniper Woody Perennial Juniperus . procumbens 'nana' Japanese Juniper Woody Perennial Leucothoe I fontanesiana Drooping Leucothoe Woody Perennial x Mahoberberis I Dart's Treasure' Woody Perennial Mahonia equitotium Oregon Grapeholly Woody Perennial Myrica !pennsylvanica Northern Bayberry Woody Perennial Osmanthus i heterophyllus variegatus Variegated False Holly Woody Perennial Paeonia I suffruticosa iTree Peony Woody Perennial Picea I abies I Norway Spruce Woody Perennial Picea Iglauca White Spruce Woody Perennial Picea IPungens glauca Colorado Blue Spruce Woody Perennial Picea spp. Spruce Woody Perennial Pieris Ijaponica Japanese Andromeda Woody Perennial Potentilla fruticosa Cinquefoil Woody Perennial Skimmia Ijaponica Skimmia Genus specific epithet Common Name Grass Hakonechloa . i macra 'Aureola' Golden Variegated Hakonechloa Grass Miscanthus sinensis Chinese Silver Grass Grass Panicum virgatum Switch Grass Grass Pennisetum alopecuroides Perennial Fountain Grass Grass Phalaris arundinacea picta Ribbon Grass Genus I specific epithet I Common Name Herbaceous Perennial Aconitum !napellus I Monkshood Herbaceous Perennial Aegopodium ipodagraria 'Variegatum' I Bishop's Goutweed Herbaceous Perennial Agastache I foeniculum [Aruse-Hyssop Herbaceous Perennial Allium i schoenoprasum ,Chives Herbaceous Perennial Allium 'tuberosum I Garlic Chives Herbaceous Perennial Amsonia i tabernaemontana I Blue Stars
