{"id":1611,"date":"2015-05-04T15:09:11","date_gmt":"2015-05-04T22:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/?p=1611"},"modified":"2015-05-04T15:09:11","modified_gmt":"2015-05-04T22:09:11","slug":"a-palette-of-plants-deer-dont-prefer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/2015\/05\/a-palette-of-plants-deer-dont-prefer\/","title":{"rendered":"A Palette of Plants Deer Don&#8217;t Prefer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A Palette of Plants Deer Don&#8217;t Prefer<\/p>\n<p><strong>Deer Resistant, Never Deer Proof<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>My new garden is filling in fast and I am so thrilled to watch the progress. My transplanted shrubs are thriving on the blend of sandy loam and fish-and-tree-waste-based compost (a local specialty). Of several dozen kinds I planted, only one has been deer-browsed so far. I am a bit puzzled by that, since the shrub in question, Sorbaria sorbifolia Sem, also called the ash leaf sorbaria, is not usually a deer-preferred plant. Indeed, it is sometimes called deer proof, though in my yard, that is a fantasy. Deer resistant is as good as it gets, and Sem has here-to-fore fit that category solidly.<\/p>\n<p>If my sorbaria were the common form, it might have outgrown the deer by now. My sweet little Sem is a much better mannered form of this often aggressive shrub, which can exceed 10 feet in height and the size of your garden in width. No, Sem is a handsome, red-tinged form with much-dissected foliage, and it makes a ruffled mound about 4 x 4 feet or so in time. Still, the family vigor means I\u2019m not in despair about the deers depredations, but I did take time to stick a tomato cage around the poor twigs, wrap the cage with chicken wire, poke some sharp, twiggy sticks around the edges and top it off with a second, nesting cage to keep those hungry snouts at a distance. That should give Sem time to recover its groove and put on fresh foliage.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get-Over-It Gardening With Deer<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I can, in fact, suggest a range of plants that deer will never touch, that won&#8217;t need water, and will never outgrow their spot. In a word: <strong>Plastic<\/strong>. In real life, it\u2019s a little harder. Over the years, I&#8217;ve seen lists of plants deer love and plants deer hate, and have been fascinated to notice some of the same plants on each list. It seems that deer in one area eat things that deer elsewhere don&#8217;t. They can also change their habits: For many years, deer in my yard ignored azaleas, but one year, they ate them eagerly. I now have deer that browse the new growth on ivy, which I&#8217;ve never seen before. On one notable occasion, a deer ate the better part of a large and extremely toxic angel trumpet, yet I found no dead Bambi in the driveway.<\/p>\n<p>Voracious and charming, greedy and beautiful, deer can be the bane or the grace of the garden. Although young deer will eat pretty much anything, mature deer are more discriminating. Sort of. And if there are no deer-proof plant, there definitely are deer resistant ones. Often these are plants with hairy, smelly, waxy, dense, or highly textured foliage. In addition, I\u2019ve never seen deer eat ferns or grasses, or eucalyptus or madronas, or entire Doug firs&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Baffling Bambi<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After all these years, I don\u2019t try to outwit deer, just to leave them mildly baffled. I feel that I have learned quite a lot about these lovely\u00a0 if totally annoying creatures, having been blessed with many of them in each of my gardens. At present, my yard hosts a growing family in the front yard and a clutch of young bucks in the lower back yard. Sometimes my neighbor even calls and asks me to get my deer out of his garden. Still, if I tell you deer don\u2019t usually eat this or that, I mean MY deer, THIS year. For what it is worth, I offer you my my current list of plants my personal flock of deer rarely eat (all of):<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bulbs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Allium \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ornamental onions<br \/>\nBegonia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Begonia (tuberous)<br \/>\nCrocosmia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Crocosmia<br \/>\nDahlia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Dahlia<br \/>\nEndymion\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spanish bluebells<br \/>\nFreesia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Freesia<br \/>\nFritillaria \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Crown imperials (specifically)<br \/>\nGalanthus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Snowdrops<br \/>\nGladiolus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Gladiola<br \/>\nHyacinthus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hyacinths<br \/>\nNarcissus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Daffodils<br \/>\nScilla\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Squills<br \/>\nPolianthes\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Tuberose<\/p>\n<p><strong>Shrubs &amp; Subshrubs<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Abelia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Abelia<br \/>\nBerberis\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Barberry<br \/>\nBrugmansia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Angels trumpet<br \/>\nBuddleia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Butterfly bush<br \/>\nBuxus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Boxwood<br \/>\nCeanothus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 California lilac<br \/>\nCistus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rockrose (usually)<br \/>\nCotoneaster\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cotoneaster<br \/>\nDaphne\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Daphne<br \/>\nDatura\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Angels trumpet<br \/>\nErica\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Heather<br \/>\nEscallonia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Escallonia<br \/>\nGaultheria\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Salal<br \/>\nHypericum\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0St. John&#8217;s wort<br \/>\nIlex\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Holly<br \/>\nJuniperus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Juniper<br \/>\nKerria\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Kerria<br \/>\nLavandula\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Lavender<br \/>\nMahonia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Oregon grape<br \/>\nNandina\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Heavenly bamboo<br \/>\nPicea\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spruce<br \/>\nPieris\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lily-of-the-valley shrub<br \/>\nPinus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pine<br \/>\nPotentilla\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Cinquefoil (usually)<br \/>\nPrunus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Laurel<br \/>\nRhododendron\u00a0\u00a0 Rhododendron, Azalea<br \/>\nRhus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sumac<br \/>\nRibes\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flowering currant<br \/>\nRosmarinus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rosemary<br \/>\nSalvia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sage<br \/>\nSarcoccoca\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Sweetbox<br \/>\nSenecio \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sunshine (specifically)<br \/>\nSkimmia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Skimmia<br \/>\nSpirea\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spirea<br \/>\nSyringa\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lilac<br \/>\nViburnum\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Viburnum<\/p>\n<p><strong>Perennials<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Acanthus \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Bear breeches<br \/>\nAconitum\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Monkshood<br \/>\nAchillea\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yarrow<br \/>\nAgastache\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Hummingbird plant<br \/>\nAlyssum \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Basket-of-gold<br \/>\nArtemisia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Artemisia<br \/>\nAster\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Aster<br \/>\nAubretia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Rockcress<br \/>\nBergenia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Leatherleaf<br \/>\nChrysanthemum\u00a0 Chrysanthemum<br \/>\nCrambe \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Sea kale<br \/>\nDigitalis\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Foxglove<br \/>\nEchinacea\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cone flower<br \/>\nErigeron\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Fleabane<br \/>\nEryngium \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sea holly<br \/>\nEuphorbia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spurge<br \/>\nFerula \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fennel<br \/>\nGaillardia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Blanket flower<br \/>\nGeranium\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Geranium<br \/>\nHelleborus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Hellebore<br \/>\nIris\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Iris<br \/>\nKniphofia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Poker plant<br \/>\nLavatera\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Mallow<br \/>\nLupinus \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Lupines<br \/>\nMeconopsis\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Welsh poppy<br \/>\nMonarda\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Bee balm<br \/>\nNepeta\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Catmint<br \/>\nOenothera\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Evening primrose<br \/>\nPapaver\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Poppies<br \/>\nPenstemon\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Beardtongue<br \/>\nPerovskia \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Russian sage<br \/>\nPhlomis\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Phlomis<br \/>\nPhormium\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 New Zealand flax<br \/>\nPulmonaria\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Lungwort<br \/>\nRheum\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Rhubarb<br \/>\nRudbeckia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Black-eyed Susan<br \/>\nSantolina\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Lavender cotton<br \/>\nScabiosa\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Pincushion flower<br \/>\nStachys\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lambs ear<br \/>\nThymus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Thyme<br \/>\nVerbascum\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mullein<br \/>\nVerbena\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Verbena<\/p>\n<p><strong>Annuals<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Alyssum\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Sweet alyssum<br \/>\nCalendula\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Pot marigold<br \/>\nClarkia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Farewell to spring<br \/>\nCleome\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Spider flower<br \/>\nEschscholzia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0California poppy<br \/>\nHeliotropus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Heliotrope<br \/>\nLobelia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Lobelia<br \/>\nMyosotis\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Forget-me-nots<br \/>\nNasturtium\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Nasturtium<br \/>\nNicotiana\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Flowering tobacco<br \/>\nPapaver\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Poppies<br \/>\nPelargonium\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Geranium<br \/>\nPetunia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Petunia<br \/>\nRicinus\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Castor bean<br \/>\nTagetes\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Marigold<br \/>\nVerbena\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0 Verbena<br \/>\nZinnia\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Zinnia<\/p>\n<p>Good luck!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Palette of Plants Deer Don&#8217;t Prefer Deer Resistant, Never Deer Proof My new garden is filling in fast and I am so thrilled to watch the progress. My transplanted shrubs are thriving on the blend of sandy loam and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/2015\/05\/a-palette-of-plants-deer-dont-prefer\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[131,43,130,182],"tags":[988,282,989,284],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1lB7f-pZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1611"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1611"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1611\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1612,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1611\/revisions\/1612"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1611"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1611"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.loghouseplants.com\/blogs\/greengardening\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1611"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}