Earthly Garden

You can avoid a deer ravaged garden buy planting certain plants and bushes that actually detour deer completely. Even though some deer may still be nosey enough to check out your garden, you can guarantee that these bushes and plants will help to some degree.

For trees you want to stick with these:

1. Buckeye (Aesculus spp.)
2. Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)
3. Fig (Ficus spp.)
4. Golden chain tree (Laburnum x watereri)
5. Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
6. Kousa dogwood ( Cornus kousa)
7. Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
8. Magnolia (Magnolia spp.)
9. Paperbark cherry (Prunus serrula)
10. Witch hazel (Hamamelis spp.)

For perennials you want to stick with these:

1. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
2. Coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.)
3. Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
4. Ferns (Osmunda and Dryopteris spp.)
5. Japanese holly fern (Cyrtomium falcatum)
6. Iris (Iris spp.)
7. Lamb’s-ears (Stachys byzantina)
8. Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris)
9. Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale)
10. Spurge (Euphorbia spp.)
11. Verbena (Verbena spp.)
12. Yarrow (Achillea spp.)

For herbs you want to stick with:

1. Chives and onions (Allium spp.)
2. Lavender (Lavandual spp.)
3. Mint (Mentah spp.)
4. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
5. Sage (Salvia spp.)
6. Thyme (Thymus spp.)
7. Wormwood (Artemisia spp.)

For shrubs you want to stick with:

1. Abelia (Abelia spp.)
2. Acuba (Acuba japonica)
3. Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster dammeri)
4. Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica)
5. Japanese Andromeda (Pieris japonica)
6. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
7. Pampas grass (Cortaderia spp.)
8. Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia)
9. Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius)
10. Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
11. Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera)
12. Yaupon holly (Llex vomitoria)

Most of these plants, flowers and shrubs will help keep the deer from tearing through your edibles in your garden. The best way to prevent them from even coming near your garden is to plant these options a few feet away from where you don’t want them at all.

From fences to other methods, it seems that no matter what we do, deer seem to find their way into our precious garden anyway. The best way to scare the deer away is to stand guard all the time, but who has time for that. Well, keeping deer out isn’t hopeless. If you simply plant deer deterrent plants you can keep them out of your garden through the growing season and pair that with some of the common ways to keep the deer out all year long.

1. Try the NLN method: Planting Lily of the Nile, Lilac and Nicotiana. These plants do not attract deer and the scents of them actually keep the deer away.

2. Having Dogs: Even the smallest of dogs work. It’s not their bark or their growl; it’s their scent that the deer can stay away from. Even a small cocker will keep the hungriest of deer away from your garden. If the deer smell the dog they won’t come around any more.

3. Putting in Motion Sensor Sprinklers: This seems like a good way to get yourself wet, but if you remember you always have the sprinkler you will have a good method in keeping those deer away. They are rather in expensive and it works to keep them away from sure. They will get dowsed about once or twice and never come back.

These are just some simple suggestions in helping you stay deer-free this growing season. Of course, it seems that no matter what we try, the deer always find a way around anything if they are hungry enough. If all else fails, you could plant a specific crop that is attractive to deer in the far reaches of your property to help entice them to go there instead of the food that is meant for you and your family. Good luck!

Here is another list of flowers and plants you can add to your garden or flowerbed to keep the deer at bay.

• Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum): This is a perennial and belongs to the mint family. It has a very fragrant blue blooms and can grow about 3 to 4 feet from the stem. Start this from seed.

• Baby’s Breath (Gypsophila paniculata) and French Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus ‘Sativa’): With Baby’s Breath it can grow to about 4 feet tall and is a perennial and works great in cut flower arrangements. With French Tarragon is can grow about 2 feet tall and is a great and hardy perennial and need some afternoon shade. You can add a fall bloomer as a substitute to this when it is not in bloom called the Mexican mint marigold.

• Horehound (Marrumbium vulgare): Grows about 2 1/2 feet and deer dislike the bitter taste. You can grow this from seed or get a start of this perennial from a start.

• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): This shrub grows about 5 feet tall in milder climate areas and you can even grow it in a container and bring it indoors during the winter months. With many varieties they are always nose level to deer and they don’t like the smell.

• Cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticosa): A native perennial shrub that has bright yellow flowers and can reach heights of 4 feet tall. It can be used as a hedge to line walkways within your garden. It can be grown from divided the original or buy a new plant from your local nursery.

• Goldenrod (Solidago spp.): Not the same as ragweed. This is a native perennial that has 3-foot shoots in late summer season. You can start this from seed or plants found at a local nursery.

Deer are one of the main problems in a gardener’s flowerbed or crop garden, but their are certain plants and flowers you can plant to control the deer running freely throughout your garden. Here is a list of 6 different plants and flower you can add to you garden in the next growing season.

• Parsley (Petroselinum crispum): The bring curly-leaf kind works the best. Grow this biennial, clump-forming herb as an annual.

• Basil (Ocimum basilicum): This is an annual herb and grows in all different forms. You can add it to any space. The best way to grow this is to purchase seed starts from your local nursery.

• Barberry (Berberis vulgaris): This is a perennial shrub and its bright berries and sharp spines are easy to create a lined walkway with this hedge. It can reach about 8 feet tall; grow it from seed or from its own cuttings.

• Poppy (Papaver orientale) and Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa): With poppy it is an annual and bears pretty blooms in a wide range of colors and at times is a double bloom. Grow from seed by just scattering throughout your garden or flowerbed. With butterfly weed it is a hardy native and bears yellow, red and at times orange blooms that attract butterflies. Grow this from seed and sprinkle in your garden the same as the poppy.

• Santolina (Santolina spp.): Gray and green leaf forms on this small shrub. Grows 12 to 16 inches and is very appealing. Grow from the cuttings or from seed.

• Lavender (Lavandula spp.): Come in several different species and hybrids and is very aromatic. Grows to 2 to 3 feet tall. Purchase at a nursery or start for cuttings from another garden.