Rabbits sniff a lot, so put aromatic plants, shrubs, and flowers in your garden. Very low maintenance with no ornamental appeal than its dense green foliage. Evidence of browsing is the ragged tips where the twigs have been broken. When food is short, deer will try most plants Mule deer and whitetail deer in eastern Washington are “browsers.” That means they eat “browse,” on the growing tips of shrubs, trees, and other plants. I don't think this damage is from rabbits because most of the leaves have one or two small bites taken. Plants that are toxic to deer like daffodils and foxgloves are a good bet … I noticed that there seem to be a lot of articles out there to educate people on which plants are resistant to deer, but not so much on telling which plants to avoid. The extent to which plants are damaged and the type of damage depends on: Proximity to the house. In short, humans cut down massive swaths of their natural habitats. Marigolds, alyssums, ageratum, snapdragons, catnip, and strawflowers are examples of plants that repel rabbits. The Plants in My Flower Garden Are Dying, and There Are Holes Around Them, Ornamental Bushes That Do Not Appeal to Deer, University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Sonoma County: Plants Usually Avoided by Deer, Rutgers University Cooperative Extension: Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance, Las Pilitas Nursery: California Gardens with Deer Problems, Fine Gardening: Rosa Rugosa "Henry Hudson", Fine Gardening: Hydrangea Arborescens (Smooth Hydrangea, Wild Hydrangea), Ohio Landscape Association: Plants Deer Eat Less Often, Rutgers: Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance, Gardenia: Hardiest Azaleas and Rhododendrons, Brooklyn Botanical Garden:Deer-Resistant Plants: Shrubs and Trees for the Deer-Plagued Gardener, Missouri Botanical Gardens: Rhododendron Periclymenoides, Pender Nursery: Rhododendron "Pink Pearl" (Azalea), University of Florida IFAS Extension: Ilex Crenata Japanese Holly, Fine Gardening: Ilex x Meserveae (Blue Holly), Poison Control: Azaleas and Rhododendrons "Mad Honey" and other Surprising Dangers. Get exclusive offers, care tips and more! So if you have filled your garden with deer-resistant plants, now you can add some edibles to that group. Buxus sempervirens is a plant deer don't like to eat because its evergreen foliage is aromatic (but please note, not all fragrant plants are resistant to deer.). Summersweet, (Clethra alnifolia, 3 through 9), as its name implies, grows well in the summer. Some deer may sample or develop a taste for any plant! Other deer-friendly plants include wintercreeper (Euonymus fortunei, growing zone 4) and yew shrubs (Taxus sp. There is even a clove currant (Ribes odoratum), which is very fragrant.All currants have attractive flowers and maple-like leaves that make them desirable in the edible landscape. Zone: 3 – 9. Remember, Deer will eat ANYTHING if hungry enough! They can be grown as part of a formal landscape or added to the edges of woods. They relish the leaves as well. Doug Johnson is a Canadian writer, editor and journalist. Spring Glory Forsythia. Deer and Rabbit Resistant Plants Although deer and rabbits are entertaining to watch, they can also do considerable damage to landscape and garden plants. Among the shrubs that repel deer are boxwoods, including the common boxwood (B. sempervirens), littleleaf boxwood (B. microphylla), and Korean littleleaf boxwood (Buxus sinica var. Keeping animals out of the garden is much easier when you landscape your yard with deer resistant plants. If you have a garden full of plants and flowers that deer love to eat, replace them with these attractive, easy-care alternatives By Anne Balogh; updated 11/18/20 Share: Deer love to graze on many types of groundcovers, especially when new, tender growth emerges in the spring. Queen Bee of Honey Dos is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites. Hours of effort have gone into compiling this list and supplying well-marked deer resistant plants for home landscaping. Currant and gooseberry flowers are very popular with hummingbirds. You can grow this cold hardy, easy to grow, berry bush even if you have deer in the area. Electric fences waste electricity, and some deer repellents may be dangerous to humans or other animals. Check out our Deer Attracting Trees & Shrubs! Other plants that deer love include juniper, dogwood and holly. Diets of these animals will change with wild food availability and yearly rainfall and temperature variations. High in nutrition and low in fat, its no wonder currants are more popular than ever. Acer glabrum* Rocky Mountain Maple* Alpine Currant Ribes alpinum ... Aster ssp. These options are as widespread as the deer themselves (possibly more so). Deer Resistant Garden Plants. A type of plant undamaged in one garden will be a favourite in another; The time of year. Deer will eat practically anything when wild food supplies are low, but otherwise, they avoid certain vegetables and herbs. Red flowering currants grow in dry open woods, sometimes adjacent to wetlands and tolerate partial shade. growing zones 5 through 10). Vegetables with potent smells, like fennel, garlic and onion, also repel deer. after the beginning of august, as the food in the forest becomes less palatable, and tougher to chew, the deer move in to the yard to eat the peony leaves, all the flowers they can find, rhododendron, mountain ash, whatever they can find and reach. Ribes amarum, Bitter Gooseberry, tolerates part sun, full shade, sand, clay, seasonal flooding, and deer. From cherry trees to apple trees and beyond, these varieties are perfect for attracting deer to your homescape. insularis), which often grow in USDA hardiness zones 4 through 9. Daffodils (Narcissus spp.) As with other types of plants (shrubs, perennials, etc.) used in foiling deer, "deer-resistant trees" is something of a misnomer. is a genus of evergreen shrubs and trees that grow throughout U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. Deer are usually lazy, they will feed on shrubs that are the easiest to reach. These are among the most common shrubs ravaged by deer, but many others exist that the species is willing to eat. Deer eat many kinds of plants, including several varieties of bushes. In each geographic area, there are browse plant species representing these three classifications, and knowing the 1 st choice plants will allow you locate prime deer feeding areas. Now, obviously deer will eat a great deal of different plants, and how picky they are changes with how many options that they have – i.e, during the winter they could eat jus… Rhubarb is a good vegetable to grow in your garden if you want to keep deer at bay, as it is toxic to them. Juniper (Juniperus spp.) Protective barriers may be needed when plants are young. This also includes pinxterbloom azaleas (Rhododendron penclymenoides, plant hardiness 4 through 9) and the related rhododendrons (Rhododendron sp., zones 4 through 8), though they, too, carry the toxins of the plants. Note, this is only a guide. Ornamental as well as practical, currants are an excellent choice for home gardens in northern states. All the same, avoid planting these bushes if deer damage is a concern. The best way to keep rabbits and deer from dining on your plants is to fence them off – at least 3 feet to discourage rabbits and at least 6 feet for deer. Deer may have different tastes depending on the area, and may eat young plants while leaving older ones alone. Many berries are commonly available in grocery stores, but other, equally delicious ones are abundant in the wild. Deer will even consume the flowers of these plants. Here are 10 tasty wild berries to try — and 8 poisonous ones to avoid. What do deer eat regionally? Though deer can do a great amount of damage to a garden through grazing, it’s important to remember that they have a role to play in the earth’s ecosystem. When it comes to deer candy, deer won’t stop eating your shrub until most of the plant is destroyed. Currant bushes don’t mind clay soil, though it’s good to loosen it up with organic matter. Wildlife biologists classify browse plants into three categories: 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd choice. You can use a variety of ways to keep deer out of your garden, including installing electrified fencing, netting deer-sensitive plants, getting an outside dog and spraying repellents. Alpine currant (Ribes alpinum) is a hardy, low mounded shrub commonly used as a hedge.Plants are tolerant of full sun to full shade. Deer are beloved wildlife and an important ecological species. Trees & Shrubs to Attract Deer. Graceful, gentle herbivores, deer browse on leaves and twigs of bushes, trees and perennials, and graze on grasses and annual plants. What Types Of Plants Are Considered Deer Candy? However, simply choosing the right kinds of plants is the best way, though even this is not a sure thing. They will eat verbena (Verbena sp.) Though roses have many spines, and deer enjoy other plants even more, they have been known to seriously harm them through consumption. Ribes nigrum, the blackcurrant, is a medium-sized shrub, growing to 1.5 by 1.5 metres (5 by 5 ft).The leaves are alternate, simple, 3 to 5 cm (1 1 ⁄ 4 to 2 in) broad and long with five palmate lobes and a serrated margin.All parts of the plant are strongly aromatic. Why are there so many deer, enough to be a bother to gardeners? Protect new transplants and early season growth as long as possible with perimeter fencing, milk jugs, or deer, squirrel, and rabbit repellents. The plants are easy to find for purchase at a local nursery, and at the Master Gardener’s bare root plant sale. So, I decided that it is time to put the warning out there. Understand that planting rabbit-repelling plants isn’t a guaranteed solution because hungry rabbits are likely to eat almost anything. However, as rabid grazers, they can also thoroughly damage yards and gardens in regions near their habitats. Thanks to Russell Nursery for this list. Roses are one such plant. They are great in gardens. Thanks for your reply, Kristena. Deer often pass it by. That said, planting deer-resistant plants is one of the most ecologically friendly ways to reduce deer damage to a garden. Among some of the species of deer-favorite shrubs are the evergreen azalea (Rhododendron sp., plant hardiness zones 4 through 8), despite the fact that the plants are poisonous in large amounts to most mammals. They do object to poorly drained soil. I do notice year to year for no particular weather related reason, the deer here will sometimes eat roses, cucumber vine, tomato vine, potato plants and jerusalem artichoke tops (just the tips and the plant will regrow and they will be back for the tips...but this summer they let them grow) This happens just often enough I have to deer proof the plants just in case. Here's looking at yew, kid. However; if they spot Deer candy, they will go through a lot of effort to get to those plants and devour them. They do well under oaks and once established, don't need water. The bronzeleaf honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera, growing zones 4 through 9), are excellent for mass plantings, produce small yellow flowers, and during the autumn turn a lovely reddish bronze. Forsythia may have a short bloom season, but when it is on, it is … Growing currants was actually part of England's strategy to keep healthy during World War II when vitamin C rich fruits were scarce on the island. This plant has some cultivated varieties. Although they are usually used in baking, jams and jellies because of their tart flavor, some types are sweet enough to eat right off the bush. Alpine Currant will occasionally set small currant-like fruit, but not consistently enough to … here in northern michigan,deer love to eat the onions and garlic that i try to grow, the new growth from every available maple tree. Plants closer to human activity are less often damaged; The choice of plant material available to deer. Although deer will browse their way through most plants we want to eat, they show little interest in currants. Deer consider many plants common to gardens as some of their favorites. The list was compiled with input from nursery and landscape professionals, Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) Cooperative Extension personnel, and Rutgers Master Gardeners in … Alpine currant is one tough cookie. Only reaching 2-3 feet in height and 4-5 feet in spread, this rounded, flat-topped selection is a perfect foundation plant which won't obscure your view if planted under windows. Deforestation has also seriously hurt the population of deer predators, allowing the ruminants to flourish. Sometimes finding out what your deer will and will not eat becomes a process of elimination. Native plants co-evolved with deer and are often better able to withstand deer browsing, if they are eaten at all. (As in, the deer will eat these to the ground). You may want to fence your currant when it is small but as it matures it should be able to withstand some browsing from deer. for example, but rarely. Among the most common evergreen shrubs for foundation planting and hedges in cold-winter areas, Japanese yew bears soft, red fruits that people find quite toxic. There are 43 three species of these ruminants, and they can be found on every continent except Australia and Antarctica. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. It can be tough to find a list of deer resistant plants that will grow in Victoria, BC. How to Stop Deer From Eating Blue Juniper. It forms a thick shrub with branches all the way to ground level. Our Company. As far as herbs go, most that are fragrant or fuzzy-leaved are very deer resistant, except for basil and valerian. Want to bring the graceful sight of deer to your landscape? New plants are more likely to be nibbled on than well established, large plants. This shrub, which can grow as tall as 8 feet and spread as much as 6 feet, grows many small white flowers. Currant bushes (Ribes) are thornless understory shrubs, growing in USDA hardiness zones 3-8.They can grow 3-6 feet wide and tall, and can range in color from red, white, pink, or black. Deer will eat the flowers as well as the leaves, depending on the plant. Currants are usually placed in the occasionally damaged category. Deer, of course, do not. And these bites can be on the interior of the leaf, close to the center of the plant, so rather difficult for a rabbit to access. To avoid deer-related devastation, it’s best to plant deer-resistant flowers and deer-resistant perennials to discourage them. The following is a list of landscape plants rated according to their resistance to deer damage. (Rodents and rabbits leave a clean cut when they browse.) Although the type of vegetation that deer prefer seems to vary somewhat between different parts of the country, it is still possible to identify deer resistant garden plants that should be safe no matter where you live. Few trees (especially young ones) will keep a desperate deer away. This species of deer-resistant shrub is also quite insect- and disease-resistant and is otherwise quite hardy. Numerous species are available to either draw in or repel deer from a garden. Built on the Genesis Framework. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia) Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia), which is technically a … "Vardar Valley" is a popular low-growing, compact boxwood. HAS Deer Resistant List - Page 2 of 3 While many deer eat yew shrubs, the Japanese plum yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia, growing zones 6 through 9), is an exception. In the fall, it drops its leaves without much fanfare, and in the spring it greens up again in the blink of an eye. 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