When you look at the landscaping around your home, you may be frustrated by the amount of damage by pests – namely rabbits, porcupines, and OF COURSE DEER. These critters are trouble for your landscape plants especially in the winter when they're hungry. While no plant is entirely safe, you can greatly decrease the damage to your trees and plants but choosing ones which deer do not like as well. Instead of looking like dessert, you want your plants to look like an undesirable vegetable to the deer in your neighborhood.
Many of the plants which are traditionally used for landscaping like yews, azaleas, rhododendrons, arborvitae, euonymus, plums and cherries, hosta, English ivy, and strawberries are frequent victims of deer. And you might as well just forget about lilies and tulips. Those are like candy on a stick.
What can you do to decorate your home with flowers and landscaping that won’t end up in the stomach of our forest friends?
First, check out some of the resources listed below. They can help guide you to the types of plants which deer find unappetizing.
Second, check out some remedies such as Irish Spring soap shavings, dried blood (YUCK), old egg shells, or other environmental friendly ways to deter pests.
https://www.budget101.com/content.php/2920-Deer-and-Rabbit-Repellent-Spray-Recipes
Lastly, ask your local landscaping/greenhouse professional. She/he can help a lot by showing you some good alternatives that are appealing to look at, but may not smell or taste good to animals.
Resources for you
https://www.almanac.com/content/deer-resistant-plants
https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/24-deer-resistant-plants-pictures
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/pests/animal/the-top-deer-resistant-plants-for-your-region/
https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deer-resistant-plants/
While we like to see wildlife, we don’t want our gardens and landscaping to be their food supply. Use these tips to help keep pests away. Then you can enjoy your garden and still smell the roses.
