Woodie’s Picks: Deer-Resistant Essentials For The Late Fall Landscape
Mother nature's foliage is dropping, and these deciduous shrubs are often a deer’s first choice in the buffet of nature. When these shrubs become bare, deer begin turning to the evergreen landscape staples to fulfill their hunger.
This week, we’ve decided to place our focus on four top-notch deer-resistant plants to give your yard impeccable color and beauty. These deer-resistant plants are not only off the menu to those pesky woodland creatures but also add beauty and interest to the landscape.
Five Tips for Deterring Deer From Your Landscape
Before we dive into our favorite deer-resistant options, we wanted to provide you with some tips to help keep your landscape protected and safe from the mouths of hungry wildlife.
1. Plant Enticing Greens Close To The House
Our first tip for deterring deer from munching on your garden is to keep their favorite treats closer to the house. The saying “keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is put to the test here. By keeping plants like mums, hostas, and berry bushes close to the house, you can easily keep your eye on these areas, and frequent foot traffic will keep the deer at bay.
2. Embrace Fragrance
Deer are very dependent on their sense of smell when it comes to searching for their next meal. Pungent plants like rosemary, mint, and lavender are natural deer repellents that we recommend planting in mass around your garden. It is important to note that depending on the plants you pick, this may only be a temporary fix to the problem as many fragrant perennials begin to go into dormancy in fall and winter.
3. Plant Thorns and Prickly Foliage
Next on the list to keep deer at bay is incorporating undesirable textures into the landscape. Plants with fuzz, thorns, or prickly foliage, especially placed near vulnerable areas and entry points, can work as a shield to keep your garden protected from predators.
4. Plant a Thick Privacy Screen
In addition to thorny shields, consider planting a thick wall of evergreen privacy to keep deer off your property! Our Full Speed A Hedge® American Pillar Arborvitae is a fast-growing, deer-resistant favorite in the landscape! Consider planting dense rows of these hardy trees and watch as your yard turns into a deer-free oasis!
5. Use Deer Repellant
Last but not least, a useful tip for keeping deer away from your precious landscapes and gardens is to use Deer Repellent. Whether you’re using I Must Garden Deer Repellent, or the popular Deer Scram Repellent, incorporating these sprays and granules can be a game-changer in deterring deer from making an all-you-can-eat buffet out of your landscape!
Four Deer-Resistant Favorites
Now that we’ve covered the top expert tips for deterring deer, we can discuss a few of our favorite deer-resistant plants to incorporate into the landscape.
Otto Luyken Laurel
First on the list of deer-resistant plants we can’t get enough of is the classic and compact Otto Luyken Laurel. This low-maintenance shrub is ideal for hedging, foundation plantings, and privacy screens.
Best suited for USDA zones 6-9, the Otto Luyken Cherry Laurel thrives in full sun to partial shade. At maturity, the lustrous plant grows to a height of around 4 feet and a width of nearly 6 feet. The dark green wands of oval-esque foliage paired with the small white blooms in spring make this shrub a stunning addition to any landscape.
American Pillar Arborvitae
As mentioned above, the American Pillar Arborvitae is one of our favorite evergreen deer-resistant options for creating a privacy screen.
The American Pillar is a fast-growing specimen that remains slim but reaches heights nearing 20 feet tall. Growing at a rate of about 3-4 feet each year, you can save money by selecting a smaller size and watching your trees grow into a vibrant evergreen wall.
These trees are perfect for smaller landscapes where you want more privacy without taking up too much precious space.
Blue Dune Lyme Grass
For a pop of color in the late-fall landscape, we recommend planting Blue Dune Lyme Grass! The unique cool blue tones contrast beautifully with the plant's tan plumes of blooms, which dry and make for a unique display through the winter!
Hardy to zones 4-9, this ornamental grass is praised for its hardiness to the elements! It is extremely tolerant of a range of conditions and readily drought-tolerant once established. Not to mention deer hate it!
Pieris Mountain Fire
Last on the list of deer-resistant favorite plants to add to your yard this fall is Pieris Mountain Fire. Producing a rainbow show of color in its foliage sporting leaves in various hues of greens, golds, and deep reds, the Mountain Fire Pieris is a striking addition to a fall yard.
Beyond its gorgeous fall color and evergreen foliage, you can also look forward to chains of tiny bell-shaped blooms in early spring. Lucky for you, despite how gorgeously appetizing these shrubs may appear, deer are sensitive to the smell of Pieris and tend to steer clear of it.
Conclusion
Dealing with deer in the landscape can be a real hassle…but it doesn’t have to be! By following our guidelines to deterring deer and incorporating deer-resistant plants into the landscape, you can sleep with ease, knowing that your landscape is safe from destruction!