Garden Designers Roundtable: Deer Resistant Garden Strategies

Photo courtesy of jonnnnnn

"All plant material to be low water and deer resistant, however, plants cannot be guaranteed deer proof."

Above is an excerpt from my standard contract when designing for clients who co-exist with deer. The fact that I feel the need to legally protect myself from deer-induced disappointment is a good indicator of how unhappy, angry and downright crazy people get when deer ravage their gardens. Of course, choosing deer resistant plants is the first line of defense, but here are a few other strategies to consider.

 

Fake ‘em out
The police say that one of the best strategies to avoid getting robbed is a well-lit front yard. Burglars aren’t interested in a challenge, and will by-pass you in favor of an easier target. Turns out deer are opportunists as well. As anyone who has dealt with deer knows, plants touted for their resistance vary in effectiveness. But there is also a school of thought that while some plants are generally avoided (think ornamental grasses), other plants go beyond resistance and actually repel deer. This category is made up of plants with an herbal or medicinal smell, like salvia, catmint, rosemary and other strong-smelling herbs. By mixing some of these in with less resistant plants, if you’re in luck, the deer will simply go elsewhere to dine and never notice your delectable blooms. It’s almost like hiding the chocolate pudding in a little fortress of broccoli.

Lavender and catmint are mixed throughout this front yard, helping keep deer away from the less resistant ornamental oregano, guara and coreopsis.

 

Deer repelleing salvia combines with deer resistant lamb's ears and carex to help keep the deer from noticing a Just Joey rose.

And as long as I’m on the topic of odor, if you have a native or low water garden and are in a drought year (or years) the herd’s hunger will increase while their pickiness simultaneously decreases. If your plants are established, STOP WATERING! Irrigation keeps the plants from forming protective resins that render an otherwise repellent odor (to the deer, anyway) odorless. California native gardeners can check out the Las Pilitas Nursery site for additional deer-proofing strategies.

 

Wait ‘em out
Deer are most destructive to young plants, which can easily be chomped down to the roots before a deer even realizes the plant doesn’t taste good. Fencing in young plants or using deer repellent for the first few seasons is one way to get plants strong enough to handle the occasional munching. Once a plant is old enough to withstand losing some of its foliage, nibbling can actually be a benefit. If you’ve ever wondered how the Ceanothus cultivars that are native to California are kept in check in the wild, now you know.

 

Share the Wealth
Fencing is the easiest way to keep deer out entirely, or at least make it difficult enough they are more likely to leave you alone (see fake ‘em out, above). But fencing your entire garden can be expensive, and in the areas where I design, usually the deer were there first. I’ve occasionally been surprised by a client’s decision to build an expensive home in a rural area, then complain about deer and other wildlife. A nice compromise is to fence part of the yard, and leave the rest for habitat. That was the strategy we used in this Mediterranean hillside garden, and it’s been an effective way to give the homeowners the best of both worlds. The fence was left open by mistake one evening, but hey, the roses were ready to be pruned anyway.

Inside...

 

 

 

And out.

 

 

 

Looking for more ideas to banish deer? Check out what other Roundtable members have to say on the topic:

 

Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK

Genevieve Schmidt : North Coast Gardening : Arcata, CA

Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX

Douglas Owens-Pike : Energyscapes : Minneapolis, MN

Christina Salwitz : Personal Garden Coach : Renton, WA

Debbie Roberts : A Garden of Possibilities : Stamford, CT

Rebecca Sweet: Gossip in the Garden: Los Altos, CA

Comments

[rebecca sweet]

I'm stealing your 'hiding the chocolate pudding in the fortress of broccoli' phrase, just so you know. Too funny! I didn't know that irrigation decreases a native plant's stinkiness, either. Great tips and great photos, Susan!

[Robert Webber]

I too didn't know about reducing irrigation, but it is quite logical now I think about it!
And as for Ceanothus, they grow like the clappers here so I am glad I now know how California isn't swallowed up!
Fascinating post.
Thanks
Best
R

[Debbie/GardeofPossibilities]

You get the award for the funniest deer photo of the day, that look is priceless. I like your idea of fencing in part of the yard. It seems like a reasonable compromise and a good way to have your chocolate pudding and eat it too!

[Jocelyn/the art garden]

What Rebecca said! Seriously, the note about your contract brings home the constant need to remind homeowners that there are no absolutes when working with the natural environment.

[Jan @TWOwomenANDaHOE]

Great post, Susan! Thanks!

May all your gardens grow,
Jan

[Pam/Digging]

I think fencing part of the yard and sharing the rest with the deer is a good compromise. For me the back is my deer-proof playground, thanks to a good fence. In the front I have a smaller plant palette to play with, but it's still pretty darn good. We have lots of stinky and fuzzy plants here in Austin.

[Clint Rowley]

I know what you mean. When we lived in Northern California we had dear in our yard just about every morning it seemed. Part of me always just wanted to watch them, and of course the other part was annoyed for the garden's sake.