Deer browsing is a common frustration for gardeners. While building an eight-foot fence is often impractical, a more natural and aesthetic strategy is to choose plants that deer naturally avoid. Understanding the specific features that make certain vegetation unappealing allows you to design a landscape that is both beautiful and inherently resistant to damage. This approach shifts the focus from physical exclusion to creating an environment that does not appeal to a deer’s palate or senses. Selecting the right species minimizes the need for constant maintenance or chemical repellents.
Why Certain Plants Deter Deer
Deer possess an acute sense of smell and a highly developed memory, which they use to identify food sources and potential dangers. Plants that are avoided typically fall into categories based on taste, texture, or chemical composition. This biological selectivity is the foundation of deer-resistant gardening.
One major deterrent is an unpleasant texture, which deer find difficult to chew. This includes plants with fuzzy, rough, or woolly leaves, such as Lamb’s Ear, whose hairs feel scratchy. Other plants with tough, leathery, or fibrous foliage, like ornamental grasses, are often passed over because they require more effort to consume.
A strong, aromatic scent or bitter taste is another primary factor that discourages browsing. Many herbs and perennials contain potent volatile oils or pungent compounds overwhelming to a deer’s sensitive nose. These strong flavors signal a plant that is unpalatable or potentially harmful, leading the animal to seek neutral-smelling options.
Finally, some plants are avoided because they contain mildly toxic or irritating compounds. Though a deer may sample these once, its learning ability ensures it quickly associates the plant with digestive upset. Deer instinctively know which plants can make them sick, and they generally avoid them unless food scarcity is extreme.
Ornamental and Herbaceous Deterrents
Many reliable deer-resistant plants are grown for their aesthetic appeal and fall into the ornamental or herbaceous categories. Aromatic herbs are highly effective, including fragrant varieties like Lavender, which deer dislike due to its intense scent, and Russian Sage, which has a menthol fragrance. Other aromatic favorites include Catmint, known for its pungent foliage, and different varieties of Salvia.
Plants with challenging physical characteristics offer another layer of defense, making them physically unappealing to eat. Lamb’s Ear, with its soft, velvety, and woolly leaves, is a prime example of a texture deterrent. Yarrow, with its fine, fern-like foliage, and the rough leaves of Coneflower are also frequently bypassed.
A third group consists of toxic ornamentals, which are avoided because of their natural chemical defenses. Daffodils and Hyacinths contain poisonous compounds, making them a safe choice for early spring color. Perennials like Foxglove and Bleeding Heart also fall into this category, as deer have learned to recognize and avoid their toxic properties.
Edible Plants Deer Generally Avoid
While no edible plant is truly deer-proof, especially during periods of drought or high population density, certain food crops are significantly less attractive than others. Strong-smelling root vegetables and herbs are often ignored because their pungent odors mask the appealing scents of nearby plants. This group includes members of the allium family, such as Garlic, Onions, and Chives, all of which have a sharp, sulfurous flavor that deer find off-putting.
Crops with an unappealing texture provide a mechanical deterrent against browsing. Prickly vegetables, like certain varieties of Cucumbers and Squash with hairy leaves or vines, are not comfortable for deer to chew. Eggplant, which belongs to the nightshade family, is another less-favored option due to both its somewhat prickly vines and the presence of mildly irritating compounds.
Rhubarb is another notable edible that deer tend to avoid, primarily because its leaves contain oxalic acid, which is toxic. Although the stalks are safe for human consumption, the unpleasant taste and potential for sickness prevent deer from browsing the foliage. When preferred food sources are scarce, hungry deer may sample any plant, so even these resistant edibles require monitoring.
Strategic Placement for Maximum Protection
Effective deer resistance relies not just on choosing the right plants but also on their strategic arrangement within the landscape. Establishing a dense, deterrent border or perimeter is a highly effective tactic. This involves planting highly aromatic or unpalatable species along the edges of the garden where deer are most likely to enter. A hedge of fragrant Lavender or a thick planting of Russian Sage acts as an olfactory barrier, signaling to the deer that the area is not worth entering.
Within the garden beds, interplanting or companion planting helps to protect more vulnerable, desirable crops. By mixing resistant plants among susceptible ones, the strong scents of the deterrents can help to mask the appealing odor of the deer’s favorite foods. For instance, surrounding a hosta or rose bush with Catmint or Hardy Geranium can reduce the likelihood of browsing.
Planting resistant varieties in dense groups also creates a more significant physical and olfactory obstacle. A large, continuous drift of a textured plant like Lamb’s Ear or a pungent herb presents a solid block of unappealing vegetation, which encourages deer to move along. Placing the most highly resistant plants near known deer entry points forces the animals to navigate through the least desirable vegetation, often leading them to bypass the garden entirely.