Best deer resistant or repellant plants?

[Stonehenge]

If one had a place where deer visited frequently, what are the best plant choices to repel them or at least not draw them in?

[CountyMaterials]

I don't know what plants repell, but I know one that attracts. I remember doing a job that had a planting bed with a forest behind it. We planted a few Purple Leaf Plums (don't know the scientific term for it) in the evening, came back the next morning and they had nothing left to them.

[Stonehenge]

Hmmm... These people have deer tame enough that you can watch them graze from about 50 feet away. Looks like dinner to me, but that's another topic...

I've heard Chives work well. Anyone corroborate that?

[dan deutekom]

I do know that deer love to eat the flowers off of tulips.
You might want to try this link on the web http://www.deerxlandscape.com/cgi-bin/webc.cgi/st_main.html?catid=9

[diginahole]

Yes, I have also heard that chives go well with venison. har har

Deer aren't a big problem in my neck of the woods but I hear they also love to eat hosta. My Aunt and Uncle live in an area with lots of deer and they just had a big hosta feast. Sorry I guess it may not help with a deer resistant choice but at least it does add another to exclude.

[Stonehenge]

Hrm.... I've also heard that they don't like Rudbeckia, and the beds we've already planted have a good deal of that.

[Lanelle]

The following perennials seem to survive pretty well based on a planting I did recently at a certain house with brazen deer. Yarrow, Threadleaf coreopsis, Peonies, Hypericum, Purple Coneflower, Lavender, Caryopteris. For shrubs, Pyracantha, Hollies with spiny leaves, Laurels (Prunus) seem to discourage foraging.

[diginahole]

Firethorn eeewww.

From the site Dan linked some of my faves are:

Alchemilla - love the water drops on the leaves
Daphne
Ferns
Sweet woodruff - be prepared it's quite vigorous
Helleborus
Sumac
Yucca - I prefer spanish bayonette

[PSUscaper]

Hello,

my area is deer central, so I've learned my lesson well.

Bottom line around here is........they eat everything!!! And I mean it.......I've seen Rosy Glow Barberry being nibbled on in this area. They are 100% ruthless.

As for safe bets........

perennials...

Lavender...........A awesome choice.....they hate the smell, and the taste.....last year I did a job and had 150 perennials dropped off. I piled them in the front yard and they sat there for about a week before I planted them. In the order, there were about 20 Lavenders.......the plants sat for about week, and not a single one was touched. When I started planting, it so happened I neeed the lavender first.......well, sure enough, the next day when I arrived, all 120 other plants were nibbled down to the dirt almost......and these were 3 gal perenials almost all a foot tall.

others........moonbeam coreopsis, salvia, coral bells

there really is a small list.....I've had them eat rudbeckia to the ground, eat sedum to the ground, eat shasta daisy to the ground, all of which supposely are 'deer proof'

as for shrubs, it becomes very frustrating. I swear, we are down to about 20 shrubs that we can safely plant anymore. If you want to have fun, try taking a client to a garden center and telling the client that bascially everything they see is going to be eaten.........and then take them to the juniper section and say....'here you go.....what ever ones you want'

safest bets are: barberry, cherry laurel, spireas, boxwood (the best), junipers (not uprights though), contoneaster, viburnum, burning bush, and anything that is over 6 ft tall (so the deer can't reach them!)

steve

[jwholden]

My go to phrase when discussing deer:

They will eat anything depending how hungry they are. NOTHING IS 100% safe, there are just different degrees of 'safety'.

[Lanelle]

Do any of the systemic deer repellants work well?

[PSUscaper]

I don't know what they use exactly, but we have a company that does nothing but spray deer repellent. They come about every 3 months to respray. From what I have heard, many people swear by it........at least those with the money to spray their entire yard 4 times a year for their rest of their life!

another thing I wanted to mention....

one lady I have done work for.......a complete, insane gardener, has gone so far as having a entire field of lavender on her property........I mean a 200 by 100' field of nothing but.........just to try and keep deer away....its actually quite cool, because when there's a breeze, you can smell lavender all over the property.

Bottom line though, the best, and only real solution to deer is fencing. The only thing I've seen that is basically 100%. I can drive you through neighborhoods where all you see is miles and miles of that 8 ft tall plastic deer fencing along property lines, and off course, a cattle crossing or gate at every drive.

steve

[ChestnutHillRd]

Deer are a real problem here in rural CT as well. I agree that they will eat everything, nothing is 100%. It all depends on the availability of other food, the deer population level, etc.

We've spent years trying to solve the problem and have tried most of the repellants. What we are using now, and it is working surprisingly well is a product call "Deer Solution". Don't know what is in it but it smells peppery, sort of like those little canddies we call "red hots" as kids. Malorganite (a bi-product of Milwaukee waste treatment) is a natural fertilizer that also seems to repel deer.

On plants that repel deer, I don't know of any. In addition to what is already listed, we've had success with heaths and heathers, ink berry and any any plant with a fuzzy leaf. Protecting stock staight from the nursery until t hardens off and get a bit leathery helps, as well. Deer will browse just about anything that is green and tender.

Avoid yew: its like candy to a deer, they love it.

[jwholden]

ChestnutHillRd

I'm sure there is more than one Chestnut Hill Road in the state but I swear there is one in Newtown. Are you from those parts?

[Nek]

An old timer from Southport clued me in on this deer repellant. Get a 5 gallon pail of milorganite (already mentioned I think) and put it outside near the beds. Let it get rained on, moldy, etc.etc. Add more to bucket as needed. Tried it on a clients of mine in a high deer traffic area....it worked. Doesnt smell too bad to humans, unless you stick you nose in there. After all, it is waste.:woot:

[trees]

Here's the best rule of thumb for what deer will eat last...

Ornamental grasses or any plant that has fragrant foliage (i.e. herbs, Illicium spp., etc.)

Don't count on thorns deterring the buggers, they will destroy barberry, roses and I've even seen them pick 'Dragon Lady' Holly clean... ouch!!!

[GLAN]

Milorganite has been mentioned.........Now I am throwing a thought to the wind here.......but.....What about dog waste thrown at the perimeter....If dog waste why not human waste?

If you are that rural an area

[treedoc1]

I've lived in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Deer Central. All places have herds even in the daylight while we are on the job site. Along with the other suggestions from others, I have found these are deer resistant.

Aucuba
William Penn and julianne barberry
Mahonia beali and aquifolium
All boxwoods. Use wintergreen as a jap holly compacta replacement, green mountain as a steeds replacement, green velvet as a helleri replacement
Otto luyken and skips cherry laurel. Skiplaurel as the arborvitae replacement.
carex instead of liriope and other grasses
Pieris of all varieties
kalmia
American holly (opaca)
Nandina
They seem to leave the viburnums alone.

Good Luck

[PSUscaper]

One of the biggest problems with deer around here is that most of the deer resistant plants don't make very nice foundation plantings.

Besides boxwoods, globe spruces, jap maples, and a few others, I find many of the deer resistant plants unsuitable for foundation plantings......

the fact is, most deer resistant plants are natives. They belong in the woods, not in front of a house. I'm not a big fan of perennials in foundations as they are seasonal. No winter interest, and if they aren't maintained right, they look messy.

Plants that deer don't eat just don't look right in front of a Mcmansion. It is just becoming so difficult to not do the same exact design in front of every house for this reason.....boxwoods, a globe spruce, a jap maple, and junipers. Plant selection for a foundation planting is just so limited these days.

[MarkH]

Just flipping through a mag. today and saw an article about your very question. There is a book out called Deer proofing your yard and garden. It gave an web site to order. www.storey.com From what the review shows, it has ideas outside of just changing plants. Thought it could help.

[dsamuelson]

Deer dont seem to bother pieris japonica,pottentilla,daffodils, and most spirea seem to outgrow brousing if any.