Deer Resistant Plants?

[cococrab]

A young deer has been feasting on my neighbor's Heuchera plants. I'm afraid it might eat my lilies and iris too. Are there plants that are deer resistant?

[honeylemon]

Deer would probably eat anything specially when they're hungry. Here are some plants I know are deer resistant: Canna, Siberian, lilies, impatiens and iris. You got luck there, I hope.

[fireflies]

To keep deer out of your garden, hang bars of heavily scented soap around the perimeter of the garden. Deers do not like the smell and will not go past it.

[starcandy]

Putting a fence around your plants is probably the best bet, but isn't a favorite option among gardeners. You can try avoiding plants that attract deer. Among these include: berries, roses, tulips and chrysanthemum for flowers, broccoli, lettuce, peas and strawberry for fruits and veggies.

Other means you can try is spreading some foul smelling deterrents around the plants. Try making a mixture of garlic, chili peppers and blood meal and spray it on the foliage. You can also make a barrier of human hair (the smell throws them off), decaying fishheads or mothballs. Not exactly a pleasant option.

Lastly, you can plant plants that deer don't like. Plants that are poisonous, spiny/thorny or have a bitter taste are ones that deer try to avoid. Some of these are acaia, bamboo, box elder, cedar, cypress, holly, lila, mountain laurel and pomegranate.

[cosmic_girl]

I got this list of hardy plants that are natural deer repellents from the BHG site.

Deer often steer clear of plants that are poisonous, fuzzy, coarse, spiny, bitter, or very aromatic. But if deer are unclear about liking something, they'll try it, so even things they don't like aren't always safe for you to plant! For starters, arm your yard with plants like these:

Shrubs/Trees

Abelia, Acacia, Albizia, Ash, Australian fuchsia (Correa), Bamboo, Barberry (Berberis), Black locust, Bottlebrush (Callistemon), Box elder (Acer negundo), Boxwood, Butterfly bush (Buddleia), Cedar, Cotoneaster, Currant (Ribes), Cypress, Daphne, Elaeagnus, Eucalyptus, Euonymus (except E. alata and E. fortunei), False cypress, Fig, Fir (except balsam, Fraser), Flowering quince, Ginkgo biloba, Hackberry, Hawthorn (Crataegus), Heath, Heavenly bamboo, Holly (except smooth-leaf types), Japanese maple, Kerria japonica, Lantana, Lilac, Magnolia, Mahonia, Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), Oak, Olive, Palms, Pieris japonica, Pine, Podocarpus, Pomegranate, Smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria), Spiraea, Spruce, Sugar bush (Rhus ovata), Sumac, Tamarisk, Tea tree (Leptospermum), Viburnum, Yucca

Garden Plants

Agave, Aster, Astilbe, Buttercup (Ranunculus), Campanula, Catnip (Nepeta), Centaurea, Crocus, Cyclamen, Daffodil (Narcissus), Dahlia, Ferns, Forget-me-not, Freesia, Gloriosa daisy (Rudbeckia), Grevillea, Honeybush (Melianthus), Iris, Lamb's ears (Stachys), Lavender, Lupine (Lupinus), Mint (Mentha), Moss pink (Phlox subulata), Oleander (Nerium), Onions chives (Allium), Pennisetum, Penstemon, Potentilla, Pumpkin, Rhubarb, Rock rose (Cistus), Rosemary, St.-John's-wort, Salvia, Sassafras, Scotch heather, Sea lavender, (Limonium), Sedge (Carex), Snapdragon, Thrift (Armeria), Thyme, Tuberous begonia, Verbena, Veronica, Viola odorata, Yarrow (Achillea)

Groundcovers

Ajuga, Bittersweet (Celastrus scadens), Bougainvillea, Jasmine, Lantana montevidensis, Lonicera japonica, Morning-glory, Pachysandra terminalis, Potato vine (Solanum jasminoides), Wisteria

Roses

Roses aren't hopeless, even though deer munch most like candy. You have a chance with Rosa rugosa, R. sericea, R. soulieana, R. spinosissima. And varieties such as these:

'Agnes,' 'Alfred de Dalmas,' 'Baronne Prevost,' 'Common Moss,' 'Crested Moss,' 'Delicata,' Fisherman's Friend,' 'General Kleber,' 'Hansa,' 'Harrison's Yellow,' 'Henri Martin,' 'Louis Gimard,' 'Maiden's Blush,' 'Penelope,' 'Robusta,' 'Scabrosa,' 'Topaz Jewel,' 'William Lobb'

That's quite a lot. Hope it helps!

[sakura]

I've read that deers dislike certain type of plants depending on the area. If food is scarce for the deer, they often end up eating even the plants that are said to be the ones they don't like.

If the plant method still doesn't work, try making this mixture, as they detest the rotten egg smell. Mix five eggs with five quarts of water and spray on the plants.

What methods has your neighbor tried to get rid of the deer? If it's effective, you might want to try it too so that it won't go coming to your garden after its left your neighbor's.

[farmerpiper]

plants that will help to deter deer invasion: yarrow, foxglove, artemisia, astilbe, thyme, iris, oriental poppy, daffodil, lamb's ear, shasta daisy, bleeding heart, dead nettle, and gloriosa daisy

[wrigglerman]

I got this Scarecrow Sprinkler System which will sense the presence of intruding animals and spray them. It gives me a peace of mind and I can sleep and not worry about deer or other animals feasting on my vegetables and flowers.

[rosiethumb]

I use SURE FIRE ANIMAL REPELLENT which repels deer with a non-harmful but effective odor. It can last up to 90 days. And so far I haven't met any problems with deers again.

[garden ann]

Deer Fence Deer Fencing Deer Repellents at DeerBusters.com

Try this link. You don't need to buy. Just browse through the many products they have here deer-proof your garden.

[TZ-OH5]

I have lots of deer, the other night thay ate tomato plants that someone had urinated on just before dark (the plants are in a deer-deterent test area, not a food garden), so human scent is not a sure fire deterent. The one type of plant that they have totally ignored are the nausturtiums, everything else that was interplanted with them are gone (strawberries, sunflowers, cosmos, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers).

[cococrab]

Originally Posted by rosiethumb

I use SURE FIRE ANIMAL REPELLENT which repels deer with a non-harmful but effective odor. It can last up to 90 days. And so far I haven't met any problems with deers again.

Where did you buy it? and how much? TIA

[arianne]

I've got some shrubs that are among the list of good deer deterrents, along with some buttercup, crocus, dahlia and lavender. I'm thinking of planting some thorny shrubs to help deter deer. Hope it'll work.

[John S.]

there are "deer-resistant plants" but there are "no deer-proof plants"

This link contains information of

I. How a deer resistant garden can be created

II. A Comprehensive list of plants which are highly palatable and resistant to
deers.
www.npsot.org/plant.../deer_resistant.html

[mistermaster]

Originally Posted by John S.

there are "deer-resistant plants" but there are "no deer-proof plants"

I completely agree with you John S. on "NO DEER-PROOF PLANTS"

Planting deer-resistant plants is not always a guarantee that your garden will be "no entry" for deers because when there is scarcity of food, deers have been observed to eat plants which they usually ignore when there is abundant food around.

[cosmic_girl]

Originally Posted by sakura

I've read that deers dislike certain type of plants depending on the area. If food is scarce for the deer, they often end up eating even the plants that are said to be the ones they don't like.

Originally Posted by mistermaster

I completely agree with you John S. on "NO DEER-PROOF PLANTS"

Planting deer-resistant plants is not always a guarantee that your garden will be "no entry" for deers because when there is scarcity of food, deers have been observed to eat plants which they usually ignore when there is abundant food around.

Twice mentioned already. I'd like to add my agreement to this, as I saw this happen myself. I was visiting my relatives in another state last week and my cousin planted foxglove, thyme and iris to ward off deer, but they were eaten too!

[george]

I'd recommend row covers or mesh screens on the plants you want to protect:

More deer damage

If you can make your garden feel like a trap (by designing narrowing hedges or placing strange, unnatural objects like metal wind chimes and sprinkler heads) that will make the deer wary. But, if they get hungry enough they'll probably eat anything.

Another option you could try is planting sacrificial plants. If hungry deer show up, you want them to fill up on the plants that you don't care about. If you plant sacrificial plants in certain patterns, you can even lead deer away from your garden.

The Seattle Times has an interesting article about different strategies:
Pacific NW | What to do about deer that would devour your plants | Seattle Times Newspaper

[farmerbrie]

Deers never touch ornamental grasses.

They also keep away from plants with strong fragrance such as sage, lemon, balm, monarda (bee balm), russian sage, etc.

plants with thorns or prickles: cleome, bargeery, and purple coneflower

AN EXCEPTION: roses

[lil gardner]

Hi,
I'm new to the forum but I've been reading through the posts.

Just a note on the deer deterrent. I notice some posts included cedar as a plant deer will not eat. Pleas Please PLEASE do not use this as a deer deterrent. I live in prime deer country and you can always tell where deer are found by the stripped cedar trees/shrubs around. They love the stuff!