Plants that Deer Do not Eat?

[TheLoveTurtle]

I have a deer infestation, and I have found no plants that do not attract deer! They love them, I thought of roses because of the thorns, but to no avail! The deer at them, and they loved every minute of it!

Do you know of any plants tht deer do not like, I would love to know.

Thank you,
TLT

[adamdiz]

no clue, maybe posion ivy?

[FallenAngel]

Here's a list of plants that deer won't eat:

Achillea-Yarrow
Aconitum-Monkshood
Agastache-Anise Hyssop
Alchemilla-Lady's Mantle
Allium-Ornamental Chives
Amsonia - Blue Star
Aquilegia - Columbine
Artemisia - Wormwood
Asclepias-Butterfly Weed
Berberis Thunbergii-Barberry
Buddleia Davidii-Butterfly Bush
Buxus-Boxwood
Calamintha-Calamint
Caryopteris -- Bluebeard
Cimicifuga -- Bugbane
Corydalis
Crocosmia-Montbretia
Daphne-Daphne
Dicentra - Bleeding Hearts
Digitalis - Foxglove
Echinops - Globe Thistle
Euphorbia-Spurge
Ferns
Filipendula-Dropwort
Galium-Sweet Woodruff
Genista - Broom
Geranium-Hardy, Scented Geranium; Cranesbill
Grasses-Ornamental Grass and Carex
Helleborus-Hellebore
Hypericum - St. John's Wort
Hyssopus - Hyssop
Iris Siberica - Siberian Iris
Kolkwitzia - Beauty Bush
Lamium-Dead Nettles
Lavandula-Lavender
Lespedeza
Linaria - Toadflax
Lychnis - Rose Campion
Melissa - Lemon Balm
Mentha-Mint
Monarda-Bee Balm
Myrica-Northern Bayberry
Nepeta-Catnip
Nipponanthemum -- Montauk Daisy
Origanum-Oregano
Paeonia -- Peony
Papaver Orientale- Poppy
Perovskia-Russian Sage
Phlox Subulata-Moss Pinks
Picea-Spruce
Potentilla-Cinquefoil
Pulmonaria - Lungwort
Pycnanthemum - American Mountain Mint
Rheum-Ornamental Rhubarb
Rhus-Sumac
Ruta-Herb of Grace
Salvia Officinalis-Garden Sage
Salvia-Meadow Sage
Saponaria-Soapwort
Satureya-Winter Savory
Senecio - Golden Ragwort
Stachys-Lamb's Ear
Symphytum -- Comfrey
Tanacetum-Tansy
Teucrium-Germander
Thymus-Thyme
Verbascum-Mullein
Yucca-Adam's Needle

And, if you'd like to deer proof your existing garden, here are some tips on that:

If they’re hungry enough, deer will stop at practically nothing to get food. Fencing is the only foolproof option, especially when food is scarce or deer population levels are high. Nonetheless, here are a few ideas you might want to try.

Scare tactics
Deer are scaredy cats. That’s what happens to you when your main mission in life is to not get eaten. As prey, they’re always looking to avoid trouble, so new, unusual or startling situations often send them scurrying. I say “often” because suburban deer aren’t as shy as their rural relations; they’ve gotten used to man’s presence and are therefore more brazen.

Sound — Some people suggest leaving a radio on in the yard. Less obtrusive, especially where the neighbors are concerned, are high-pitched warning devices activated by battery-operated motion detectors. A sonic unit can be heard by both people and deer while an ultrasonic unit emits a sound only animals can hear. These devices can detect animals 50 feet away and cover an area of 4,000 square feet. Do unnatural sounds deter deer? It depends. If there’s food available elsewhere, they will probably avoid the unpleasant surroundings in your yard. But if there’s nowhere else to eat, hunger will prevail. Like patrons of the only restaurant in town, deer will put up with a lousy atmosphere to fill their stomachs.

Sprinklers and floodlights — Motion detectors can also be hooked up to sprinklers and floodlights. Deer will flee from the sudden glare of a floodlight or the jet spray of a sprinkler — both of which can be set to turn on and off automatically.

Fishing line — Some folks recommend stringing a strand of heavy, deep-sea fishing line around the perimeter of the garden at a height of 3 feet. In theory, deer bump into this invisible barrier and, not knowing what it is, retreat to safer ground. Mark the line with strips of cloth, though, so you don’t trip over it.

Scent and taste
Scare tactics work mainly through sight and sound. Two other senses that can be manipulated are scent and taste. With scent, you can either confuse a deer with highly fragrant plants and materials (they’ll be uncomfortable being unable to sniff the wind for danger) or you can spook them with the calling card of a predator.

Predator urine — Like I said earlier, deer are prey and behave accordingly. If they get a whiff of a predator — courtesy of cougar, coyote, bobcat, bear or wolf urine — they’ll probably avoid the area. Place the foam “darts” that come with the bottled urine 10 to 12 feet apart and spritz the liquid on the absorbent foam. You’ll have to “freshen” up the scent regularly, especially after rain.

Strong aromas — Here are a couple of ideas for confusing deer rather than scaring them. First, you can hang fabric softener strips or cheesecloth bags of mothballs around the yard. Or take small bars of soap, drill a hole through each and tie the bars to woody plants. Space them 3 feet apart and leave the wrappers on for longevity. Soaps with a tallow base work best. Finally, you can plant garlic bulbs around the perimeter of your garden or hang clip-on capsules of ultrapotent garlic oil wherever needed. Capsules last six to eight months.

Unfavored flavors — You might try growing plants that are naturally repulsive to deer. In general, deer avoid eating coarse, fuzzy or spiny plants or those with strong aromas, especially lemony and minty ones.

Again, if they’re hungry enough, deer will eat just about anything. And plants that are ignored in one region may be eaten in another. Check with your cooperative extension service for their recommendations or take a look at our list of deer-resistant landscape plants.

Nasty nibbles — Deer don’t go for spicy foods, so give them a taste to remember with a hot pepper spray. Mix 2 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce with 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 gallon of water. Spray on plants weekly or after it rains. Another homemade spray recipe: 3 eggs whipped up with 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper and a gallon of water. Being herbivores, deer will turn their noses up to the eggs. And if they do take a bite of a treated plant, they’ll regret the taste of the cayenne pepper.

Several commercial sprays are also available, including Deer Away, Ropel, Tree Guard and Hinder (the latter being the only one suitable for use on food crops). Many sprays are long-lasting, even after rain, but new growth won’t be protected unless you treat it regularly. If you don’t want to spray, you can wrap plants in burlap in winter or drape them year round in a black, loose-mesh netting that’s practically invisible from a distance.

Fencing
Fences are good because they can keep pets in the yard and deer out. What better solution is there to a deer problem than to have Old Yeller patrolling a protected enclave? True, fences can be expensive. But they are cost-effective where plants are susceptible to heavy deer browsing for more than three months a year.

Upright — A deer-proof fence should be at least 7 feet tall, solidly constructed and fit snugly to the ground. Wooden or chainlink fences can look imposing. A less-expensive alternative is a black polypropylene fence, which costs about $125 for an 8-by-150-foot section and is barely visible from a distance. Attach it to posts and pin the bottom to the ground with galvanized stakes every 12 feet so deer won’t crawl under it.

Slanted — Another possibility is to construct a slanted fence facing outward (see illustration at right). In this case, you can get away with using a shorter, 5-foot-tall fence because the three-dimensional effect confuses a deer’s depth of vision and keeps it from jumping.

Double — If you can’t put up a tall or slanted fence, you might try two shorter ones, spaced 5 feet apart. What happens is that deer won’t want to jump the first fence if there’s no clear place for them to land. While side-by-side fences may look odd, you can substitute a hedge for the inner fence because it also takes away a deer’s landing spot.

Electrified — Shock deer, and they’re not likely to return anytime soon. One way to do it is to run an electrified wire 30 inches off the ground, marking it with strips every 10 feet so deer can see it. Then bait the wire with peanut butter. Deer will give it a lick and learn a lesson. (Electric fences may not be allowed in your community, so check zoning regulations first.)

So there you have it: a little ammunition in the war against delinquent deer. Granted, your garden may never be as safe from deer as it would be on a city rooftop, but now you can at least give your plants a fighting chance.

[drjoule]

Lots of info!

Great post FallenAngel this will definetly help out a lot :)

[razorbladetherapy]

Here are all of these type of plants alphabeticlly by the type of plant :)

Perennials

Achillea spp. (Yarrow)
Aconitum spp. (Monkshood)
Allium schoenoprasum (Chives)
Anaphalis triplinervis (Pearly Everlasting)
Amsonia tagernaemontana
Anemone spp. (Windflower)
Aquilegia spp. (Columbine)
Arabis spp. (Cress)
Armeria maritima (Sea Pink)
Aruncus Dioicus (Goatsbeard)
Asclepias tuberosa (Butterfly weed)
Artemisia spp.
Astilbe spp.
Aubrietia spp. (False Rockcress)
Belacamda chinensis (Blackberry Lily)
Bergenia spp.
Boltonia asteroids (Boltonia)
Calamagrostis (Feather Reed Grass)
Campanula carpatica (Harebell)
Chelone glabra (Turtlehead)
Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley)
Coropsis spp. (Tickseed)
Dianthus spp.
Dicentra spp. (Bleeding Heart)
Dictamnus albus (Gas Plant)
Digitalis spp.(Foxglove)
Dryopteris spp. (Wood Fern)
Echinacea spp. (Coneflower)
Echinops ritro (Globe Thistle)
Euphorbia spp. (Cushion Spurge)
Eupatorium (Joe-Pye Weed)
Filendula (Meadowsweet)
Festuca spp. (Blue Fescue Grass)
Gaillardia spp. (Blanket Flower)
Gypsophila paniculata (Baby’s Breath)
Helleborus spp. (Lenten Rose)
Heuchera spp. (Coral Bells)
Hypericum spp. (St. John's Wort)
Iberis sempervirens (Candytuft)
Iris spp.
Lavandula (Lavender)
Liatris (Gayflower)
Lychnis spp. (Rose Campion)
Mentha spicata (Spearmint)
Miscanthus sinensis (Maiden Grass)
Monarda didyma (Bee Balm)
Nephrolepis (Sword fern)
Nepeta spp. (Cat Mint)
Myrrhis odorata (Sweet Cicely)
Nepeta (Catmint)
Origanum spp. (Marjoram)
Paeonia lactiflora (Peony)
Papaver orientale (Oriental poppy)
Perovskia spp. (Russian sage)
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Polemonium caeruleum (Jacob’s Ladder)
Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
Pulsatilla vulgaris (Pasque flower)
Salvia spp.
Stachys byzantina (Lamb's ear)
Tanacetum (Tansy)
Trillium spp. (Trillium)
Veronica spp. (Speedwell)
Yucca spp. (Yucca)

Biennials

Campanula medium (Canterbury Bells)
Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)
Hesperis matronalis (Dame's Rocket)
Lychnis (Rose Campion)
Myosotis sylvatica (Forget-Me-Not)
Verbascum (Mullein)
Verbena bonariensis (Verbena)

Ground Covers

Ajuga reptans (Bugleweed)
Asarum canadense (Native Ginger)
Asperula oderata (Sweet Woodruff)
Convalaria majallis (Lily of the Valley)
Epimedium spp. (Barrenwort)
Lamium spp. (Dead Nettle)
Pachysandra terminalis (Japanese Spurge)
Sedum kamtschaticum (Yellow stone crop)
Vinca minor (Myrtle)

Bulbs

Allium spp. (Flowering Onions)
Chionoxoda (Glory of the Snow)
Colchicum spp. (Autumn Crocus)
Crocosmia x crocosmiiflora (Montbretia)
Eranthis hyemalis (Winter Aconite)
Fritillaria spp. (Checkered lily)
Galanthus spp. (Snowdrops)
Hyacinthus spp. (Hyacinths)
Lycoris squamigera (Magic Lily)
Muscari spp. (Grape Hyacinths)
Narcissus spp. (Daffodils)
Ornithogalum nutans (Star of Bethlehem)
Puschkinia libanotica (Striped Squill)
Scilla spp. (Squill)

Shrubs

Amelanchier spp. (Serviceberry)
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry)
Aronia melanocarpa (Black Chokeberry)
Berberis spp. (Barberry)
Buddleia spp. (Butterfly bush)
Clethra spp. (Sweet pepperbush)
Cotinus coggygria (Smoke tree)
Cotoneaster spp. (Cotoneaster)
Forsythia spp. (Forsythia)
Juniperus virginiana (Eastern red cedar)
Pinus Mugho (Mugho Pine)
Potentilla spp. (Cinquefoil)
Rhus (Sumac)
Spirea spp. (Spirea)
Syringa spp. (Lilac)
Tamarix ramosissima (Tamarix)

Trees

Abies procera (Noble Fir)
Aesculus hippocastanum (Horsechestnut)
Betula lenta (Sweet Birch)
Betula papyrifera (Paperbark Birch)
Fraxinus pennsylvanica (Green Ash)
Ginkgo biloba (Maidenhair Tree)
Larix deciduata (European Larch)
Picea abies (Norway Spruce)
Picea glauca (White Spruce)
Picea glauca var. Densata (Black Hills Spruce)
Picea pungens ‘Nidiformis’ (Bird’s Nest Spruce)
Pinus Nigra (Austrian Pine, Black Pine)
Quercus rubra (Red Oak)