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Deer Resistant Plants
Though we aren't necessarily in the one of the
worst deer population areas, we certainly do have particular areas of our local
that do contain plenty of deer population to cause a problem within our
landscapes. Deer, especially during the late fall thru early spring seasons,
find favorites within our gardens to feed upon causing frustration and setbacks
to the home gardener.
The most common approach to manage deer problems are with the use of various repellents that either provide either or a combination of both deterrent smells and taste that deer do not fine favorable. Along the right side of this article are a few repellent options that Evergreen of Johnson City has available for you to control the problems of deer within the garden. If you know you are dealing with a deer population within the vicinity of your gardens and are preparing for new plantings in your landscape, we suggest utilizing the selection of proven deer resistant plant varieties to minimize the problems of dealing with deer problems.
Whether deer will target a particular plant species or variety depends on their previous habits and nutritional needs, plant palatability, seasonal factors, weather conditions, geographic area, and availability of alternative foods. Deer are creatures of habit, and previous movement patterns or foraging experiences can determine where damage will occur. Also, one plant species may be rarely damaged in one region or the country, but highly preferred in another due to differences in deer pressure and other factors. Therefore, caution must be taken when using plant preference lists from areas outside your own.
There are many listing of deer resistant plants that you can research. Along with the plants that I have listed below, below are a listing of other helpful websites containing suggestions on how to defeat the problems of deer in the landscape. Please be advised that all of the references provided may not be proven for your local, but will be helpful during your search and trial of deer resistant plant varieties.
Camouflage Gardening by Patti Simons
Rutgers Agricultural Cooperative Research & Extension
West Virginia on Resistance of Ornamentals to Deer Damage
Rhittenhouse Hort-Pro Online Magazine
Cornell on Deer Resistant Plants
* Click on any of the categories to move to particular groups
Large Deciduous Trees / Small Deciduous Trees & Large Shrubs / Evergreen Trees
Evergreen Shrubs / Deciduous Shrubs / Groundcovers & Vines
Perennials / Ornamental Grasses
Acer rubrum - red maple Shade, street tree Red to yellow fall color, silver bark
Fagus grandifolia - American beech Stately specimen tree with golden yellow fall color, silver bark
Pyrus calleryana `Bradford' - Bradford pear Tough ornamental tree with white flowers and purple fruit
Quercus alba - white oak Large specimen tree Brandy red fall color Exfoliating bark
Quercus palustris - pin oak Pyramidal specimen tree Bronze fall color
Quercus coccinea - scarlet oak Rounded, upright tree with red fall color
Salix elegantissima - weeping willow Graceful weeping tree Tolerant of wet areas
Small Deciduous Trees & Large Shrubs:
Amelanchier canadensis - Shadblow Serviceberry Delicate understory tree with white flowers and red fruit
Betula nigra - River Birch to include named cultivars such as 'Heritage' - multi branched tree with decorative bark
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington hawthorn Small ornamental tree with white flowers and orange fruit
Aesculus parviflora - Bottlebrush Buckeye - large multi branched shrub with elongated creamy white flowers
Elaeagnus angustifolia - Russian Olive, multi branched large shrub wt. silver foliage, fast growth.
Rhamnus cathartica - Common Buckthorne
Rhus - Sumac
Vites angus castus - Chaste Tree - large multi branched large flowering shrub or small clumped tree, summer flowers
Cryptomeria japonica - Japanese Cedar, fast growing upright growing evergreen great for accent or screens
Ilex opaca - American Holly - upright pyramidal tree shaped holly producing lots of red berries during fall & winter.
Juniperis virginiana - Eastern red cedar Columnar, upright tree. Good for screenings, borders
Picea abies - Norway spruce Graceful tree with pendulous branches Good for screening
Picea glauca - White spruce Upright, pyramidal tree with light green needles
Picea omorika - Serbian spruce Narrow, pyramidal tree with dark green needles
Picea orientalis - Oriental spruce Slow growing, stately tree with dark green needles
Picea pungens glauca - Colorado Blue Spruce Upright, pyramidal tree with blue to green needles. Good specimen
Pinus cembra - Swiss stone pine Handsome, slow growing tree. Good for accenting and backgrounds
Pinus sylvestris - Scotch Pine, medium sized evergreen with open branching structure
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas Fir Excellent tree for use as specimen or for groupings
Aucuba japonica - Acuba varieties, produce large glossy green and variegated leaves for shade to part sunny areas.
Berberis julianae - Wintergreen barberry Low growing shrub with yellow flowers and purple fruit.
Buxus - Boxwood varieties including Dw. English, Japanaese and Korean.
Chamaecyparis - Cypress varieties such as 'Hinoki', 'Goldthread', or 'Boulevard'
Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. horeana - Japanese Plum Yew, low growing evergreen wt. yew textured foliage
Ilex crenata - Japanese holly Compact growing shrub with fine texture and rounded habit.
Ilex glabra - Inkberry Good plant for massing and naturalizing. Forms dark green background
Juniper virginiana - Common Juniper varieties
Leucothoe axillaris - Drooping Leucothoe Shade loving, massing shrub. Good for woodland settings
Picea glauca conica - Alberta spruce Dwarf, slow growing shrub with pronounced conical form.
Picea abies˙`Nidiformis' -birds nest spruce Compact, slow growing shrub with consistent habit
Picea pungens `R. H. Montgomery'- Dwarf, strikingly blue shrub with compact habit
Pieris floribunda - mountain andromeda Low, rounded shrub with white flowers and attractive fruits
Pieris japonica - Japanese Andromeda Works good as a back drop for other shrubs White flowers & shiny green leaves
Pinus mugo - mugo pine Compact, dense growing shrub. Superb rock garden plant.
Prunus laurocerasus - Laurel varieties such as 'Otto Lukens', 'Skipp', & 'Majestic'
Sarcoccoca hookeriana var. humilis - Sweetbox - broadleaf shrub with very sweet flower fragrance
Taxus spp. - Yew Varieties such as 'Densiformis', 'Hicksi', 'Emerald Spreading'
Thuja spp. - Arborvitae varieties such as 'Emerald Green', 'Rheingold', 'Midget'.
Berberis thunbergii - Japanese Barberry Varieties, red & golden foliage accents for the landscape with thorny branches
Buddleia Davidii-Butterfly Bush
Caryopteris clandonensis - Caryopteris, late summer to fall flowering small deciduous flowering shrub.
Cornus sericea - Red Twig Dogwood, multi branched shrub with red branching intensifying during winter.
Cotinus – Smokebush
Cotoneaster apiculata - cranberry cotoneaster All cotoneasters in general are fairly deer resistant and can
Cotoneaster horizontalis - rockspray cotoneaster form a dense groundcover or can be used in a rock garden
Cotoneaster dammeri - bearberry cotoneaster
Euonymus alatus compactus - burning bush Compact growing shrub with brilliant red to orange fall color
Genista - Broom shrub, arching weeping flowering shrub producing early spring yellow or rose colored flowers.
Hibiscus syriacus - Rose of Sharon, upright deciduous shrub producing summer flowers.
Hydrangea paniculata - PG Hydrangea - upright flowering shrub producing summer creamy white flowers
Kolkwitzia - Beauty Bush
Lindera benzoin - spice bush Naturalizing plant with yellow flowers and yellow fall color
Myrica pensylvanica - bayberry Small shrub for massing in poor areas.
Potentilla fruticosa - Bush Cinqufoil Low growing plant with yellow to orange flowers Very durable plant
Sambucus - deciduous multi branched shrub category including several cultivars with varying foliage colors.
Spiraea x bumalda˙ `Anthony Waterer' - Anthony Waterer Spirea Low, rounded shrub with persistent purple flowers
Spiraea x vanhouttei - Vanhoutte spirea Large massing shrub with white flowers and deep red fall color
Ajuga reptans - Bugleweed, Ajuga
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Kinnickinick, Bearberry, Low, groundcover with white flowers and red fruit
Gaultheria procumbens - Creeping Wintergreen - low growing broadleaf evergreen wt. large red fruit.
Festuca ovina var. glauca - blue fescue Low growing ornamental grass with blue color.
Hypericum calycinum - St. John's Wort
Juniperis procumbens nana - Japanese garden juniper Great for edging, rock gardens, and ground cover
Liriope - Monkey Grass Varieties
Lysimachia - Creeping Jenny
Origanum-Oregano
Phlox Subulata-Moss Pinks
Saponaria-Soapwort
Sedum - Stonecrop Groundcover Varieties
Tagetes- marigold (Annual) Annual bedding plant with yellow, orange or mahogany flowers
Thymus - Thyme Varieties
Vinca Minor - Periwinkle 'Bowles Blue'
Phalaris arundinacea var. picta - ribbon grass Variegated ornamental grass that spreads with rhizomes.
Achillea - Yarrow, grows 18-24" with varieties producing yellow to rose color flowers.
Aconitum - Monkshood
Agastache - Anise Hyssop
Alchemilla-Lady's Mantle
Anemone x hybrida - Japanese Anemone
Anethum graveolens - Common Dill
Aquilegia spp. - Columbine
Aurinia saxatilis - Basket of Gold, low mounding perennial with late spring thru summer yellow flowers.
Arabis spp. - Rock Cress
Artemisia - Wormwood
Asclepias-Butterfly Weed
Bergenia spp. - Berginia
Calamintha-Calamint
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides- Plumbago
Cimicifuga racemosa - Snakeroot, Bugbane
Consolida ambigua - Larkspur
Convallaria majalis - Lily of the Valley
Coreopsis verticillata - Threadleaf Coreopsis 'Moonbeam' , 'Zagreb'
Dicentra spectabilis - Bleeding Heart
Digitalis - Foxglove
Dryopteris marginalis - Wood Fern
Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower
Echinops - Globe Thistle
Epimedium spp. - Barrenwort
Euphorbia spp. - Euphorbia
Filipendula-Dropwort
Galium odoratuim - Sweet Woodruff
Geranium - Hardy Varieties such as 'Sanguineum', 'Biokovo', 'Johnson's Blue', 'Striatum'
Helleborus - Lenton Rose
Hemmerocallis - Daylily Varieties
Hesperis matronalis - Dame's Rocket
Hypericum - St. John's Wort
Hyssopus - Hyssop
Iris sibirica - siberian iris Grasslike perennial with purple to pink flowers
Lamium maculatum - Deadnettle 'Beacon Silver'
Lavendula spp. - Lavender Varieties
Linaria vulgaris - Toadflax
Lychnis coronaria - Rose Champion
Matteuccia struthiopteris - Ostrich Fern
Mentha - Mint Varieties
Monarda - Beebalm Varieties
Nepata - CatNip
Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis - Royal Fern
Pachysandra terminalis - Japanese Spurge
Paeonia -- Peony
Papaver orientale - Oriental Poppy
Pervoskia atriplicifolia - Russina Sage
Rudbeckia spp. - Black Eyed Susan
Salvia spp. - Salvia perennial varieties such as 'May Night'
Santolina chamaecyparissus - Lavender Cotton
Sedum - Stonecrop Varieties such as 'Autumn Joy', 'Matrona', 'Neon'
Stachys byzantina - Lambs Ear
Tanacetum vulgare - Common Tansy
Teucrium - Germander
Thymus spp. - Thyme varieties - wide range of thyme varieties are available.
Tiarella cordifolia - Foam Flower
Verbascum-Mullein
Calamagrostis x acutiflora `Karl Foerster' - Feather Reed grass Upright growing with plumes of flowers in August.
Carex – Sedge
Miscanthus - Miscanthus Grass Varieites. There are many cultivars of Miscanthus. All have their own traits.
Pennisetum alopecuroides - fountain grass Fine textured grass with narrow blades. Very reliable plant.