Plants the Deer Don’t Eat

Coping with every garden’s least favorite animal

Susan Esche has been facing the same problem as many gardener : hungry deer .

My rural garden near a lake is becoming more and more popular with the local deer , and this is shaping my excogitation and flora option . Aside from a 20×20 fenced area for vegetable , everything else must be sufficiently unpalatable to survive here . Phlox is being replaced by agastache , Brazilian verbena(Verbena bonariensis , Zones 7–11 or as annual ) , artemisia , and cleome . The daylily will be give away and replace by nepeta , lamb ’s ears(Stachys byzantina , Zones 4–7 ) , bugleweed(Ajuga reptens , Zones 3–10 ) , and Millenium genus Allium ( zone 5–9 ) . Purple St. Basil the Great , lantana , and motley sage exchange pots of coleus . fern and Lenten roses(Helleborussp . ) replaced Hosta in the shade . The unruffled hydrangea(Hydrangea arborescens , Zones 3–9 ) is not resistant to nibbling , but that midsummer pruning sometimes brings more flowers on the fresh growth . The southern magnolia(Magnolia grandiflora , Zones 7–11 ) give twelvemonth - one shot structure , as do golden sour cypress tree and Hicks Yew . So far , the noble oakleaf hydrangeas(Hydrangea quercifolia , Zones 5–9 ) have escaped their notice , but I have already decided upon buckeyes(Aesculussp . ) if I have to replace those . I dare you to nibble on that , Bambi !

Red buckeye ( Aesculuspavia , Zones 4–8 ) is beautiful — and toxic . Deer leave it alone .

Brazilian verbena is repeated in Zones 7–11 and often ego - sows year after class in inhuman zones .

Lamb ’s ear has fuzzy leaves unpopular with deer , and small flowers very popular with bees .

Allium‘Millenium ’ is a beautiful flower , and like most members of the onion genus , it is unpalatable to most deer .

cloud of purple verbena and pink and white genus Cleome ( Cleomehassleriana , annual ) make a beautiful , deer - resistant planting .

A huge white flower opening move in the evergreen , and cervid - repellent , southerly magnolia .

genus Agastache have coloured prime , and Modern variety are always coming on the market . Like many plants with fragrant leaf , agastaches do n’t count many deer as fans .

unruffled hydrangeas are usually not on the top of cervid ’s most - loved list , so they can often do well despite the occasional nibble .

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