Deer Proof Plants

You may have had this experience:  We bought two flats of Impatiens and spent the afternoon transplanting them into flower beds that were shady.  They looked beautiful.  We had hopes of enjoying their growth and blooms throughout the growing season.  Well, we woke up the next morning to find all the Impatiens had been eaten down to the ground.  Money and time wasted.  I was pissed.


Deer populations are spreading more and more into suburban areas, even urban areas.   Friends of ours, who live in my childhood neighborhood near 8 mile and Woodward, Detroit, have deer that visit their yard.  This is an inner ring suburb with lots of cars.  The deer seem to find their way down the railroad tracks and then spread out into green areas in neighborhoods.  It is fun to see the deer, but not fun to have them eat your plants.




So what plants will the deer not eat?


I want to discuss some vegetable plants not palatable to deer and then mention some of the ornamental flowers that deer will not munch on.  The list is not exhaustive, but you’ll get an idea of some of the most common plants which will survive the onslaught of deer.  Keep in mind: if the deer are starving, they will eat almost anything so this list is not foolproof.


In general, deer do not like plants that are prickly and hairy, or that are very fragrant.  Deer avoid prickly vegetables like cucumbers and squashes with hairy leaves.  Plants with strong odors like garlic, onions and fennel are not palatable to deer.  Deer will eat the tops of root crops like carrots, beets, and turnips, but they will grow back.


Vegetables Deer Don’t Eat


Onions

Chives

Leeks

Garlic

Asparagus

Eggplant

Rhubarb

Artichoke

Parsley

Most fragrant herbs


Vegetables Deer Don’t Like But Will Eat


Tomato

Pepper

Potatoes

Squash

Cucumber

Melons

Pumpkins

Brussel Sprouts

Bok Choy

Chard

Kale

Okra

Radish

Horseradish

Cilantro

Basil


Deer Favorite Foods


Beans

Beets 

Carrots

Broccoli

Cabbage 

Cauliflower

Kohlrabi

Lettuce

Peas

Spinach

Sweet corn

Sweet potatoes

Turnips

All fruits

Zinnias in foreground


Unpalatable Annual Flowers


Snapdragon

Dusty Miller

Sweet Alyssum

Zinnia

Straw Flower

Bachelor Buttons

Larkspur

Verbena

Marigold

Vinca

Spider Flower

Ageratum

Flowering Tobacco

Forget-me-not

Heliotrope

Sunflower

Corydalis

Salvia

Larkspur

Unpalatable Perennial Flowers


Winter Aconite

Bleeding hearts

Yarrow

Aster

Astilbe

Coneflowers

Bee Balm

Tansy

Columbine

Shasta Daisy

Lupine

Coreopsis

Black Eyed Susan

Anemone

Peonies

Weigela

Mandevilla

Russian Sage

Bearded Iris

Foxglove

Daffodils

Poppies

Lungwort (Pulmonaria officinalis)

Butterfly Bush

Spirea

Daffodils

Check out my new book "Organic Gardening for Beginners and Students".  It's available as an eBook or Paperback.  Here is the link:





Comments

  1. Nancy CJanuary 29, 2022 at 6:27 PM

    I sent a question moments ago asking what plants deer don’t like- so here it is- I’ve found the answer to my question! Thank you

    ReplyDelete

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