Flowers that deer don't eat

[jennyb]

Can anyone suggest any summer flowers or flowering shrubs that deer do not eat?

We have a huge problem in the garden with deer. Although it is lovely to see them (both Roe Deer and Muntjac) in the garden, they are terribly destructive and eat anything pretty.

In the last 20 years we have tried planting all sorts of flowers (annual and perennial) and flowering shrubs, but there are very few that don't get eaten.

The only things they don't seem to bother with are red hot pokers (Kniphofia), potentilla, herbs like sage and marjoram, hypericum (St John's Wort), heather and montbretia.

I even tried planting things in tubs right under the window thinking that they would not come close to the house, but each year, the blooms are just nipped off as they appear.

It would be impossible to fence off the whole garden since it is quite big and incorporates some woodland. It would even be difficult to fence off bits of the garden. I would just like to have some pretty flowers around the house in the summertime. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Jenny

[Tragus]

Hi Jenny
We have the same problem here with the Fallow deer (and the rabbits!)
You could try prickly bushes and hairy plants. I do have a list somewhere, but it's not close to hand. I will look it out for you for tomorrow.

Have you noticed how they seem to LOVE roses? One of ours was just about to bloom and in the night the deer snuck up to the house and bit EVERY head of it
Mind you, there are compensations.......I love watching the deer, especially when the fawns come to visit
Jo

[Tragus]

Hi again Jenny
I just went and had a quick look and managed to lay my hands on the list we have. If I remember correctly I got this of the Internet, but for the life of me I can't remember where
Anyhow, here's the list

Deer Resistant Perennials, Bulbs and Herbs

Agave and Cactus
Anise Hyssop (Agastache)
Archange (Lamiastrum and Lamium)
Bamboo (although our deer have had a go at two of our plants!)
Bishops Hat (Epimedium)
Bears Breeches (Acanthus)
Beebalm (Monarda)
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)
Blue Fescue Grass
Blue Star (Amsonia)
Butterfly Flower (Asclepias)
Catmint (Nepeta)
Comfrey (Symphytum)
Daffodils (Narcissus)
False Indigo (Baptisia)
False Solomon's Seal (Smilacina)
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis)
Ferns (most, except Japanese Silver Painted)
Fountain Grass (pennisetum)
Foxglove (Digitalis)
Gas Plant (Dictamnus)
Germander (Teucrium)
Ginger (Asarum)
Goatsbeard (Aruncus)
Hardy Cyclamen
Hardy Geraniums (especially Geranium macrorrhizum)
Hyacinth
Iris (especially Bearded Iris)
Jack-in-the-pulpit (Arisaemia triphyllum)
Lamb's Ears (Stachys lanata)
Lavender (Lavandula)
Lavender Cotton (Santolina)
Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus)
Lily of the Valley (Convallaria)
Lungwort (Pulmonaria)
Miscanthus grass
Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon)
Monkshood(Aconitum)
Mountain Balm (Calamintha)
Ornamental Onion (Allium)
Ornamental Oregano
Ornamental Rhubarb (Rheum)
Pachysandra
Pampas Grass (Cortaderia)
Peonies (Paeonia)
Periwinkle (Vinca)
Plumbago (Ceratostigma)
Rose Campion (especially Lychnis coronaria)
Rosemary
Russian Sage (Pervoskia)
Salvias and sages
Scilla
Soapwort (Saponaria)
Spiderwort (Tradescantia)
Spurge (Euphorbia)
St. John's Wort (Hypericum)
Sweet Woodruff (Asperula)
Tansy
Thyme
Tickseed (Coreopsis)
Waterlily (Colchicum)
Wormwood (artemisia)
Yarrow (Achillea)
Yucca

Although most of these plants can withstand a little nibbling, they wont all survive a full blown attack by a herd!!
Good luck
Jo

[jennyb]

Jo,

Many thanks for these. I have a few of these which have obviously survived, so I should have realised. None of them are the really pretty, colourful, summer flowers that you see in an English garden. Do you know of any annuals that I could put in my patio pots for summer?

Yes, roses are their favourites! I would love to grow roses and we have a couple of climbers which have got above grazing height so flower high up the wall. However, I put one right beside my kitchen door and even this has been eaten, so they are not afraid to come right up to the house.

I agree there are compensations. I love to watch them too. There were six of them together in the garden last week. Normally just 2 or 3 at a time.

Jenny

[Kayleigh]

Hi
I know you said you could not fence the garden off but have you thought about an electric fence. You put plastic poles into the ground which hold the wire. Its easy to move around the garden. Its used to keep horses in one area. You could use it just in the summer to protect your plants.

[nightshade]

Berbris is a nice shrub stock-proof aswell (and hooligan proof)

[jennyb]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Hi
I know you said you could not fence the garden off but have you thought about an electric fence. You put plastic poles into the ground which hold the wire. Its easy to move around the garden. Its used to keep horses in one area. You could use it just in the summer to protect your plants.

This sounds an interesting idea. I will investigate, but I guess it could be quite expensive.

It would be very nice to have at least one big flower bed with pretty flowers and that would probably be quite easy to protect like this.

Many thanks,

Jenny

[jennyb]

Originally Posted by nightshade

Berbris is a nice shrub stock-proof aswell (and hooligan proof)

Yes, I have found from experience that they don't eat Berberis and they are pretty when flowering.

Jenny

[nightshade]

How did you do with your garden catalogue or is it still a work in progress?
One thing I forgot is audio tape from a cassette(or video)stretched taut it gives a hum when the breeze is blowing,I used to put it on kites to frighten evil spirits away! it does work on deer and is cheap Val Doonican tapes are allegedly best

[jennyb]

Originally Posted by nightshade

How did you do with your garden catalogue or is it still a work in progress?

My web site is progressing nicely. I add things every week. My latest additions in the bird section are cole tit, marsh tit, siskin and goldfinch, although I have not managed to get decent photos of all of them yet. This brings the number of types of birds to 40.

I have also managed to add some spring flowers recently, although the daffodils are a bit slow this year, so no decent photos of these yet.

This will be work in progress for the next 5 years, I'm sure! I have hardly started on the animals, insects and pond life.

Originally Posted by nightshade

One thing I forgot is audio tape from a cassette(or video)stretched taut it gives a hum when the breeze is blowing,I used to put it on kites to frighten evil spirits away! it does work on deer and is cheap Val Doonican tapes are allegedly best

This is a very good idea. I will try it on the plants in pots on the patio when I get them planted - but no Val Doonican I'm afraid!

Jenny