Garden Design with Deer in Mind

In spite of a damp and dismal early New England spring, work in the new garden space continues as I wait for warmer sunny weather to come along.

On the north side of our property is a sunny, dry and rocky slope that my husband and I have been slowly improving with shrubs and perennials while still leaving room for a vegetable patch closer to our house. Native ferns and lowbush blueberries grow here along with some clumping grasses and small trees. We’ve had to take some of these plants out to make room for the summer kitchen garden but have left many in place to control erosion while also providing some food and shelter for the birds.  Our biggest challenge with this project has been finding plants for the upper slope that will not only tolerate poor soil and dry conditions but also discourage deer from taking a closer look at the lusher garden below.

As far as garden design goes, I must confess that I’m pretty much winging it and experimenting to see what works. This is a fairly large area which would require a professional landscaping crew to tackle clearing it out and planting in one season. It’s certainly more work than my husband and I can handle at one time, so instead, we are slowly improving and expanding a little more each year. The bottom of the slope nearest our house and enclosed by a rock wall has good soil; it’s the rocky and dry ground higher up that we will continue to work on, adding more tough plants as we go.

When choosing plants, I have to consider the deer, rabbits, and voles who regularly visit our green snack bar. Although the smaller creatures can be a real nuisance, it’s the deer that do the most damage. Tall fencing is really the only way to keep them out but it’s not easy to fence in a sloped area and leave it aesthetically pleasing. For the present, I’m incorporating plants that deer usually pass by and placing them in a barrier of sorts around the plants they prefer such as Daylilies and Hosta. I also find that deer repellant sprays and shaved “Irish Spring” soap help to offend their delicate nostrils although the trick in being successful with these products is to be religiously consistent in their use over the entire growing season.

I already have many deer-resistant plants in my gardens including Nepeta, Lady’s Mantle, Yarrow, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Peonies, Phlox, Lamb’s Ears, and Sedum. Over the past year, I’ve been dividing and adding these to the lower level of the new garden space. Some new varieties we’re adding this year to the upper slope area are several different lavenders and “Color Guard” yucca, all of which will also tolerate the dry, rocky site and require little care. Hardy grasses will also work well here, quickly filling in any large gaps.

The garden soil closest to the house is rich with years of leaf mold and added compost. In this area which is visible from the kitchen, we’ve recently planted two fragrant “Bloomerang” reblooming lilacs along with a “Little Lime” hydrangea and “Gold Flame” honeysuckle. Only time will tell how these new shrubs will hold up to the deer but then all gardening requires a good deal of faith!

No open garden is ever completely deer-proof because if deer are hungry enough they’ll eat just about anything that isn’t fenced in. However, by incorporating plants and shrubs that are less appetizing to them, we stand a better chance against damage caused by browsing. An easy online search will provide suitable plant lists for your neck of the woods but, in general, deer dislike fragrant plants and those with fuzzy texture such as lavender or Lamb’s Ears.

What plants have you had success with in dry and difficult locations and which are the most deer-resistant in your garden? I’d love to hear from you and wish all of you success with your own gardening challenges!

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