Written by: Charlotte Glen, Horticulture Agent

Deer frequently visit area landscapes, where their foraging can cause serious and costly damage. There are several options for reducing deer damage in the landscape, including fencing, repellants, and even guard dogs, but one of the easiest ways to reduce their impact is to landscape with plants deer prefer not to eat. Though no plant is deer proof, there are many good landscape plants for this area that deer find less palatable - a solution that is both effective and relatively low-cost, once you know which plants to choose.

There are many plants deer prefer not to eat and are therefore considered deer resistant. Keep in mind though, when hungry, deer will eat anything to survive. This is especially true during stressful times such as drought, when plants deer usually avoid may become their favorite appetizer. It is also important to know that plants that have been over fertilized or over watered are highly appealing to deer. They especially relish flower buds, and some of their favorites include roses, daylilies and tulips. Feeding preferences can vary from one region to another and throughout the seasons, for example deer will eat almost anything in spring, a time when all plants are covered in tender new growth. Even with all these exceptions there are many great plants that thrive in our area and are rarely, if ever, grazed by deer. These include several plant groups as well those that share certain characteristics deer avoid, such as thorny leaves or stems, strong scents and tastes, or hairy leaves.

Keep Deer Away with Aromatic Plants

Deer tend to avoid plants with strong fragrances, which make many herbs great choices for deer prone landscapes. Several herbs are commonly grown as ornamentals, including thyme, chives and Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas), all of which thrive in this area when planted in well drained, sandy soil and sun. Rosemary is another excellent herb for the landscape. This extremely drought tolerant evergreen shrub grows three to five feet tall and bears icy blue flowers in late winter. Low growing, creeping forms are also available. As well as being drought tolerant and exceptionally deer resistant, rosemary also tolerates salt spray and high soil pH. Other aromatic plants deer avoid include ‘Powis Castle’ artemisia, lantana, society garlic (Tulbughia violacea), junipers, wax myrtle, chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) and salvias. A few of the many wonderful salvias for area landscapes include pineapple sage (Salvia elegans), Mexican bush sage (Salvia leucantha), Texas sage (Salvia greggii), and ‘Black and Blue’ anise sage (Salvia guaranitica). Other plants deer avoid for various reasons include barberries, crape myrtle, yaupon, oleander, butterflybush, and false wild indigo (Baptisia species).

Repel Deer with Grasses, Ferns, and Palms!

On the whole, deer generally avoid eating ornamental grasses, which is a great boon for gardeners since this group includes many tough, attractive and low maintenance options. There are lots of different types of ornamental grasses available. Some of the most dependable for our area include the many varieties of Miscanthus, muhly grass, panic grass (Panicum virgatum) and hardy fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuriodes and P. orientale). Other groups of plants deer dislike include ferns, great for shady sites, and hardy palms, such as windmill palm, dwarf palmetto and needle palm. 

Deer Favorites

As well as knowing which plants deer dislike, it is equally important to know which are their favorites. In southeastern NC the most commonly planted landscape plants deer prefer to eat include redbud, Japanese euonymous, Indian hawthorn, pittosporums, azaleas (flowers especially), roses (flowers once again), ivy, Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), hosta, pansies and impatiens. While common sense would tell you these are plants that should definitely be avoided if you have deer problems, there is no denying sometimes there are plants you just want to grow no matter what. Maybe it was one of your mother’s favorites or something that reminds you of a special occasion in your life. What happens if you have deer problems and one of your ‘can’t live without it’ plants happens to be a deer favorite? Fencing off your entire yard can be very expensive, while constantly reapplying repellents soon becomes a time consuming task.

Zoning Deer Out

One approach creative gardeners have borrowed from the xeriscape concept (a set of principles used in designing landscapes for water conservation) is to divide the landscape into zones. Deer prone plants are only planted in areas closest to the house, which are easiest to manage intensely. This zone is either protected from deer by fencing or regular application of repellents. In areas far away from the house only highly deer resistant plants are used. In the mid-zone, or area between, less resistant plants can be used with the understanding that they may receive occasional damage.

Learn More!

A list of deer resistant plants for southeastern NC is available from Pender County Cooperative Extension - from the following link, scroll down to the section titled 'Reccommended Plants for Pender County' to access the deer resistant plant list as well as a powerpoint presentation showing images of many of these plants:
http://pender.ces.ncsu.edu/index.php?page=lawngarden

Find out more about controlling deer through fencing and other options from these great resources:
Deer Control Options: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/deercontrol.html
NCSU Wildlife Notes: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/nreos/wild/pdf/wildlife/DEER.PDF