If you live near woodland or in other areas where deer are present, there’s nothing more disheartening than walking into your garden and discovering deer have visited overnight and munched on your favourite flowers or berries. If this is the case, here are some deer resistant plants to add to your garden.
There are several different species of deer in the UK, the tallest of which can jump heights of up to approximately 2.2m. This can often make it too expensive or impractical to enclose your garden with fencing tall enough to keep them out.
Therefore it’s ideal to grow plants that deer seem not to like. Or at least ones that are less susceptible to damage or will recover quickly.
There is never a 100% guarantee that deer will not munch on certain garden plants, particularly when food is in short supply. At that point, they’re likely to try munching almost anything.
Is there any point to growing plants that deer love?
There are many plants that deer love to eat and which don’t recover well when damaged and are therefore best to avoid growing.
A few examples of some plants that deer love are camellia, crocus and roses. This list does include edible plants such as raspberries and runner beans.
The good news is, that deer are less likely to damage plants growing close to the house where humans are regularly around. So, if you really love certain plants susceptible to deer damage, it might be worth trying to grow them by planting near to your house. Not only will it protect them from deer, but it’ll also mean they’re right outside your door to enjoy.
Plant protection
The golden rule where deer are concerned is to protect all new plants, with canes and netting. Even those close to the house should be protected, as deer will notice new arrivals and investigate.
It seems that many types of fern and ornamental grasses are resistant to deer damage.
Eucalyptus parvula (small-leaved gum)
First is a pretty, extremely hardy, slow growing, compact variety. Not only can it tolerate most soil types from dry to boggy, but also grows well in a container. It has a semi-weeping habit and pretty leaves, the stems of which are used in floristry. All in all, it’s well worth experimenting with as the strong eucalyptus smell may deter deer from grazing on its leaves and bark.
- Beautiful leaves and bark, flowers in early spring
- Hardy
- Grows to 8m tall and 7m wide
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Exposed
Magnolia x loebneri (magnolia) ‘Leonard Messel’
One of the joys of shorter growing magnolias with scented flowers is that they’re easier to see and take a deep sniff of the scented blooms when they appear. Hopefully deer will leave it alone. This variety produces pretty, scented, blush-pink flowers in mid-spring before the leaves appear.
- Flowers in spring
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 8m tall
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Sheltered
Buddleja davidii (butterfly bush) ‘Empire Blue’
Next is an easy to grow, butterfly-attracting large shrub which produces elegant, arching honey scented blooms. The flowers are a wonderful shade of deep, violet blue during the summer months. As the flowers are produced on new growth, the shrub should be pruned hard each year.
- Flowers in summer
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 2.5 m tall
- Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Exposed or sheltered
Euphorbia amygdaloides (wood spurge) ‘Purpurea’
An excellent, easy to grow, evergreen perennial, with deep purple leaves and stems, producing strikingly attractive lime-green flowers in spring and early summer. The flowers are attractive to pollinators. This wood spurge lends itself to cottage style gardens, as well as underplanting, banks, and slopes too.
- Flowers in spring
- Fully hardy
- Grows to 8m tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full shade, full sun, or partial shade
- Exposed or sheltered
Rosa (rose) ‘Amber Queen’
‘Amber Queen’ is an all-time classic. It has fantastic coloured blooms that are repeat-flowering through the season. Perfect in borders or containers, it’s a great compact rose that will put on a show for years to come. Planting lavender or yarrow near roses is another way to try to keep deer away from roses.
- Flowers in summer
- Hardy
- Grows to 1m tall
- Moist but well-drained soil
- Full sun or partial shade
- Exposed
Climbers
There seem to be two very different climbers that deer are not that interested in. Or, if they are, the plants can quite easily recover from deer damage. These climbers are honeysuckle and jasmine.
Plant both of these in full sun to obtain the best benefit from the highly scented flowers. They will grow in shade, but the flowers will ‘find the sun’ which could even be on the neighbour’s side of the garden. Ensure you give the plants sturdy support as they will quickly topple weak or rotting wood fencing.
Herbaceous perennials
There are a wide range of perennials to choose from. Alchemilla mollis (lady’s mantle) will grow in most locations, in sun or shade. It’s a delight in the summer months, producing light, airy sprays of soft lemon flowers.
Hellebores provide wonderful late winter interest with their pretty flowers ranging in colour mainly from white to shades of pink and darkest purple. There are even some yellow flowered varieties.
There are many different looking varieties of Verbascum to choose from; all producing slim upright flower spires. Some, like V. bombyciferum (the giant silver mullein), are much taller than others such as V. chaixii (nettle-leafed mullein). The flower spikes can be left standing over winter for vertical interest and to also provide food for birds.
Bulbs
Deer generally don’t seem to be interested in bulbs like Galanthus (snowdrop), Narcissus (daffodil), or Nerines (guernsey lily), which can provide interest in late winter, spring, and late summer.
If your garden is commonly visited by deer, you may want to choose your plants wisely to reduce the likelihood of them munching on your prized plants. With these recommendations of deer resistant plants, you can have a variety of plants in your garden, safe from damage.
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David Domoney is a Chartered Horticulturalist, Broadcaster, and Author. David has worked with a number of the UK’s leading garden retailers as a plant buyer and strategic consultant. With more than 30 years experience, in horticulture, David is as passionate about plants now as he was when he bought his first plant at a village fete.
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