Deer Resistant Plants and Deer Repellent
White tailed deer are graceful animals, but are destructed to trees, evergreens, shrubs and flowers. They can cause extensive damage to vegetation. The deer population as increased as our suburbs are being developed more and more. The wooded areas are decreasing as development of homes and shopping centers are growing. As the population of deer is growing and there feeding area are decreasing there is more is more demand for food (Deer Resistant Plants. 2010).
Deer will range outside there usual feeding areas in search for food, which may be your back yard and garden. Deer fence work well but they need to be maintained and are costly and unsightly. Deer repellents work but some need to be sprayed often and do not lost long in a rainy season and even less if you have a sprinkler system.
I have had a lot of experience with these various sprays and they do not last long. But I have found one spray that works for about three months and has a good smell to it, as some have a horrible odor. Some are also not pleasant to mix.
The one that I have found to work well is Deer Out, it is all natural, pleasant to smell and will stop the deer from destroying your garden. But do not forget to spray after three because they will be right back for more. I let one garden go past three months and they eat the Inpatients. So I do not let them go past two in half months to be safe.
There are some resistant trees, Maples, Honey locust, Hawthorn, Oak, Birch, Ash, Douglas Fir, Bristlecone Pine, Colorado Blue Spruce, Austrian Pine, Mugo Pine, Canada Hemlock, and Engelman Spruce (Deer Resistant Plants. 2010). These trees do not attract the deer population.
Some shrubs also work in this manner, including Barberry, Juniper, Lilac, Mugo Pine, Potenilla, Rubber Rabbitbrush, Spirea, Red Osier, Dogwood, Mockorange, Fragrant Sumac, Common Buckthorn, Buffaloberry, Bridalwreath, Viburnum, Chokecherry, Currant, Elderberry Gooseberry, Green Giant Arborvitae and Caragana (Brehm. 2003).
Deer resistant vines include Bittersweet, Clematis, Baltic Ivy, and Honeysuckle. Some ground covers are also resistant, like the Carpet Bugle, Lily-of-the-valley, Periwinkle, Pachysandra, Lamb’s Ears, Lamium, “Silver Brocade” Artemisia, Snow-in-Summer, Thyme, and Dead Nettle (Brehm. 2003).
There is a long range of deer resistant perennials, a few of these are the Columbine, Astilbe, Tickseed, Bee Balm, Black eyed Susan, Bleeding Heart, Campanula, Catmint, Purple Coneflower, Gaillardia, Gayfeather, Bluestem Joe-pye-weed, and Cranesbill (Brehm. 2003). A full list of resistant perennials can be found in Rita Brehm’s article on deer resistant plants.
Written By John A. Pinto
John A. Pinto Landscaping. December 27, 2010.
References
Brehm, R. “Deer Resistant Plants and Deterrents Minimize Damage.” (2003). The Billings Gazette. Accessed December, 27, 2010. http://www.treeworld.com/media-02.html
“Deer Resistant Plants.” (2010). Accessed October, 24, 2010. http://www.deer-resistant- plants.com
