Oh, deer! These creatures are beautiful! Anyone else thinking of Bambi right now? It’s okay, we did too at first. Grab a tissue and put a smile on your face. This isn’t supposed to be a sad article!
Even here in the city of Raleigh, seeing deer out and about is very common. They’re beautiful until they cause damage to your car or your landscaping! That’s when they become a real nuisance!
While you can’t do much about them running in front of your car while driving, you can do something about them visiting your landscaping for a meal!
In this article, we will share with you 10 plants that are known for being deer-tolerant as well as other tips to keep the deer out of your landscaping! We’ll start with the plants!
1. Everillo (Carex oshimensis)
This is a grass that does well in the shade. It features a beautiful gold foliage. It is a perfect choice for a year-round grass!
2. Snow Fairy (Caryopteris divaricata)
This perennial can reach great heights. It features a beautiful green and white foliage and blue flowers, which bloom in late summer. This plant will bring much beautify to your garden from mid-spring until the first frost.
3. Japanese Sacred Lily (Rohdea japonica)
This is one of the best Evergreen perennials for dry shade! It contrasts well with other colors you may have in your landscape. On mature plants, clusters of bright red berries form in the summer at the base.
4. Morning Light (Miscanthus sinensis)
This is a great grass to use for mixed bordering, if you’re looking to be extra creative with your landscaping! It blooms during the summer and the leaves remain upright in a vase form. Cut it back in early Spring to receive the best results during Summer and Winter! Does well in sun or part shade. Always looks great and never flops!
5. San Carlos Festival (Salvia microphylla)
This perennial blooms all season! They are long-lived and combine beautiful foliage with lots of pink blooms! It offers great color in any full sun landscape!
6. Black Coral (Colocasia esculenta)
This Elephant Ear perennial survives well during the Winter and returns early with new growth. It has a beautiful dark purple foliage that makes a great focal point and added color for any landscape. It does well in any sun to part sun!
7. Honeybee (Calamintha nepeta)
This is a great small perennial for any sunny garden. It begins blooming in mid summer and continues into fall. It does attract bees so you may not want to put it too close to your door or an open window without a screen. Probably not the best plant to have around if you have a bee allergy! Otherwise, this would make a great addition to your landscape!
8. Orange Peel (Cestrum)
This is a great large perennial that shows its colors best in the summer. It is covered with beautiful bright orange flowers and lasts until the the frost! It’s a great eye-catcher and conversation piece for your landscape!
9. Tango (Agastache aurantiaca)
This is also known as a hummingbird mint that also features beautiful orange flowers. It blooms all summer long and lasts until Fall! It also features a gorgeous blue green foliage. Since it is also known as a hummingbird mint, guess what it attracts! Hummingbirds, of course, as well as other pollinators.
10. Euphorbia Blackbird
This plant features dark purple foliage and provides great color and contrast in any landscape. Does well in full to part sun with good drainage. Also features rather interesting blooms!
Although the plants featured in this article are rather flashy, deer don’t care for them very much! Don’t think these plants are your style? It’s okay, they’re not for everyone. Still, you should do what you can to protect your landscape! Check out these 7 tips to keep the deer out of your landscape!
1. Use human hair.
Now we’re not advising you to shave the heads of everyone in your family for this! Next time you get your haircut, ask your stylist to let you save your hair. And if you’re not too grossed out by it, you can ask to get other people’s hair from the stylist. Spread this around your landscape to repel deer!
2. Hot Pepper Spray
Don’t reach for your can of mace just yet! This will most likely do damage to your plants. Search the internet for a Hot Pepper Spray recipe. There are so many to choose from. Spray this mixture on your plants for protection from deer and other animals.
3. Deer Repellant
At the store, you can find actual deer repellant to spray on your plants. However, some of these are not environmentally friendly so we don’t recommend this as much as the other methods.
4. Territory Marking
Now this may not be the most appealing method, but it is effective. Next time you take your dog outside, try to have it mark its territory near your landscape. Try it, it works!
5. Deer Deterrents
Use things in your garden that produce light or make noise to drive deer away. There are many ways to be creative with this without taking away from the beauty of your landscape.
6. Use Barriers
While this may not be the best choice since you’re trying to show off your landscape, it may be worthwhile to add barriers to your yard, to keep deer from being able to enter your yard. While this may be difficult for those who have to get HOA approval, it is definitely a step that could be taken by those who don’t.
7. Don’t feed the deer.
This is a mistake many people make. They see deer in their yards and think they’re so cute and that they should feed them. Little do they know, feeding the deer is basically an invitation for them to come back, putting their landscape at risk! Don’t feel bad about not feeding them, as there are plenty of other food sources for them (like the neighbor’s yard).
Although we’re sure the deer won’t appreciate or enjoy this article, we hope that you have! Looking to add one, a few, or all of the plants above to your landscape? We can help you with that! Have any questions or need some other advice? We can help you with that too. We do installations year-round and are always welcoming new clients! Ready to get started on your new project? Give us a call today! 919-844-3441 or fill out the contact form below!
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