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Plants for Difficult Places

The latest on my deer resistant garden

15 years ago

I just posted the lates update on my deer resistant experience in the flower garden. I've had a problem with fawns testing all kinds of "deer resistant" blooms this year. Most notably is geranium 'Rozanne'.

Hope this helps.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Gardening Challenge: Deer resistant or NOT?

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Comments (5)

claymama45
15 years ago
I plant marigolds about 2 feet apart, deer hate them.
Have had no problems. We have a lot of deer in yard everyday. No garden plants eaten. (Michigan)
chester_grant
15 years ago
Ornamental grasses are a good alternative to flowers - which lets face it are just very expensive deer food..........
Related Discussions
Look what the deer are eating in my garden :(
Q
Comments (4)
Deer really do develop different tastes based upon the doe matriarch of the herds. I've had rudbeckia sampled a bit by either deer, rabbits or both. I put up a 32" high wire edging fence around those until they get big. My geranium 'Rozanne' were sampled once when first planted this spring, but just a few blooms. The deer have been going through my garden a lot but haven't taken a second helping of those. What salvia are you growing? Could it be May Night? Rabbits have been reported to be nibbling May Night. I have greggii, ulignosia, rose queen, black and blue...no nibbling at all. I'm thinking that rabbits may be nibbling my caradonna salvia. Euphorbia is really toxic (I thought). This really surprises me. The deer must really be desperate for food in your area. A few little blooms on my perennial ageratum (eupatorium) have been sampled, but it wasn't liked by whatever tried it. I have a big garden out in the open and I don't use any deer repellants. I have an indoor dog (greyhound) who doesn't even bark at the deer. The deer just amble out of the way when we go outside! We have a very large herd of 20+ deer with at least 3 new fawns every year since we've been here. If you look at the lower left, you can see the edging fence around my rudbeckia (not yet in bloom). I'm really sorry that you're having this trouble. It is unfortunately, a lot of trial and error. However, replacing a few plants to keep working through to get something you can safely grow will be (in the long run) a lot less cheaper and less frustrating than paying for expensive deer repellants...over and over again. I tried that at a previous house and for the money spent, I could have planted an entire new garden several times over. I empathize with you. I am determined and it is my goal to have a beautiful garden among (in spite of) deer. Cameron (in North Carolina) and my Deer... Here is a link that might be useful: my gardening blog
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My latest garden visitors
Q
Comments (10)
Lol! I guess I should have said "social" instead of calm. They are a rather friendly duck but they like to wander as they have the wild background of the Mallard. Of course those two could be crosses. Khakis are typical clowns of the duck world but they are not real good at staying home and sitting eggs. They are also known as the "talkers". If they can get out, they will probably be back, especially if they find your garden particularly tastey. :) Someone is probably looking for them. Ginny
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The deer found my garden :(
Q
Comments (19)
I garden in deer country and I make a serious effort to grow almost nothing that is really appealing to them--no hostas, only 6 day lilies, no yews, only two hydrangeas. in the shade garden, where they tend to enter the yard, the only appealing plant is Solomon's seal (which they sometimes destroy) and Begonia grandis, which I keep sprayed. Other shade plants include Brunnera, Pulmonaria, Epimediums, ferns, primroses, Actea, Geranium macrorrhizum, etc. Ini the large sunny beds, plants are also highly deer resistant--Agastaches of many types, Salvias, Coreopsis, Irises, Pardancanda, Nepetas, Achilleas, peonies, etc. I feel that if you garden in deer country, there is very little point in planting a free lunch for deer when there are many alternatives.
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Deer getting into my perennials, evergreens and vegetable garden.
Q
Comments (7)
I live with HERDS of deer here in NJ/Zone 7 and we are about 15 minutes from NYC, so they are quite a "successful" species these White Tails!. It is a learning process this coexistence. Actually, at the risk of getting death threats, I will say that we love our deer (they help in our tolerance for humans). Over the years, you learn what they will not eat (unless starving to death). It is somewhat complicated as it depends on the severity of the winter, snow cover, relative abundance of evergreen foliage, etc.... I refuse to use the stinky sprays. I only grow highly deer resistant trees and shrubs. My neighbors end up feeding them by planting a veritable, deer, salad buffet anyway. Veggies, I mostly do not grow, I have even seen them munching on CHILI peppers! They do HATE most aromatics, so I am big on HERBS (Rosemary, Lavender, Oregano, Thyme, Bay Laurel, sage, etc.). They HATE Christmas Rose, Lilacs, figs, peony, bleeding heart, FERNS, ornamental grasses, bamboos, yuccas, St. John's Wort, BOXWOODS, columbines, rhododendrons, cherry laurel, holly is usually safe, Refer to local deer resistant, cold hardy plant lists. (Deer tastes vary depending on location.) And they WILL eat almost anything if the Winter is bad enough. I have seen them eating Southern Magnolia leaves (about like eating your boots) in the dead of Winter, but mysteriously, they never touch my Camellias (and they are in the TEA family..., so edible). Tomorrow, is dedicated to yard work so I will try to add to my list.
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MissMyGardens
15 years ago
Between deer, rabbits and groundhogs it's getting pretty difficult to keep most things growing here.

I've already got my arsenal of seeds for winter sowing but know a lot of it will be eaten to the ground.

Cameron, you have some of the most integrated, well planned and beautiful gardens I've ever seen.

Claymama, I planted Marigolds after reading rabbits didn't like them. They devoured them. Only planted them because my father likes them but they're now relegated to the deck which has ugly chicken wire barrier on stairs to keep groundhogs from eating what's on said deck.

Deer walking nightly through newly laid top soil in two beds raised for better drainage and are compacting the heck out of them while they nibble on fall planted perennials staged to be filled in with spring planted things. Can't deer fence every bed at or visible from the residential street as it begins to look like an armed camp...LOL. The beds in back where I have fenced aren't doing the job for some critter that is still eating whatever foliage is left on Echinops Ritro.

Cameron, keep posting those pictures. I can always live vicariously...my dream gardening experience.
DYH
Original Author
15 years ago
Newbie,

I'm sorry that it took me so long to get back to this forum. Thanks for the compliments.

Gardening with deer is a challenge. Also, as you are finding, what the deer don't eat, the rabbits might.

The foliage on my echinops has been nibbled, too. I'm not too worried about it for next summer.

Right now, I have placed a wimpy 32" high wire edging fence around the edges of the garden just to keep the deer from walking through there this winter and trampling things. There's nothing for them to eat, but they still like to shop!

I write a blog post everyday (during winter when I'm not gardening). I always try to include information about the plants being deer resistant/rabbit resistant or not.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Defining Your Home Garden (my blog)
petzold6596
15 years ago
Marigolds are not all alike in their ability to control deer/rabbit foraging. The old/original varieties do the trick not all these hybrids. The oldies are not as pretty as the hybrids but beauty is not the desired characteristic you want.

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