I planted one of my phlox paniculata "volunteers" out in my garden to see if the deer would eat it. I planted it between large rosemary, echinops, salvia greggi, spirea and coneflowers. In other words, buried in the middle of a lot of plants that aren't at the top of the deer menu. I was operating on the theory that deer are basically lazy. So far, it has bloomed without a single nibble. That said, if more exposed, it would absolutely be eaten! I was just playing around with my free plant. I know what you mean about wanting large blooms like phlox in the garden. In this photo, the carmine blooms below the coneflowers are spirea 'Neon Flash'. It is a small deciduous shrub that likes full sun. It blooms larger than this in June, I shear off the spent blooms with a hedgetrimmer, then it blooms again in late July/early August. My phlox 'Robert Poore' is just above this group in my garden. To the left of the coneflowers is salvia greggi 'Wild Thing'; behind is a buddleia; right side are agastache 'Blue Fortune', although I like agastache 'Salmon and Pink' better. The yellow blooms just to the right are rocket yellow snapdragons (annuals that overwintered here) coming into a 2nd bloom. This is the grouping on the other side of the phlox. If you look carefully to the right side, you can see my little phlox starting to bloom. That's crape myrtle 'White Chocolate' behind it. I've repeated the rosemary (now pulled and replaced by agastache 'Salmon and Pink'), the salvia, a culinary sage, echinops ritro. There's a large lavender up to the right of the myrtle. There's also a pink muhly behind the myrtle (this is a slope). On the left of the echinops, there's newly planted lavender. Blooms that are gone now from this group are rose campion. By the way, at the top is a 2 acre meadow where deer sleep every night! If you can grow lantana in your zone, 'Ham and Eggs' is a variety that works well in the perennial garden. It is supposed to be only 2 feet high, but mine are now over 4 feet in height and width, having overwintered since 2006. Even in my deer resistant garden, the deer will sample a few things, especially along the paths and newly planted perennials. However, 99.9% of my garden is left alone. When I went out this morning, two fawns were at the upper edge of the garden. The herd sleeps in our meadow a few feet above the edge. My husband said that our greyhound has to weave her way through sleeping deer to do her business at night! The deer don't even bother to get up and run! I updated my blog last Saturday with a lot of this information. I go to great lengths to experiment with deer resistant perennials and shrubs. However, your deer may have different preferences, so there are no guarantees. There's a lot of trial-and-error. I hope this is helpful. Cameron Here is a link that might be useful: deer traffic control in my garden

You need to check with your neighbors too! Deer appetites vary greatly from one area to the next, and on how many there are! Unlike at birdgardner's current house, my deer eat: peonies, columbines, hellebores, yuccas, ferns, cranberry bush (Viburnum trilobum) and English/Boston ivy. They'll nibble at Aruncus (goatsbeard), sample astilbe (I'm waiting for another round of browsing), coneflower (Echinacea), and have taste tested young poppies. They do seem to ignore foxgloves(Digitalis), most of the sages, thistle (Echinops), myrtle (Vinca minor), and Virginia bluebells. I do get some additional (collateral damage?) from groundhogs(woodchucks) which seem to savor Liatris, gaillardia, echinacea, and cyclamens (although I may be mistaken about the vandal involved). Fencing helps, but isn't always feasible/practicable/possible. Deer can jump over an 8' fence, g'hogs can tunnel under it (or climb over a 5' fence) if they are hungry enough.

There are loads of sites on deer resistant plantings ( you can google around to find many) I'd try the local extension service. Our Va. Master Gardeners have compiled a wonderful list for our area...not sure if it's on the web. Or a local Landscape and Nurseryman's Association. A good garden center, landscape contactor or landscape designer might be a resource. Keep in mind that if deer are hungry enough they will eat almost anything. In our area the best plants are boxwoods, junipers, nandina, hollies (generally). Avoid azaleas, daylilies, hostas and impatiens. Good Luck!

As evidence of deer intelligence. We hunted a ranch near San Saba where about 50 acres surrounding ranchers home was off limits. Deer only stared at us while in that pasture but not so if in the war zone. The lady put a cowbell on a buck which she had special attachment. Eventhough he would have been spared (unless hunter didn't believe what rancher said) ,we never once heard his bell outside that small pasture during season,,,,,except during rut. Can you imagine the campfire stories regarding what does thought about a lovesick buck with a bell on his neck? Come and get it was never mentioned.