Deer Resistant Gardening
Pest Control Services in Bergen County
Deer Proof Your Gardens Naturally
Are you frustrated because deer are devouring your expensive landscaping, trampling through mulched beds and damaging trees, but not willing to install a deer fence? Then you can put daylilies, roses, hostas, tulips, and lilies out of your mind (unless you’re prepared to put them in containers close to the house, where they can be protected). Deer can often wreak havoc on a landscape. One of the easiest ways to reduce deer damage in your yard is to landscape with plants deer prefer not to eat.
START WITH THE TREES
Deer injure trees in two ways: By eating foliage and twigs, and by rubbing against the bark with their antlers, which is especially damaging to young trees or those with thin bark. Wire cylinders and other protective devices are available to protect the trunks of young trees from this type of damage.
The shape and mature size of a tree will greatly determine its susceptibility to grazing damage. Damage is most common on trees that are either to young and still small enough to reach, or those that are low branched, or those that do not grow very large. In deer prone landscapes, trees that grow taller and hold their branches high are the best choice, though they may need to be protected until they are tall enough to be out of a deer’s reach.
PLANTS
As a rule, ornamental grasses are avoided by deer and should be considered highly resistant to deer grazing. There are lots of different types of ornamental grasses available. Most are long lived and tough, making attractive and low maintenance additions to the landscape. They provide a nice contrast to shrubs and can be planted in mass as a groundcover.
Deer rarely browse fern foliage, making them an excellent addition to deer ravaged landscapes. Most ferns prefer shade and moist soil and are attractive combined with shrubs and perennials or used as a groundcover.
Deer tend to avoid plants with strong fragrances, which makes many herbs great choices for deer prone landscapes. In general, herbs grow best in full sun and well drained soils. Since deer have sensitive noses that tend to be irritated by overly pungent odors, most herbs — including butterfly bushes, lavender, yarrows, salvias, boxwoods, and thymes — are usually deer-safe.
Deer also tend to leave alone ferns and grasses, as well as daffodils, hellebores, and aconitums, which are poisonous to mammals.
alyssum
beautyberry-callicarpa
cornus kousa – dogwood
pervoskia russian sage
arrowwood viburnum
berberis-barberry
cytisus-scottish-broom
snapdragons
astilbe
butterfly bush
Oregon Grape Holly
dicentra bleeding heart
The plants pictured above are but a small selection of the many that have deer resistant qualities about them. Rutgers University has an excellent page online rating landscape plants as per deer resistant tendencies and qualities. To view this complete list of recommended deer resistant plants I have provided the link below as follows:
here is the link to the Rutgers University Agricultural Extension Page’s List
Enjoy – Frank D. Porter
