Advice Needed for Deer Resistant Shrubs (Whidbey Island)

(Originally posted to Ask-a-Gardener Forum)

Hi,

I need some help, please. I have a couple of 3' x 3' square raised beds in my front lawn that sit about 4' apart from each other (7' apart, center to center) A couple of big flowering shrubs would look good in these, but deer have eaten everything I've planted there so far, even when I use Liquid Fence. At first I tried roses, but they were gone in a week. They even ate the 'deer resistant' plants I tried last year. No matter what, I'm always foiled by my 4-hooved nemeses.

I'd really like the site to look a lot better. It's the first thing seen by everyone that arrives at the entrance to our neighborhood. The soil is rocky clay, but both beds have been dug out and replaced with good stuff, and drainage is OK. It's full Sun and open exposure. I wouldn't mind spending a fair amount of money for larger, more well developed shrubs if I only knew they would survive the deer damage.

Any suggestions??

Thank You

Hello, I have had good luck with Osmanthus x burkwoodii, an evergreen, early spring flowering shrub. It isn't flashy, but looks good year round in a quiet sort of way. The flowers are small and white and smell really good when the shrub is in bloom. Bereberis irwinii is another that the deer have left alone. It has small spiny leaves, also evergreen, and bright yellow flowers. Escallonia has also been fairly deer resistant, slightly broader leaves than the other two suggestions, and small pink/white flowers. All have done fine in my clay-based soil, and don't need much watering after they have become established.

I live down the road, in Freeland, and I empathise, completely! They don't leave much of anything but the salal in the yard alone at SOME time of the year. At the last house, they left the osmanthus and lilac alone, and hellebores and the evergreen huckleberry are safe at this house. The huckleberry doesn't do well in the sun, so it doesn't sound as if it would work for you.
Whatever you plant, look into sedum, (Autumn Joy) or hellebores under it.

jane

Another plant the deer haven't touched is a Dark Star Ceanothus (California Lilac). The blue flowers in late April are amazing. I can't wholeheartedly recommend it though, since mine had severe dieback of many branches the year we had that sudden early deep freeze in November.

Try Smoke Tree, Cinquefoil, berberis ruby or yellow, Daphne, Rhodies, Peony,

It's always nice to throw in some foxgloves (digitalis) with the shrubs. Deer are terrified of those b/c they are poisonous to them---so they tend to leave everything alone that is near them. And I love foxgloves---one of my favorite plants.

I'll have to try the foxglove deer deterrent method. I like that idea! I could plant them at the ends of my raspberry rows, and maybe even interspersed in the middle in a few places.

Hevenly Bamboo also.

Thanks to all of you for your responses. Even though I'm discouraged, I'll try again this year. I was thinking of big Rhodies, but wanted to see if anyone had other cool suggestions. I'll look all these up and make a plan.
There's really no good way to fence our yard, and even if we did I'm sure deer could jump it if they wanted to. My neighbor has a 10' fence that regularly gets "hit" as the deer go for his apple and cherry trees.
BTW, besides using Liquid Fence on this site I've tried the soap and raw egg mixture. Failure.
I kept spraying and also circled the area with dog and then human hair (from a beauty salon). Failure
Then I tried Cougar urine. I sprayed the plants with it and also soaked cotton swabs with it and hung them off of little stakes around the area protected with clear laundry soap lids. That bombed big time.

These deer are brave and hungry!

And Skimmia Japonica also for shady spots.