I live in a semi dessert area at 7,000 ', Zone 4. I am looking for some ideas on plants that deer won't eat.
Deer Proof Garden ?
7000 feet. I am surprised the deer can breathe ! (grin) I know they can't possible run!
You will find that the best bet is to talk with neighbors or local nurseries. There are zillions of sites on line where you can research deer proof plants ---however--- it is very regional and so I suggest the local sleuthing. I have read posts where people say that their hydrangea has never been touched or that the black eyed susans are 100 percent safe in their garden ----and here at my house both are deer candy. You will probably get many responses here because on DG everyone is so helpful, but there will be an equal number of folks who hesitate because they know that when pickins are slim the deer will eat your shoes and that even in abundant food times, the preferences can be very regional.
In NC (not sure about your zone for hardiness)
nandina(can be invasive but quite beautiful)
lorapetalum
edgeworthia
daphne
lethacoe (?spelling)
spirea
abelia
cotoneaster
pomegranate tree
beautyberry
snowberry
fern
coneflower (but beware the other four legged creatures)
sage
barberry
bee balm
veronica
black dragon cedar
wiegelia
shasta daisy
agastache
mahonia
lilac
ajuga
May I suggest you GOOGLE Deer Resistant Plants Zone 4 or get more specific
you can even try evergreen deer resistant zone 4 or colorful perennial plants zone 4
deer resistant plants great for a mound zone 4 etc etc. Good Luck.
Look for plants that are pungent, hairy, prickly, or poisonous. Most plants in the sage family (Salvia) are deer-proof, and also Russian Sage (Perovskia). Hardy cactus species - lots of prickles. Euphorbia myrsinites has a milky sap that deer don't like. As for poisonous plants, perennial foxglove Digitalis grandiflora is hardy and quite drought-tolerant. Autumn crocus (Colchicum) is poisonous and enjoys a hot, dry summer. A couple of flax species, Linum perenne (sky blue flowers) and Linum flavum (bright yellow) aren't eaten and they grow well in gravel and sand. However, deer in different parts of the continent have different diets, and they even change their diets according to the season, and so most of the time it's a guessing game trying to figure out what they aren't going to eat!
You might try searching at the High Country Gardens website, not that you would have to buy from there of course. They are located at high altitude in New Mexico, I believe, and maybe their deer have similar likes/dislikes to yours!
Just put "deer resistant" in the search box at the upper right and they have a long list.
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/
Here's a list from an extension office in Colorado: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/Ptlk/2302.html Keep in mind though that nothing is deer-proof. There are things that they may be less likely to eat than others, but if they're hungry enough they'll eat pretty much anything.
WOW,
Thanks you guys for all the input. Some great ideas and sites to see. And missingrosie, 7,000 is nothing around here for elevation :)
I'd need a hyperbaric to keep me oxygenated. I wonder if those deer have 'clubbed' hoofs! (response to low 02 in people can be a clubbed finger shape (spatula shaped.)
meisenach - good luck!
I have so many deer here as well, and they definitely do not read those "deer-proof" lists....who's going to teach them to read if they eat all of our plants??
Even though I spray with repellant, and when they are hungry, like missingrosie mentioned...they will eat anything from the "deer-proof" menu.
ecrane, midwest_tyro and June_Ontario had some good ideas....
The plants that they least eat, for me, in my zone 8 region is rosemary and daffodils. You probably cannot grow rosemary for a permanent shrub...I do have pieris, colchicum, and even aconitum, which is highly poisonous, but every now and then, they too, will get nibbled by those who don't know better...and then see dead deer lying around, on occasion. I plan to grow more of that...it just does not like our hot summers, and then it goes dormant, but will do good for spring. Sometimes, they will even leave the tulips alone, after having been sprayed with repellant, as they were even standing next to them one year, when we went on vacation in February. I was shocked to see the flowers still on them. Generally they will leave the narcissus alone, but some up front have been nibbled. Sometimes they learn by nibbling, and other times they don't.
Also hyacinth and iris are generally safe. There are tricks you can do as well, but nothing beats fencing, as we have our veggies in a fenced area, though we cannot afford to fence the whole 12 acres. They ate my shasta daisies, in fact my whole white daisy garden could just not get established until we got our fence. Some say to put the deer-resistant plants on the edges of the deer trails, or where they go to eat your plants, then put the goodies in the middle, away from the edges...if that makes any sense.
They eat the not-aromatic sages, but not necessarily the aromatic ones...santolina and other grey-leaved shrubs are usually left alone. I am still working on what I can use in the landscaped area, so I probably am not much help. Check with your neighbors and the county extension office, Ag dept in your county as well. I have found not to rely on the lists, but it is a start. I have lost so much money to feeding deer. Please let us know what info you find, and what works for you, as we all would like to know more how not to feed these hungry critters....
Evelyn - here NO iris is save and hyacinth -...... forget it. I assume it is the deer...maybe it is the rabbits...
My shasta's are big and beautiful (until they flop over...grrrr) So again -- it is a regional thing.
There are other hungry critters everywhere...ground squirrels and rabbits can come and go without detection....
I will not plant anythiing without spraying (drenching) in Liquid Fence. Most of the time it works, but when they are hungry...they will take little bites anyway, even if they spit it out. They don't like rosemary, but I have found, even on large shrubs, some branches broken and on the ground...not broken by snow but nibbled, though usually the shrubs are so large so it isn't that noticeable until you look on the ground.
I've seen shrubs ruined in the middle..... the deer rub their heads on the shrubs and break everything off and I find all the limbs on the ground.
Yes that frquently happens with broom (Cystisus scoparius)...but is not for zone 4, nor is rosemary. Hellebore gets a nibble or two but is never chomped down to the center.
To illustrate Missingrosie's point about shrubs being rubbed clear of foliage in the middle, here's a Thuja minus it's mid-section.
Our shrubs that show this are Thuja also! Maybe it is the shrub that invites ...perhaps something about the scent of the shrub on the head appeals! Like a cologne (grin) to catch the ladies
There is a nursery called Deer Resistant Nursery - http://www.deerresistantplants.com/ - that you can at least look at for ideas, but High Country Gardens is probably your best bet - they aren't cheap, their plants aren't huge, but they are healthy and packed well. And if they say they do well in your area, they probably do.
I don't think that Scotch broom has a scent, but many times the deer use it for rubbing their antlers and it is thrashed to the ground...it comes back though. (Cytisus scoparius 'Moonlight')
So much to read and check out. I guess one has to stop by and visit every day. I will check into all of your thoughts. Some of your ideas I have tried. That spray repellant is so exspensive and so stinky!!!!! Last summer I tried hanging mothballs around the yard (talk about stinky) . It helped for a while but the deer must have gotten use to them.
Now we are trying another idea. My husband and I got two puppies 6 months ago. Am hoping they keep the deer out. When they were babies there was some deer still here and the puppies came unglued. The deer looked at them but never jumped the fence. So time will tell. Will let you know how that goes.
Again thanks missingrosie, June, ecrane 3, evelyn, Weerobin (wish I would have gotten a pic of the damage the deer did to my pine trees), and Paganat (thanks for another web site).
Oh, sure. Best of luck!