White tailed deer are one of the most recognizable wild
animals in North Carolina. Whether it’s
a mature buck with spreading antlers or a graceful doe and her spotted fawn,
deer are a beautiful addition to the landscape.
Unfortunately they can also be a significant pest for gardeners. Deer can wreak havoc on a flower bed or small
tree in a matter of a night or two. In
suburban areas where hunting is not allowed, deer pressure can make gardening
frustrating if not down right impossible.
Luckily, there are some steps that we gardeners can take to minimize the
amount of damage deer do.
Deer can jump over tall fences and slip through small spaces
so excluding them from the garden can be challenging. A combination of plant selection, zoning and
repellents can help you garden successfully despite the deer.
Before planting, determine what plants are favorites for
deer. Deer prefer to eat some plants
over others. In general, deer prefer not
to eat plants with thorny or prickly leaves or stems. So spiny plants like Japanese barberries and
yucca are less palatable to deer than more tender plants like pear trees and
daylilies. This rule does not extend to
roses though – roses are a tasty treat for deer.
Deer do not prefer plants with strong scents and pungent
tastes such as rosemary, sage, oregano and thyme. Herb gardens can be quite attractive, useful
in the kitchen and deer resistant. Many
of the ornamental salvias are pretty and deer resistant as well.
Plants with hairy leaves are not preferred by deer. This makes the fuzzy, gray-green leaves of
lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantine) and dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) a perfect
addition to the flower border.
Another deer resistant choices is palm trees. Make sure you choose a palm that is hardy in
our area. Windmill, jelly and cabbage
palms form options while dwarf palmetto, needle palm, saw palmetto and
Mediterranean fan palm are shrub forming palms that will grow in our area.
Since deer feed primarily by browsing – nipping the twigs
and buds off of shrubs and bushed – ornamental grasses are typically unaffected
by deer. There are lots of different
types of ornamental grasses available.
Two of my personal favorites are pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia
capillaris) and selections of panic grass (Panicum virgatum). Ornamental grasses make a nice contrast to
shrubs and can be planted singly or in a mass as a ground cover.
Ferns are another deer resistant choice. Deer rarely browse fern foliage so ferns are
a good addition to shaded, moist locations in deer country. Consider Autumn fern, Christmas fern or Florida
shield fern for evergreen choices.
Japanese painted fern and the native cinnamon fern are beautiful
deciduous options.
While no plant is deer proof, planting deer resistant plants
can help encourage deer to move on to other, more inviting meals.
Deer pressure varies depending on the season and
location. Feeding is usually heaviest in
the spring, when new growth is starting and deer are hungry from a long, cold
winter. It can be beneficial, although
time consuming, to protect particularly vulnerable plants with a deer repellent
during this time. Look for a formulation
containing albumin or egg whites and reapply after rain events.
In areas with large deer populations and little food, even
relatively deer resistant plants may be eaten.
If you want to grow a plant that is a favorite treat for
deer – such as daylilies, hosta or roses – plant them closer to the house where
they are easier to protect and where deer pressure is usually lower.
For more information on protecting your garden from deer,
including detailed lists of which plants are more or less likely to be damaged
by deer, check out this publication: http://carteret.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Deer-Resistant-Plants2.pdf.
This information can help you can reduce the amount of deer damage in your garden next spring.
This information can help you can reduce the amount of deer damage in your garden next spring.