Deer-proof plant ideas, that deer just don’t like to eat.
If you live in an area heavily populated by deer, you may have had the experience of planting several hundred dollars worthy of flowers and shrubbery only to find it gnawed to twigs the following day. Deer are not particularly picky eaters and they will try almost any plant at least once. The deer randomly graze and when they find something that tastes good, they usually come back to finish it. Unfortunately, many common flowers and bushes are found to be utterly delicious to our four legged friends. Whole beds of impatiens and sunflowers will suddenly disappear; even thorny rose bushes are not safe from the crunching mouths of deer.
If you want to save yourself from spending money replacing what the deer eat, it’s a good idea to fill your yard and flower beds with plants that they find distasteful in an area with a lot of deer. Although nothing is totally safe from a curious and hungry deer, there are many varieties of bushes, trees and flowers that deer will most likely leave alone.
Deer-proof plants for your garden and yard
If you are trying to start trees in your yard, you might find out how irresistible young trees are to deer. One tree that deer leave alone is the Paw Paw tree. Paw Paw trees are widely adaptable and can grow in either full sun or full shade. They are hardy in zones 5-8 and grow up to 30 feet tall. Paw Paw trees have large, shiny leaves and produce maroon flowers, which bear fruit in mature trees. Another great feature of the Paw Paw tree is that it is also highly resistant to insects.
Other good deer-proof trees include pines such as Colorado Spruce, White Fir, Pinyon Pine and Juniper. Pine trees tend to have a lot of sap, which makes bark chewing a bit undesirable. Also, the sharp pine needles tend to discourage the deer that prefer soft, leafy plants
When it comes to flowers, it’s hard to find varieties that are unappealing to deer. They seem to be attracted to the colors and eat the most beautiful ones first. There are some varieties however that don’t seem to taste good including Peonies. Peonies like full sun and rich soil and the best time to plant them is in the fall if you want them to bloom in the spring. Peonies produce large, luscious blooms that are so sweet smelling, that you will often find ants crawling on the petals. Another perennial that is pretty in flower beds is the bleeding heart. Bleeding hearts grow up to 4 feet in height and become dripping with lovely pink, white or red blooms in the spring. They prefer partial shade and well-drained soil for best results.
Other flower choices for a deer-proof bed are daffodils, daylilies, lily of the valley, black-eyed susans, forget-me-nots, delphinium, geraniums and carnations. Most lilies and daisies seem to be safe from deer and most poisonous varieties of plants and flowers will be safe as well.
If it’s shrubbery you are looking to keep safe from munching jaws, there are a few beautiful bushes that deer will generally leave alone. Forsythia is one and will treat you with the first flowers of spring. Forsythia can grow up to ten feet tall and they will grow almost anywhere. Another good bush is the hydrangea. Hydrangea bushes sport large bursting blooms of white, blue, pink or purple and can grow up to 8 feet high. You should plant hydrangea in partial sun and most varieties are winter hardy. Butterfly bushes, Burning bush and Spireas are also good choices for shrubbery.
Hopefully, with these suggestions, you can close down the 24 hour deer buffet and start to fill your landscape with beautiful plants that just might stick around for awhile.
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