Have you ever felt the heartbreak of sowing your seeds indoors, transplanting them outdoors, and finally, when they’re just about ready to harvest, they’ve already been harvested! By you know who!? Those cute little deer that have been trotting around the neighbourhood! Who can blame them? Your hard work showed and was genuinely inviting. Don’t worry. We’re here to help your hard work in the garden stand proud. In this article, we’ll help you deter deer from your plants in a few easy steps.

Deer Favourites

The first thing to understand is what attracted the deer to your garden in the first place? It wasn’t the cucumbers, was it? No, they’re too prickly! They were more likely attracted to one of the following plants. It’s essential to take note of all the plants you have that we know deer love so we can do everything possible to protect them.

Flowering: Edible: Trees & Foliage:
Knock Out Roses Beets Apple Trees
Daylily Cabbage Arborvitae
Pansies Apples Cherry Trees
Azaleas Beans Hostas
Chicory Broccoli Yew
Impatiens Leafy Greens Chervil
Red Clover Sweet Corn Fennel
Cosmos Sweet Potatoes Fir
Sunflowers Plums Orchard Grass
Gerbera Strawberries Chestnut Trees

 

Deer Deterrents

Now that we know what brought the deer to your garden, it’s time to do everything we can to protect the plants we love! Here are a few ways to disguise the deer favourites in your garden, keeping the deer busy elsewhere. 

Natural Remedies

If chemicals aren’t an option for you and your garden, a few natural ways have been said to work for deterring deer. Give one of the following natural remedies a shot if you’re looking for a natural-only DIY approach to saving your plants from snacking deer.

  1. Chilli powder – Sprinkle chilli powder on your plants to not only disguise their scent but disguise their taste as well!
  2. Irish Spring Soap – If you don’t mind, the esthetic, hanging bars of Irish Spring have been proven to work at disguising deer favourites with their pungent aroma.
  3. Fabric Softener Sheets – Like soap, they hide the smell of some deer favourites in your yard. 
  4. Hair/Fur – Scattered or tied in mesh bags. It is said that the scent of a predator will keep deer at a safe distance!
  5. Companion Planting – When planting, research what plants grow best together! Some great companion plants are used to disguise one another from predators like deer, beetles and more. 

Deer Repellent 

Not all deer repellents are chemical based. Deer Repellent has come a long way to ensure that the safety of ourselves, the deer and our plants are the top priority. If shopping for deer repellent, we recommend using Bobbex Deer Repellent. Bobbex offers an all-natural approach that is environmentally safe. It can be used on most sensitive plantings, trees, shrubs, seedlings and more. This repellent won’t wash off for weeks during the growing season and can last even longer during dormancy. 

Deer Dislikes!

Our favourite way to ensure that the deer won’t be coming over for breakfast, lunch or dinner, is to grow plants they don’t like! Surprisingly enough, deer can be picky eaters and if they don’t smell anything good growing at your place, they’ll move right along! Knowing this, we’ve been growing deer-resistant plants for years and we’re here to share a few of our favourites with you to ensure all your hard work goes noticed and not nibbled!

Deer Resistant Bulbs

Botanical Name Common Name
Allium Ornamental Onion
Amaryllis  
Chionodoxa Glory-of-the-snow
Colchicum Autumn crocus
Crocus  
Eranthus hyemalis Winter Aconite
Fritillaria  
Galanthus Snowdrops
Hyacinth
Leucojum Summer  Snowflake
Muscari Grape Hyacinth
Narcissus Daffodil
Scilla
Zantedeschia aethipica Hardy Calla Lily

Deer Resistant Annuals

Botanical Name Common Name
Ageratum Floss Flower
Antirrhinum majus Snapdragon
Arctotis  
Argyranthemum Marguerites
Bacopa  
Begonia Tuberous Begonia
Calendula officinalis English Marigold
Centaurea cineraria

(Centaurea gymnocarpa)

Dusty Miller
Centaurea cyanus Bachelor’s buttons, Cornflower
Clarkia
Cleome hassleriana Spider Flower
Consolida ambigua Larkspur
Coreopsis Tickseed
Cosmos
Dianthus Pinks, Carnations
Diascia Twinspur
Erigeron Fleabane
Erysimum Wallflower
Euryops Yellow Bush Daisy
Gaillardia Blanket Flower
Gazania
Helichrysum Strawflowers
Helichrysum italicum,

H. angustifolium

Curry Plant (not the cooking spice)
lberis Candytuft
Lamium False Salvia, Deadnettle
Lantana Latan Palm
Matthiola Stock
Monarda Bergamots
Myosotis Forget-me-not
Nicotiana Flowering Tobacco
Oenothera Evening Primrose
Osteospermum
Papaver Poppy
Pelargonium Geranium
Salvia Sage
Santolina
Senecio cineraria Dusty Miller
Sisyrinchium Blue-eyed Grass
Tagetes French Marigolds

Deer Resistant Perennials

Botanical Name Common Name
Acanthus mollis Bear’s Breeches
Achillea Yarrow
Aconitum Monkshood
Agapanthus African Lily
Agastache Anise Hyssop
Ajuga  
Alchemilla Lady’s Mantle
Anaphalis Pearly Everlasting
Anemone x hybrida Windflower
Aquilegia Columbine
Arabis Rock Cress
Armeria Thrift
Artemesia Lactiflora Wormwood
Asarum caudatum Wild Ginger
Aster  
Astilbe  
Aubrieta  
Aurinia saxatilis Alyssum Saxatile
Ballota Cuban Oregano
Belamcanda chinensis Leopard Lily
Brunnera macrophylla Brunnera
Campanula Bellfower
Centaurea macrocephala Globe Cornflower, Basket Flower
Cerastium tomentosum Snow-in-Summer
Cheiranthus Wallflower
Chrysanthemum Hardy Chrysanthemum
Convallaria majalis Lily-of-the-Valley
Crocosmia  
Cyclamen  
Dahlia  
Delphinium Larkspur
Dicentra Bleeding Heart
Dierama Angel’s Fishing Rod
Digitalis Foxglove
Dracocephalum Dragon’s Head
Echinacea Coneflower
Echinops Globe Thistle
Epimedium Barrenwort
Eriophyllum lanatum Native Woolly Sunflower
Eryngium amethystinum Sea Holly
Erysimum Wallflower
Eschscholzia California  Poppy
Euphorbia Wood Spurge
Galium odoratum Sweet Woodruff
Gaillardia Blanket Flower
Gentiana Gentian
Geranium x cantabrigiense Cranesbill
Geranium macrorrhizum Big Root Geranium
Geum
Gunnera manicata Giant Rhubarb, Chilian  Rhurbarb
Gypsophilia paniculata Baby’s Breath
Helleborus Hellebore
Hesperis matronalis Dame’s Rocket
lberis Candytuft
Iris, esp. bearded types Bearded Iris
Iris pseudacorus Yellow Flag Iris
Kniphofia Red-hot Poker, Torch

Lily

Lamium False Salvia,

Deadnettle

Lavendula Lavender
Leucanthemum superbum Shasta Daisy
Liatris spicata Blazing Star, Gay Feather
Linaria Toadflax
Liriope Lilyturf
Lithodora diffusa
Lobelia cardinalis Cardinal Flower
Lupinus Lupine
Lychnis Campions
Monarda Bergamots
Myosotis Forget-me-not
Nepeta Catmint, Catnip
Nicotiana Flowering Tobacco
Oenothera Evening Primrose
Origanum Oregano, Marjoram, Sweet Marjoram
Oxalis Sorrel
Pachysandra Japanese Spurge
Phlomis Jerusalem Sage
Paeonia Peony
Papaver Poppy
Penstemon
Perovskia Russian Sage
Phlox subulata Creeping Phlox, Moss Phlox
Polemonium Jacob’s Ladder
Polygonatum Solomon’s Seal
Pulmonaria Lungwort
Rheum acuminatum Ornamental Rhubarb
Romneya coulteri California Tree Poppy
Rudbeckia fulgida Black-eyed Susan
Ruta graveolens Jackman’s Rue
Salvia Sage
Scabiosa
Sempervivum Hen and Chicks
Sisyrinchium Blue-eyed Grass
Solidago Goldenrod
Stachys byzantina Lamb’s Ears
Stylophorum diphyllum Celandine Poppy
Thalictrun Meadow Rue
Tiarella Foam Flower
Tibouchina Princess Flower
Tradescantias Spiderwort
Verba scum Mullein
Veronica Speedwell
Vinca major Periwinkle
Viola ordorata Sweet Violet
Zantedeschia aethiopica Calla Lily
Zauchchneria California Fuchia

For our full list of deer-resistant plants, click here! Need more inspiration for growing deer-resistant plants? Check out the latest episode of Get Up and Grow, What You Need To Know About Deer Resistant Plants below!

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