Deer-Resistant Gardening
Stop Deer-struction in Your Garden.
Road map:
- How Deer Dine
- Deer's Dreaded Dishes
- Our BE Deer-Proof Recommendations
Let's dive in!
1. How Deer Dine
Imagine deer as the ultimate gym junkies—they eat a LOT. Just like fitness enthusiasts who have their go-to protein powders but will eat whatever's available if needed, deer also have their preferences but aren't too picky when hungry. They need a balanced diet to stay lean and strong, consuming 6%-8% of their body weight daily. For a human, that would be like eating 48,000 calories, which is:
- 120 pounds of mashed potatoes,
- 64 Dairy Queen Blizzards,
- 16 pizzas, or
- 54 dozen eggs!
That’s a massive bulking season! By comparison, an average grown man should consume about 3,000 calories a day, roughly 1 pound or 0.5% of their body weight.
Because of this, deer are constantly on the hunt for food, especially food that will keep them active and able to run from predators. So naturally, the search is for the best options available. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, that is the shrubs we like to put in our yards. Shrubs, trees, and briars (when options are limited) make up about 50% of a deer's diet.
Even though they’re always hungry, deer are surprisingly picky. They choose food based on preference first, then availability. That's why no plant can ever be 100% deer-resistant. However, in winter, when food is scarce, deer become less selective. Still, there are certain plant characteristics that deer tend to avoid.
2. Deer's Dreaded Dishes
Now that we know what deer like to eat, let's talk about what they don't. Deer usually avoid plants with the following attributes:
- Prickly or fuzzy foliage
- Anything with a lot of texture
- Super smelly plants
Using these types of plants as a border can create an effective barrier, steering deer away from your garden and towards your neighbors’ yards. If that doesn’t work, repellents and barriers like fencing are reliable ways to keep deer out of your garden.
3. Our BE Deer-Proof Recommendations
From testing our own plants, we have noticed these species tend to keep deer away:
- Evergreen shrubs: gardenia, lithodora
- Flowering shrubs: abelia, butterfly bush, spirea, lilac, weigelas, snowberry, Loropetalum, crapemyrtle, sorbaria
- Non-flowering shrubs: bush honeysuckle, box honeysuckle,
- Perennials: lavender, salvia, carnation, coneflower, speedwell, yarrow
- Annuals: blue salvia.
Here’s a few specific suggestions that will surely make a deer’s least favorite choice:
See the whole Deer Resistant collection here!
Sources:
https://georgeweigel.net/georges-current-ramblings-and-readlings/what-plants-wont-deer-eat
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/219305#daily-calorie-requirements
https://deerassociation.com/what-do-deer-eat/