Saturday, May 31, 2008

Deer Resistant Plants

The bane of the gardener’s existence has to be the deer and their equally annoying friends, the rabbits. It is so frustrating to plant up the garden or put in a new perennial bed only to find it mowed to the ground the next morning by deer or rabbits.
Although nothing is deer or rabbit proof, there are plants that are their least favorites. In general, they do not like plants whose leaves are stiff and fuzzy or that are aromatic. Of course, nothing is deer or rabbit proof, and if deer are hungry they will eat just about anything. Below are two lists of annuals and perennials that are more deer or rabbit resistant.














Unfortunately, most of the vegetables for your garden are pretty much a deer and rabbit smorgasbord. A short fence will keep the rabbits out, but deer are another matter. There are commercially available repellents, as well as home remedies such as hanging Irish Spring soap around the area. The commercial products use several different bases: putrescent eggs, blood products and hot pepper oil. You can also use predator urines and garlic oil. These products do work but they must be used on a regular basis. It also helps to change them periodically since the animals do get used to them.

2 comments:

Danial said...

Deer resistant plants didn’t stop our deer. They still came and destroyed my garden. We ended up trying Deer Off and I’m glad we did. It’s organic and natural and actually works really well. It even repels rabbits. You should give it a try.

countrysidegardener said...

When any animal is hungry enought they will eat just about anything. That's why plants are listed as being "resistant" and not "animal proof." I am glad you had good luck with the Deer Off. Sometimes animals become immune to one type of repellent and you will have to switch brands from time to time. Happy Gardening! Leslie from Countryside