DEER IN YOUR GARDEN

Deer show distinct preferences to certain types of flowers. Plants that are soft to the touch with high water content (like hostas) are favorites, as well as buds and rhododendrons. Deer don’t seem to like plants with coarse, bristly, fuzzy, or spiny textures, nor do they enjoy those with intense aromas. That said, if hungry enough, deer will eat anything. They will leave jagged damage on your plant leaves so you will know they have been to your house for dinner. The heaviest browsing by deer will occur from October through February, especially during difficult winter months.

Note: Even “resistant” varieties can be vulnerable in the first few weeks after planting, when their leaf tissue is especially nitrogen-rich. If you have major deer problems, we recommend spraying new plants with a deer-repellent for 3 to 4 weeks after planting to prevent them from being nibbled on and damaged. The plants should survive even if they are feasted on, as long as the root systems of the plants are not damaged.

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CONTROL AND PREVENTION

How to Get Rid of Deer

There are many techniques you can try to deter deer from munching on your plants. Try some of these methods for your garden:

• Spray flowers and shrubs with a deer repellent that contains a mixture of dried bovine blood, sulfured eggs, and garlic. These repellents are available at most home and garden stores. They will not harm your plants and are usually effective in deterring deer.

• Scatter or hang bars of deodorant or cheap motel soap around the garden; if you leave the wrappers on, the soap will last longer. Irish Spring is particularly recommended.

• For your garden, choose flowers and shrubs that are unpalatable to deer, such as forsythia, lilac bush, marigolds, zinnias, daffodils, lavender and snapdragons. Contact your local cooperative extension for suggestions in your area. Here is the Almanac’s list of deer-resistant plants.

• Put strong-smelling plants that deer don’t like on the outside of your garden and smaller plants that need more protection on the inside. Deer tend to stay away from poisonous plants, strongly flavored plants, and plants with hairy or furry leaves.

• The most reliable method is to fence in your garden. We sell a black vinyl fence for keeping deer out. The fence needs to be at least 8ft tall. A strong 8ft metal fence would work nicely but that can get quite expensive.

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DEER RESISTANT ANNUALS

DEER RESISTANT ANNUALS

• Acroclinum (Paper Flower)

• Ageratum

• Angelonia: Dwarf Serena, tall Angelonias and our favorite tall one is the Angel Face Series

• Bachelor Buttons (Corn Flowers)

• Bracteantha (Strawflower)

• Brugmansia

• Calendula (Angel's Trumpets)

• Cleome (Spider Flowers)

• Cosmos sulphureus: Cosmos Xanthos,Cosmos Apricotta and our new Cosmos Diablo

• Datura (Trumpet Flower)

• Delphinium (Larkspur)

• Dusty Miller (Silver Ragwort)

• Euphorbia marginatá ‘Snow on the Mountain’

• Geraniums (Crane's Bill)

• Geraniums (scented)

• Gomphrena (Globe amaranth)

• Gypsophila (Baby's Breath)

• Heliotropium (Heliotrope)

• Herbs (annuals): cilantro / parsley / dill / chervil / lemon grass / lavender / lemon verbena / marjoram

• Lantana

• Limonium (Statice) (Sea lavenders)

• Lobularia maritima (Alyssum)

• Papaver  (Poppies)

• Salvias

• Tagetes (Marigolds)

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DEER RESISTANT PERENNIALS

DEER RESISTANT PERENNIALS

• Achillea (Yarrow)

• Aconitum (Wolf's bane)

• Agastache (Anise hyssop)

• Allium Ornamental Onion)

• Alpestris (Forget-Me-Nots)

• Amsonia (Blue Stars)

• Ariseama (Jack-in-the-Pulpit)

• Arum (Arum Lilies)

• Aruncus (Goatsbeard)

• Artemesia (Mugworts)

• Asarum (Wild Gingers)

• Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly Weed)

• Aster

• Astilbe (False Goatsbeard)

• Baptisia (Wild Indigo)

• Borage

• Bronze Fennel

• Cimicifuga (Bugbane)

• Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb’ and ‘Moonbeam’ (Whorled Tickseed)

• Corydalis

• Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)

• Digitalis (Foxglove)

• Dryopteris (Wood Ferns)

• Echinops (Globe Thistle)

• Epimedium (Barrenwort)

• Euphorbia (Spurges)

• Festuca glauca (Blue Fescue)

• Helleborus (Hellebore)

• Herbs (perennial): Rosemary / thyme / sage / tarragon / mints / Rue

• Iris: Bearded, Japanese and Siberian Iris

• Kirengeshoma (Yellow Wax Bells)

• Lavandula (Lavender)

• Liatris (Blazing stars)

• Lily if the valley

• Marrubium vulgare (Horehound)

• Melissa officinalis (Lemon balm)

• Mint family perennials

• Monarda (Beebalm)

• Narcissus (Daffodils)

• Nepeta (Catnips)

• Oregano Drops of Gold Jupiter (new)

• Oregano: ornamental and edible

• Ornamental Grasses

• Osmunda Fern (Royal Fern)

• Pachysandra

• Paeonia (Peonies)

• Papaver (Poppies)

• Perovskia (Russian Sage)

• Salvia

• Stachys bizantina (Lambs Ears)

• Teucrium (Germanders)

• Yucca

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DEER RESISTANT TREES & SHRUBS

DEER RESISTANT TREES & SHRUBS

• Abelia

• Acer (Maple)

• Aesculus (Horse Chestnut)

• Amelanchier (Serviceberry)

• Aralia (Spikenards)

• Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry)

• Aronia (Chokeberry)

• Aucuba (spotted laurel)

• Betula (Birch)

• Buddleja davidii (Butterfly Bush)

• Buxus (Boxwood)

• Callicarpa (Beautyberry)

• Calycanthus floridus (Sweet Shrub)

• Calycanthus virginicum (Carolina Allspice)

• Caryopteris (Bluebeard)

• Cercidiphyllum (Katsura)

• Chaenomeles (Flowering Quince)

• Chamaecyparis (False Cypress)

• Chionanthus

• Clerodendron trichotoma (Harlequin Glorybower)

• Clethra (Sweet Pepperbush)

• Cotinus (Smoke bush)

• Cornus (Dogwood)

• Cotoneaster (Bearberry cotoneaster)

• Cryptomeria (sugi)

• Daphne

• Deutzia

• Enkianthus

• Forsythia

• Fothergilla

• Gleditsia

• Hamamelis (Witch-hazel)

• Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon)

• Hypericum (St. Johns Wort)

• Ilex opaca (American Holly)

• Ilex verticillata (Winterberry Holly)

• Illicium floridanum (Florida Anise)

• Itea virginica (Virginia sweetspire)

• Juniperus (Junipers)

• Kerria japonica

• Kolkwitzia (Beauty Bush)

• Symphoricarpos (Crepe Myrtle)

• Leucothoe fontanesiana (Fetterbush)

• Lindera (Spicebush)

• Liriodendron tulipifera (tuliptree)

• Magnolia

• Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape Holly)

• Mahonia nervosa

• Mahonia repens

• Metasequoia (dawn redwood)

• Microbiota decussata (Siberian Cypress)

• Myrica pensylvanica (Bayberry)

• Nellia sinensis

• Osmanthus (Devilwood)

• Oxydendrum (sorrel tree)

• Philadelphus  (Mock oranges)

• Picea glauca (Alberta Spruce)

• Pieris japonica (Andromeda)

• Pines

• Potentilla (Cinquefoil)

• Prunus laurocerasus (Cherry Laurel)

• Prunus maritima (Beach plum)

• Prunus serrulata (Japanese Cherry)

• Rhus (Sumac)

• Rubus (Trailing Blackberry)

• Salix (Willows)

• Sambucus (Elderberry)

• Sarcococca hookeriana (Sweetbox)

• Skimmia

• Spirea (Meadowsweets)

• Symphoricarpos (Coralberry)

• Syringa vulgaris (Lilac)

• Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum)

• Weigela

• Wisteria

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