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As the sun goes down the deer come out, roam the night and browse on delicious well maintained plants in your yard. They seem to particularly like the lush growth in suburban gardens. They are creatures of habit and have developed familiar trails they like to roam, revisiting them each night. When food gets scarce they will venture out into more unfamiliar territory. Blocking their entry or changing their course can greatly reduce the numbers that visit your property. The best solution for controlling deer is to fence in your area. Deer can easily jump any fence below 8 feet and 8 foot fences surrounding your property with huge gates can be ugly, impractical, very costly and may not be allowed by your local code. I have spent a lot of time designing gardens in deer country and my favorite solution is a very simple one. Fence in your back yard with a 6 foot fence. This allows you to have a safe back yard for children to play and dogs to roam, and meets most local codes. Plant hedges on the inner side of your fence for screening and privacy. Once these hedges reach 8 feet or higher, deer will not be able to jump the fence. Keeping deer out of your back yard and play areas reduces the potential for deer tick and Lyme Disease and allows you to plant anything you want. Plant deer resistant plants in the front of your house and use deer repellents to further encourage deer to stay away. Another trick I have used particularly in shady areas, is to plant native Rhododendron with Andromedas or Boxwood in the foreground. Deer will eat Rhododendron but can only reach to a certain height. Above that height native Rhododendron forms a good screen. Deer do not eat Boxwood and rarely eat Pieris japonica (Andromedas). The same principle can be followed in the foundation plantings. Use plants for height and contrast that deer do eat mixed with plants in the foreground that they do not like to eat. Fertilize your plants with Milorganite which acts not only as a good fertilizer but as a deer repellent. The aromatic smell of certain Herbs such as Basil, Lavender and Thyme keep deer away from an area. Deer do not like fuzzy foliage or prickly plants, but they do eat the soft flowers off the tops of a rose bush. Blue does not seem to be their favorite color. Large dogs that love to live on the outside can provide good deer control. Each situation in areas where deer exist is different; and you need to watch the browsing pattern for your particular home as there are many variables. Educate yourself as much as possible regarding your choices. Through trial, error and diligence you will be able to come up with a plan to combat the deer. A customer told me that she planted Taxus to the right and left of her property. Deer love Taxus and they eat them leaving other plants in her garden alone. In some cases this may act as an attractant rather than a repellent and thus will not work. So each person needs to find his or her own way. There are some good books like Gardening in Deer Country or Flowerbeds and Borders in Deer Country, that explore the problem in greater depth. There are also pamphlets put out by various agricultural universities that offer some good advice. I will give you my lists of deer resistant plants. My lists are compiled from personal experience and published data. They have been compiled and refined throughout the years. All plants do not always work and some plants work better than others. There is tremendous variability even within the plants that deer do not like, for when food gets scarce they will eat to survive. I had Rolf Svensson, a landscape architect who grew up in deer country and has professionally worked with many clients solving deer problems, rate the evergreen and woody plants for me. He rated them on a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being the best. The ones that do not have any rating are ones he has not had enough experience with to rate. On perennials and annuals I have come up with my top 25 list. The star * behind the plant means it is on my top 25 list. I hope this will help you with choices on this very difficult science. I prefer using deer resistant plants along with deer repellents for maximum control. Since most deer resistant plants affect taste, also use deer repellents that affect smell. If you affect two or more senses of the deer you get better control . If a deer does not like the taste and does not like the smell, he figures this is not a great place to hang out. Deer repellents keep changing. Be diligent and change your 'taste products' so deer don't become used to the taste. Discourage them away from your property with the hopes that they will find a different route. Again through educated choices, trial, error and diligence you will eventually achieve success. Don't let a pretty little deer outsmart you. Deer Resistant Shrubs Abelia x grandiflora (Glossy Abelia) Berberis thunbergii (Japanese Barberry) * 8 Buddleia thunbergia (Butterfly Bush) * 9 Calycanthus floridus (Commom Sweetbush) 7 Caryopteris x clandonensis (Bluebeard) 9 Cornus sericea (Red Osier Dogwood) 3 Deutzia gracilis (Slender Deutzia) 8 Eleagnus angustifolia (Russian Olive) * 9 Enkianthus campanulatus (Redvein Enkianthus) 4 Forsythia x intermedia (Forsythia) 5 Fothergilla gardenii (Dwarf Fothergilla) Hamamelis x intermedia (Hybrid Witch Hazel) 5 Kerria japonica (Japanese Kerria) 8 Kolkwitzia amabilis (Beautybush) 8 Potentilla fruiticosa (Bush Cinquefoil) 9 Spirea sp (Spirea) 9 Symphoricarpus albus (Snowberry) Syringa vulgaris (Common Lilac) 7 Viburnum sieboldii (Siebold Viburnum) 9 Weigela florida (Old Fashioned Weigela) 4 Deer Resistant Evergreens Aucuba japonica (Golddust Plant) * 5 Berberis x gladwynensis ('William Penn' Barberry) 7 Buxus sempervirens (Common Boxwood) 10 Buxus microphylla (Little Leaf Boxwood) 10 Cedrus atlantica (Blue Atlas Cedar) * 8 Cedrus deodora (Deodora) 8 Chamaecyparis obtusa (Hinoki Cypress) 5 Cryptomeria japonica (Cryptomeria) 8 Cupressocyparis leylandii (Leyland Cypress) 6 Cotoneaster dammeri (Beaerberry Cotoneaster) 6 Ilex aquifolium (English Holly) 6 Ilex aquipernyi (Dragon Lady, San Jose) 7 Ilex x Nellie Stevens (Nellie Stevens) 5 Ilex Opaca (American Holly) * 9 Ilex glabra (Inkberry) * 7 Juniperus chinensis (Chinese Juniper) 6 Kalmia latifolia (Mountain Laurel) 4 Leucothoe fontanesiana ('Girards' Rainbow Leucothoe) 6 Magnolia grandiflora (Southern Magnolia) 8 Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape Holly) 5 Microbiota (Siberian Carpet) 7 Myrica pennsylvanica (Bayberry) 9 Phyllostachus (Bamboo) 9 Picea abies (Norway Spruce) * 9 Picea glauca (Dwarf Alberta Spruce) 9 Picea Pungens (Blue Spruce) * 9 Pinus nigra (Austrian Pine) 7 Pinus thunbergiana (Japanese Black Pine) 9 Pieris japonica (Andromeda) * 9 Pinus mugho (Mugho Pine) 6 Pyricantha coccinea (Firethorn) 6 Prunus laurocerasus (English & Skip laurel) 6 Rhodendron 'P.J.M' (P.J.M Rhododendron) 6 Skimmia japonica (Japanese Skimmia) 6 Viburnum rhytidophyllum 'Alleghany' (Leatherleaf Viburnum) 7 Deer Resistant Trees: Any flowering or shade tree if the branches are kept above where deer can not browse on will work. In Deer Country buy large size trees and prune them up above browsing level. If not choose from the list below. Acer negundo (Boxelder) Betula nigra (River Birch) Carpinus betulus (European Hornbeam) Catalpa speciosa (Catalpa tree) Cercidiphyllum japonicum (Katsura Tree) Chionanthus virginicus (White Fringetree) Cornus Kousa (Kousa Dogwood) 5 Cotinus coggygria (.Smoke Tree) Crataegus oxycanthus (English Hawthorne) Fagus sylvatica (Copper Beech) Ginko biloba (Ginko Tree) Gleditsia tricanthus (Honey Locust) Halesia carolina (Silverbell) Laburnum anagroides (Golden Chain Tree) Liquidambar straciflua (Sweet Gum) Magnolia all varieties (Magnolia) Oxydendron arboreum (Sorrel Tree) Salix matsudana (Corkscrew Willow) Deer Resistant Perennials: Plants with a * are my selection for my top twenty five list. In order to make this list these are perennials that have good deer resistance but also must be an outstanding perennial) Achillea species (Yarrow) Aconitum napellus (Monkshood) * Agastache (Hyssop) Allium species (Ornamental Chives) Amsonia tabernaemontana (Eastern Blue Star) Anemone species (Japanese anemone) Aquilegia canadensis (Columbine) * Anthemis tinctorea (Golden Marguerite) Arabis (Rock Cress) * Armeria maritima (Sea Thrift) Asarum europaeum (European Wild Ginger) * Arisaema triphyllum Artemisia species (Wormwood) * Aruncus dioicus (Goat's Beard) Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed) Astilbe species (Spirea) * Aubretia deltoides (Purple Rock Cress) Aurinia saxatilis (Basket of Gold) Baptisia species (Wild Blue Indigo) Bergenia species (Bergenia) * Boltonia asteroides (Boltonia) Calluna species (Heather) Camassia (Camassia) Campanula sp (Bellflower) Carex (Sedge [grass like plants]) * Centaurea (Cornflower) Cerastium (Snow in Summer) Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian) Ceratostigma plumbaginoides (Leadwort) Chelone species (Pink Turtle Head) Chrysanthemum occineum Chrysanthemum x superbum Chrysanthemum parthenium (Feverfew, Tansy) * Chrysanthemum nipponicum (Montauk Daisy) Chrysanthemum (Mum) Cimicifuga racemosa (Snakeroot) Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) Coreopsis species (Tickseed) * Corydalis lutea (Fumewort) * Delphinium (Delphinium) Dianthus species (Dianthus) Dicentra exima, spectabilis (Bleeding Heart) * Dictamnus albus (White gas plant) Digitalis grandiflora, purpurea (Foxglove) * Echinacea purpurea (Purple Coneflower) * Echinops species (Globe Thistle) Erica species (Heath) Eupatorium species (Hardy Ageratum) Euphorbia species (Spurge, Milkwort) Eryngium (Sea Holly) Filipendula species (Meadowsweet) Ferns (Ferns) * Gaillardia (Gaillardia) Geum species (Geum) * Geranium (Cranesbill) * Grasses (Ornamental Grasses) * Gypsophila paniculata (Baby's Breath) Helenium (Helen's flower) * Helleborus species (Lenten Rose) * Heuchera (Coral bells) Hesperis Matronalis (Dames Rocket) Hibiscus moscheutos (Rose Mallow) Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft) Iris ensata (Japanese Iris) Iris siberica (Siberian Iris) Lavandula species (Lavender) * Lamium (Dead Nettles) Liatrus sp. (Gayfeather) Lilium lancifolium (Lily) Linaria species Linum perenne (Perennial Flax) Lupinus species (Lupine) Lychnis (Maltese Cross) Lysimachia clethroides (Japanese Loosestrife) Lythrum (Purple Loosestrife) Macleaya. cordata (Plume Poppy) Mentha (Mint) Melissa (Lemon Balm) Monarda didyma (Beebalm) * Myosotis (Forget-Me-Not) Nepeta species (Catmint) * Oenethera species (Evening Primrose) Paeonia sp & Hybrids (Peony) * Papaver orientalis (Oriental Poppy) Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) * Physostegia virginiana (Obedient plant) Platycodon grandiflora (Balloon Flower) Polemonium grandiflora (Jacobs Ladder) Polygonatum sp (Solomon's Seal) Primula species (Primrose) Pulmonaria species (Jacobs Ladder) Salvia species (Perennial Salvia) * Santolina chamaecyparissus (Lavender Cotton) Saponaria ocymoides (Rock Soapwort) Scabiosa caucasia (Pincushion flower) Sedum sp creeping type (Sedum) Sempervivum spp (spiny Hens and Chicks) Senecio (Golden Ragwort) Solidago species and hybrids (Goldenrod) Stachys byzantina (Lambs ear) Teucrium (Germander) Thalictrum flavum (Meadow-Rue) Thermopsis caroliniana (False Lupine) Thymus spp (Thyme) Tiarella cordifolia (Foamflower) * Trillium undulatum (Painted Trillium) * Verbascum species (Mullein) Veronica species (Speedwell) Viola labridoria (Violets & Johnny Jump-ups) Yucca filamentosa (Yucca) Deer Resistant Annuals: Items with a * made my top 25 list. They were evaluated not only for their Deer resistance but for their overall ornamental value. Ageratum (Ageratum) * Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile) Alternanthera (Joseph Coat) Angelonia (Angelonia) * Antirrhinum majus (Snapdragon) * Begonia semperflorens (Wax Begonia) * Begonia tuberhybrida (Tuberous Begonia) Bidens (Bidens) * Brachycome (Swan River Daisy) Calibrachoa (Million Bells) * Campanula medium (Canterbury Bells) Cleome (Spider plant) * Consolida ambigua (Annual Larkspur) Cuphea hyssopifolia (Mexican Heather) Cynoglossum amabile (Chinese Forget-Me-Not) Datura meteloides (Downy Thornapple) Dianthus (Sweet William, Dianthus) * Emila Javanica (Tassel Flower) Euphorbia marginata (Snow of the Mountain) Eustoma grandiflorum (Lisianthus) Evolvulus glomeratus (Evovulus. Blue Daze) * Felecia echinata (Blue Marguerite) * Gaillardia pulchella (Blanket Flower) * Gomphrena globosa (Globe Amaranth) Gypsophila repens (Baby's Breath) Helianthus (Sunflower) Helichrysum bracteatum (Strawflower) Heliotropium arborescens (Heliotrope) Hunnemania fumarifolia (Mexican Tulip Poppy) Hypoestes phyllostachya (Polka-dot-Plant) Iberis umbellata (Candytuft) Ipomoea alba (Moonflower) Ipomea purpurea (Morning Glory) * Kochia scoparia (Burning bush) Lantana camara (Lantana) * Lobelia (Lobelia) * Lobularia Maritima (Sweet Alyssum) * Matholia incana (Common Stock) Melampodium paludosum (Butter Daisy) Mimulus cupreus (Monkey Flower) Mirabilis jalapa (Four O' Clocks) Nemesia (Carnival flower) Nierembergia (Cup flower) Nigella damascena (Love-In-A-Mist) Oesteospermum (Hybrids) (African Daisy Hybrids) Oxypetalum caeruleum (Southern Star) Pelargonium x hortorum (Geranium) * Pennisetum sp (Annual fountain grass) * Penstemon x gloxinoides (Hybrid Penstemon) Pentas lanceolata (Pentas, Egyptian Star Flower) * Perilla frutescens (Beefsteak plant) Petunia x hybrida (Petunia) * Phlox drummondii (Annual Phlox) Polygonum capitatum (Pinkhead) Rudbeckia hirta (Black-eyed Susan) Salvia all varieties (Sages) * Scaevola aemula (Australian Blue Fan Flower) * Senecio cineraria (Dusty Miller) * Tagetes (Marigolds) * Thymophylla tenuiloba (Dahlberg Daisy) Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican Sunflower) Tropaeolum majus (Nasturtium) * Verbena.bonariensis (Upright Verbena) * Vinca rosea (Periwinkle-Flowering Vinca) * Xeranthemum annuum (Immortelle) Zinnia angustifolia (Star Zinnia) Zinnia haageana (Mexican Zinnia) Zinnia linearis (Narrow leaf Zinnia) Deer Resistant Bulbs: Allium sp (Ornamental Onion) Chionodoxa Luciliae (Glory of Snow) Colchicum autumnale (Autumn Crocus) Crocus (Crocus) Eranthis hyemalis (Winter Aconite) Fritillaria sp (Fritillary) Galanthus elwesii (Giant Snowdrop) Galanthus nivalis (Common Snowdrop) Leucojum vernum (Spring Snowflake) Muscaria botryoides (Grape Hyacinth) Narcissus (Daffodils) Puschkinia (Striped Squill) Scilla siberica (Siberian Squill) Deer Resistant Ground Covers: Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed) 5 Alchemilla vulgaris (Lady's Mantle) 7 Arctostaphyllos uva ursi (Bearberry) 6 Asarum europaeum (European Wild Ginger) 8 Bergenia crassifolia (Bergenia) 7 Cerastium tomentosum (Snow-in-Summer) 8 Convallaria majus (Lily-of- the-Valley) 8 Cotoneaster horizontalis (Rockspray Cotoneaster) 6 Epimedium grandiflorum (Barrenwort) 8 Ferns (Ferns) 9 Galium odoratum (Sweet Woodruff) 7 Juniper Procumbens nana (Creeping Juniper) 8 Lamium maculatum (Dead Nettle) 8 Pachysandra terminalis (Pachysandra) 8 Potentilla (Cinquefoils) 7 Pulmonaria officinalis (Lungwort) 8 Santolina chamaecyparissus (Santolina) 7 Sempervirens tectorum (Hens and chicks) 7 Vinca minor (Myrtle, Periwinkle) 9 Deer Resistant Vines: Campsis radicans (Trumpet Vine) Celastrus scandens (Bittersweet) Clematis (Clematis) Lonicera x heckrotti (Goldflame Honeysuckle) Parthenocissus tricuspdidata (Boston Ivy) Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia Creeper) Polygonum aubertii (Silver lace Vine) Wisteria floribunda (.Japanese Wisteria) Deer Resistant Herbs: Angelica, Anise, Artemesia Basil, Borage, Catmint, Chamomile, Chives, Comfrey, Dill, European Pennyroyal, Fennel, Feverfew, Germander, Horehound, Hyssop, Lavender, Lemon Balm Lovage, Mullein, Oregano, Parsley, Peppermint, Rosmary, Rue, Sage, Savory, Spearmint, Tansy, Thyme. In summation, living in Deer Country poses problems that each gardener will have to deal with on a individual basis. A plan of action needs to be developed for your particular situation. If you love gardening you should not deny yourself the plants you love. Compromises may need to be made in many situations. Try to fence in a portion of your property so you can enjoy those things you really want. Wooden fences are better but not as attractive as a green chain link fence. If need be fencing can be done inexpensively with rolls of plastic coated 6 foot green wire with accompanying Green coated iron stakes. In certain situations deer fence netting strung between trees or on poles 20 feet apart can work. These can easily be installed by any homeowner. Screen your property on the inside with plant material that grows over 8 feet and if the fence is ugly to the outside plant Boxwood, Andromedas or other * rated deer resistant plants. Deer have poor depth perception so jumping over in these situations becomes a problem. Where this is impossible placing angels on your fence with 3 or more strands of wire creates a depth perception for Deer. Try to block the entry ways that deer take to enter your property. This can be done in many ways- through plantings or simply stringing 3 levels of fishing line at deer height from tree to tree. In the areas that are not fenced in, fill with plants on our list. These are plants that Deer do not particularly like. Add Deer repellents religiously to these areas. I prefer granular applications with organic products like Deer Scram which repels by smell. It is easy and quick to apply therefore you are more apt to keep up with this task. If you develop an area where Deer do not like to browse, they will choose another area which they find more desirable to be in. There are motion detector devices on the market which scare deer by sound, water or lights. Initially they are scared away but eventually they become used to this. I prefer a more natural approach using physical barriers, Deer resistant plants and natural organic repellents. Nothing is a sure thing in Deer Country. You need to experiment and develop your own testing ground. The plants we list are some of your best choices to make your tests with. Observe the deer pattern in your area, change tactics when necessary and don't lose focus on winning the battle. In the end you are smarter and more capable of winning the battle. Don't let that pretty little Deer win the fight.
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