The Monterey Garden Club

Realize, if deer are starving or in extremely high concentrations competing for food, they will eat almost anything. These plants are their last choice. By inter-planting with these plants, especially the fragrant herbs, you make your entire garden less appealing to them! Try working in the fragrant 'herbs' -- Yarrows, Catmints, Agastache, Etc., in every bed -- and why not - they're gorgeous and long blooming.

Deer's primary defense is their sense of smell. When a garden has a lot of highly scented plants, the deer can have trouble smelling predators and they realize that they are more defenseless. So use lots of fragrant herbs especially larger ones like Perovskia - Russian Sage and Nepetas that release their strong scent if the deer brush against them.

While tall fences remain the most effective way to keep deer away, some gardeners have had success with particular plantings. Keep in mind that any tender, succulent plants fresh from the nursery, where they have been watered and fertilized, may attract deer, especially early in the season, when green vegetation in their natural habitat is not available. Although no plant is guaranteed to resist deer browsing, some gardeners have reported success with the following species:

PERENNIALS

Astilbe

Bee Balm

Bleeding Heart

Columbine

Coralbells

Evergreen Candytuft

Forget-Me-Not

Foxglove

Hardy Geranium

Hellebore

Hibiscus

Iris

Monkshood

Oriental Poppy

Peony

Perennial Alyssum

Perennial Flax

Pinks

Salvia

Yarrow

Yucca

ANNUALS AND BIENNIALS

Ageratum

Dusty Miller

French marigold

Lantana

Larkspur

Lobelia

Morning Glory

Moonflower

Nasturtium Ornamental pepper

Snapdragon

Stock

Wax Begonia

Zinnia

HERBS

Angelica

Anise Hyssop

Basil

Catmint

Chamomile

Chives

Comfrey

Dill

Fennel

Lamb's ears

Lavender

Lavender Cotton

Lemon balm

Mint

Mullein

Oregano

Parsley

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

BULBS

Autumn Crocus

Crocus

Daffodil, Jonquil, Narcissus

Crown Imperial

Glory of the Snow

Grape Hyacinth

Siberian Squill

Snowdrop

Snowflake

Striped Squill Surprise Lily

Various Flowering Onions

Winter Aconite

PERENNIAL VINES

Akebia

Bittersweet

Grape

Honeysuckle

Silver Lace Vine

SHRUBS

Barberry

Bayberry

Beautybush

Butterfly Bush

Chinese Holly

Chinese Junipers (blue and green)

Common Boxwood

Common Lilac

Drooping Leucothoe

Forsythia

Inkberry

Japanese Kerria

Oregon Grape Holly

GROUNDCOVERS

Bugle Weed (Ajuga)

Bearberry

Bergenia

Dead Nettle

Ferns

Indian Strawberry

Junipers

Lady's Mantle

Lily-of-the-Valley

Mosses

Pachysandra

Potentilla

Sedum

Snow-in-Summer

Vinca Minor

TREES

These trees are rated by various observers to be rarely damaged, seldom severely damaged or deer-resistant. Protect small seedlings with tree shelters.

American Holly

Beech

Birch: European, White, Paper

Catalpa

Corkscrew Willow

Dogwood: Red Osier, Kousa

Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperis virginiana)

English Hawthorn

Ginkgo

Hickory

Japanese Flowering Cherry

Locust: Black, Honey

Mimosa

Pine: Austrian, Mugo, Red, Scots, Shortleaf

Sassafras, Common

Smoke Tree

Sourwood

Spruce: Colorado Blue, Norway, White

Sweet Gum

Sycamore

Tulip Tree

NOTE:

Suggestion:  A very good web site for  a much more extensive deer-resistant plant list is:

http://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/