Add deer-resistant shrubs to your garden

Deer are creatures of habit . Once they discover a route with band of tasty treats , they follow it . Your target is to either hinder that itinerary or give them reasons to move to another area . Fencinghelps , but is expensive and not always possible . Sprays that smell or taste badto deer often work , but need to be reapplied frequently to be effective . One of the best ways to avoid flow them is to set a tabular array with their least - favorite foods .

Bottom line — much will reckon on the other intellectual nourishment options in the area , the competition for food and the eating habits of the deer . No industrial plant is 100 percent tolerant to a hungry animal . Once it ’s stop off its favorites , the critter will move on to the next least - offensive - smack plant . The winder is to create a garden that stop few of their favorite . So with that said , here are sixshrubsthat deer will pass by in their search for a tasty repast .

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James A. Baggett

Find more deer-resistant plants for your garden

Rutgers University preserve an online listof landscape plants graded according to their resistance to cervid . The listing was compile with comment from nursery and landscape professional person , Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station ( NJAES ) Cooperative Extension force and Rutgers Master Gardeners in northern New Jersey .

Arrowwood viburnum ( Viburnum dentatum )

TypeShrubBloomsWhite peak in spring thenblue berriesin late summerLightFull Dominicus to part shadeSize3 to 5 ft . marvelous , 3 to 4 ft . wideHardinessCold hardy USDA zona 3 to 8

James A. Baggett

Butterfly bush ( Buddleja davidii )

TypeShrubBloomsArching stems top off in summer with cluster of purple , pinkish or whitened flower with orange - yellow throats that deer be given to ignore ; look for aseptic varieties like ‘ Blue Chip ’ show above to ensure plant do n’t reseed invasivelySize3 to 10 foot . grandiloquent and wideLightFull sunHardinessCold dauntless in USDA zone 5 to 9

Flowering quince ( Chaenomeles speciosa )

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TypeShrubBloomsDense , spinous stalk are often tangled and produce ruby-red , pinkish , orange or white flowers before the leaf unfold in early fountain , eatable green - yellow fruit in summer and fallSize4 to 8 ft . tall , 3 to 10 foot . wideLightFull sun to part shadeHardinessCold hardy in USDA zona 4 to 8

Oregon grape holly ( Mahonia aquifolium )

TypeShrubBloomsGlossy , spiny - margined foliage with clusters of shiny yellow , fragrant former - leap flowers followed by bountiful dark - black berries in mid- to tardy summer ( plant at least two for best Charles Edward Berry production)Size3 to 6 ft . marvellous and wideLightPart to full shadeHardinessCold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

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NoteChoose embed cautiously . Some species , such asMahonia bealei , can be invasive .

Boxwood ( Buxus sempervirens )

TypeShrubBloomsInsignificant white bloom in springiness ; small , dark greenish evergreen leaf have a potent odor that deer dislikeSize5 to 15 foot . grandiloquent and wideLightFull sun to part shadeHardinessCold hardy in USDA geographical zone 5 to 8

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Bluebeard ( Caryopterisxclandonensis )

TypeShrubBloomsBright green or silvery ( depending on cultivar ) aromatic leaves and downy powder - blue flowers in previous summer ; the plant ’s heavy odour repels deerSize2 to 3 foot . tall , 3 to 4 ft . wideLightFull sunHardinessCold brave in USDA zones 5 to 9

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Arrowwood viburnum (Viburnum dentatum)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Oregon grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)

Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)