I need some ideas on what plants (annuals or perrenials) that deer won't eat. Or how to discourage them from eating them
Deer Proof Garden ?
Were you looking specifically for alpine and rock garden plants? If not, chances are you can find discussion on this topic under the "Perennials" forum.
I live in a semi dessert area at an elevation of 7,000. I have an area where I have landscaped into a mounded rock garden with perennials that require very little water. Also I have flower beds that I plant annuals in. By trial and error I have discovered a few plants the deer won't eat. It would be nice to get some ideas on what plants might work. I will post this in the "Perennials" forum also.
Thank you for your response. I am new to this site. So far I am glad that I found it.
Here are a few rock garden plants that seem to be deer-proof and are happy growing in gravel in full sun, in my garden:
Anthemis aizoon (silver leaves, white flowers)
Anthemis biebersteiniana (grey leaves, yellow flowers)
Astragalus angustifolius (feathery foliage that winter-burns, but soon greens-up again in spring, white flowers)
Campanula carpatica
Dracocephalum botryoides (greyish leaves, lilac-pink flowers)
Dracocephalum bullatum (blue flowers)
Erodium chrysanthum (silvery, feathery leaves, cream flowers)
Erysimum 'Turkish Delight' (bright yellow flowers, from maroon buds)
Eschscholtzia californica (annual, self-sowing)
Escobaria vivipara (pincushion cactus, bright pink flowers)
Genista 'Lemon Spreader' (prostrate shrub, tiny leaves on threadlike branches, yellow flowers)
Geraniuim sanguineum
Glaucium flavum (biennial, grey leaves, tangerine flowers)
Globularia trichosantha (short-lived, but self-sows, grey-blue flowers)
Iberis saxatilis (dark green leaves, white flowers)
Opuntia humifusa 'Lemon Spreader' (cactus with pads that lay flat over winter, yellow flowers)
Paronychia serpyllifolia (tiny leaves, mat-forming, small papery-silvery flowers)
Pediocactus simpsonii var. indrianus (cactus, pale pink flowers)
Penstemon pinifolius (red flowers)
Potentilla alba 'Snow White'
Pterocephalus pinardii (lilac pink flowers that turn into fluffy beige seedheads)
Pulsatilla vulgaris
Scutellaria alpina (small snapdragon-like violet flowers)
Scutellaria pontica (bunches of small pale purple snapdragon-like flowers)
Sedum floriferum 'Weihenstephaner Gold' (green leaves that turn purple in winter, yellow flowers)
Sempervivum (Houseleeks)
Silene schafta (pink flowers)
Veronica prostrata 'Aztec Gold' (lime green to yellow leaves, blue flowers)
Vitaliana primuliflora var. cinerea (tiny, silver leaves, yellow flowers)
I hope I spelled all of those correctly!
Wow great list.
Do you have photo of your garden? Would love to see.
I only have pics from several years ago, which don't show many of the above-listed plants. I'll take a new garden pic when spring arrives. We still have a bit of snow lying around at the moment, and nothing is growing yet.
Thanks I will watch the thread
very beautiful. please be sure to take more photos. I am going to google these to learn if deer proof.
I still have 2 feet of snow in my yard. Am so anxious for spring to come. Meanwhile am doing research on all the info you guys gave me. Then after the snow melts I'll see what survived and didn't survived. Then I will replant with some of your plants you suggested.
Spring is almost here and aside from reconsidering your life decisions it's time to plant some bulbs and watch them grow, because we know gardening helps you deal with people's incompetence and disappointment! Spring is also the season wild creatures awake from their winter hibernation, become active and start vigorously seeking for food. And in many cases they will find your precious bulbs and munch on them! So how to deal with Mother Nature's evil spawns? Breeding hunting dogs is an option but if you're not that much into massacring tiny cute animals, or perhaps deers, we have another solution for you! There simply are bulbs that MOST wildlife animals won't snack with.
Galanthus(Snowdrop)
Contrary to your primal association its scientific name is not related to being gallant but being white. As we know in flowers' naming terms there is no racism. The roots of the word are the Greek gála, which would mean "milk" and ánthos, meaning "flower". We won't discuss if this is was creative or not, since this guy is considered the celebration of spring. For a real gardener it's not spring yet if there's no white carpet of snowdrops in his/hers flower garden.
Chionodoxa(Glory-of-the-snow)
Here, I picked another one with "snow" in its name just to prove that there are always exceptions from the rule and the rule would be "I'll only include one exception of spring flowers containing "snow" in their names". If this sentence did not make any sense and seems out of place - that's because there's literally nothing interesting about this flower to be said as a fun fact, which does not mean this lady is not exceptionally beautiful. Because she is! God, I love giving genders to plants.
Hyacinthoides non-scripta(Bluebells)
And since we're on the blue bulbous flowers subject inevitably Bluebells have to be mentioned. I will not give them any gender, but keep it plural. This time. Anyway, its name comes from Scotland and is actually a reference to a similar looking flower, which from a Bluebells's point of view may be regarded as offensive.
Design a beautiful landscape filled with breathtaking blooms and distinctive foliage, without worrying about destructive deer
Nov 04, 2024
The finely finished foliage of fancy grasses will in general keep them out of the mouths of deer that are searching for more delicious food to eat. Grasses likewise give safe house to them and other little critters all through the fall and cold weather months.