Oh, Deer!

Deer resistant plantings for the landscape

It's an equation for trouble: As forest acres are converted into housing developments, natural deer predators disappear. The result is a lot more deer on a lot less land, and these deer can cause headaches for suburban gardeners.

Deer may be beautiful, but a herd with an appetite can destroy a landscape almost overnight. Deer are becoming less fussy about what they eat, and plants that were safe as recently as 1980 are now on the menu of today's less-discriminating diner. The reason? A virtual deer population explosion? Hungary deer hide in woodland settings by day and at night they venture out to forage through culinary gardens and suburban landscapes. Despite the popularity of Bambi, people are growing less tolerant of deer and the damage they cause.

To control the deer population, some communities now encourage hunting as a way of replacing the natural predators, such as coyotes and mountain lions, that don't enjoy the suburban lifestyle. For the gardener who doesn't wish to take up arms, there are other ways to protect the landscape.

First it's important to understand deer eating habits and plant accordingly. Deer feed on plants that are high in water content, so reduce the number of these plants in your yard. Deer generally don't care for plants that have thorns or stickers or those with a pungent taste, but keep in mind, deer-resistant does not mean deer-proof. As the population grown, deer become more desperate for food, and in severe winters they will eat almost anything.

Creating barriers around plantings can also be effective, but these are not without drawbacks. Chemical barriers are short-lived and must be reapplied after a rainstorm, and oftentimes deer become immune to seemingly offensive odors. Fences work well, but are expensive to build. Small areas, such as single trees, can be protected inside a cylinder of chicken wire or metal fencing. To limit damage, large nurseries have used dogs to protect areas defined by invisible fences. Success or failure can rest with the breed of the dog, so get a chaser!

Deer are creatures of habit. They will most often feed or travel in the area where they grew up. It doesn't matter to them that the woods have gone condo. Your best defense as a suburban gardener is to create barriers where possible and to select plantings that won't appeal to deer palates.

List of deer resistant shrubs:

Plants rarely damaged: Barberry, Common Boxwood, Leucothoe, Andromeda (Pieris), Blue Spruce, Paper Birch, American Holly, Ornamental Grasses (P).

Plants seldom severely damaged: European White Birch, Kousa Dogwood, Flowering Dogwood, Inkberry, Mugo Pine, Japanese Wisteria, Carex (P), Ferns (most) (P), Pulmonaria (P), Thyme (P), Cotoneaster (most), Weigela, Redvein Enkianthus, Juniper (most), Japenese Flowering Cherry, Viburnums (most), Coreopsis (P), Daylilies (P), Rudbeckia (P), Red Osier Dogwood, Buddleias, Forsythia, Mountain Laurel, Lilac, Acanthus (P), Echinacea (P), Liriope (P), Santolina (P)>