Spraying deterrents or repellents maybe your best hope, although deer fencing can be very effective to keep deer out of the garden altogether. Rabbits are another matter - since they are well able to dig to get to what they want, you need fencing that penetrates deep enough into the soil to keep them at bay.

There are various online references and lists of deer and rabbit resistant plants, typically those that have strong essentials oils that make them taste or smell bad. And a few that are overtly poisonous. But how heavily wildlife may graze your garden depends on what native vegetation is readily available and the pressure of competition from high popuations. Diets will differ regionally and IME, young deer will sample anything to see if it tastes good or not. They also like to test out everything new to a garden.

I don't have much of an issue with rabbits but deer are plentiful (an island and with no natural predators) and until I started spraying - I use Plantskydd - the deer would remove the flowers or flower buds off of just about everything that bloomed!

My biggest issue is I would prefer to not resort to spraying anything and because it's the front garden I don't want to muck up the look by having fencing around it. I also want to get in to weed and care for it easily so wouldn't fencing make that hard? Once they started eating I let the weeds run wild and it is way overgrown because I got sad and discouraged. :-( My plans in the future are putting an edible garden in the backyard and obviously I will fence that in!

If you don't spray or fence, you will have wildlife predation. It is one or the other, sorry.

For deterring rabbits and deer, some people recommend sprinkling the area with the urine from a male dog or human. Must be freshened after a rain, of course. Some say that sprinkling the plants with dog hair also works as a deterrent. I'd research and try to grow plants that repel them. Fencing against rabbits can be low -- I've started weaving a wattle fence from willow and it's very effective at keeping the rabbits out, but low enough for me to step over for access. I do get deer occasionally and they seem to prefer my cherries, pears, peaches, phlox just before it flowers, and one beautiful hosta called Dark Star. lol! I grow a lot of ornamentals, veggies, and fruit, and I'm happy to share with them.

Have found no positive effect from the male dog urine. And he pees liberally all around my garden :-) In fact, even his presence in the garden is no deterrent unless he chases them. And then they just stand at the edge of the greenbelt where he is not allowed to go and wait for him to move off somewhere else.

We also have a lot of coyotes as well and they do not seem to have any impact on the deer either. They are not very canine adverse :-)

So far, peonies and snapdragons have survived the multitudes of deer and rabbits that we have in our neighbourhood. Also, black and blue salvia (which the hummingbirds love) has not yet been eaten.
Good luck...

I too have had good luck with salvias - any salvias. But not with snapdragons. Those flowerheads must be super tasty! Lupines work well for me also.

Get in touch with your extension office. Ours has a list of deer resistant plants (that doesn't mean they won't give them a nibble).

Most of the better nurseries in our area label plants "deer resistant" and if it's a good nursery, they will know and help you out.

It depends on where you live on how deer resistant a plant is. If it is hungry it will eat almost anything. I'm semi rural and during the summer the deer stay in the fields and woods because they have a good food supply. And due to hunting the deer population is kept in check. Only in the winter do they venture into the yards looking for food. Now if you live in the suburbs your yard is their only food source and they will eat plants they normally would pass up.

One flower I know they really dislike is marigolds.

Sorry, we don't have a problem with rabbits. The one neighbor takes care of them.

I haven't had a chance to talk with anyone at a nursery but that is my plan once I have more time (yay school starting!) :)

We are more suburban so once I moved in I was surprised at how often they come around. I don't see them too often in the summer so I am not even certain that deer are what's eating my plants. Come to think of it, I think I may have other pests because I just started seeing too many holes in the lawn pop up and from my research I have done I'm thinking voles, but there are so many squirrels that would they be making those holes?? I have so many problems that I just don't know LOL

I found that the deer in my wooded area never touch lantana. Grows beautifully and needs no watering. Does need sun. Hummingbirds love it! Available in many colors

Talk to your neighbors and see what grows well in their yards that the deer don't eat.

Deer like to feed at night. So you are probably asleep when they are in your yard.

Add to above list, peonies, verbascums, and caryopteris. Spireas are shrubs, but there are several small ones that work well in small gardens.

Re the holes in your lawn, how big are they? In my experience, squirrels don't make holes in the lawn.... my only plant damage from them is things like fruit theft and snipping off my tulip buds. :p. I've never had voles, but from what I've read I think they eat the roots of plants, not top growth. Lots of smaller holes in the lawn, along with dirt piles and ridges, is usually caused by moles.... but they wouldn't be eating/damaging your plants as described. If the holes are large, the problem could be groundhogs -- but you'd likely see them around. My sister has the occasional groundhog wander into her veg gardens and they steal/eat everything.

eta, chipmunks will make holes in your lawn, but they don't do plant damage like you describe.