Deer-Resistant Flower Seeds, Annuals, Perennials - Diane's Flower Seeds

Deer-Resistant Flowers
by Diane Linsley

What are the best deer-resistant flower seeds?

You've probably heard the saying, "A weed is a plant in the wrong place." I think we should say, "A deer is an animal in the wrong place." I love seeing deer in the mountains, but I want to eliminate the herd that hangs out in my garden.

After doing research for this article, I was delighted to find that most of the plants in my garden are deer-resistant. The few that are not deer-resistant - like fruit trees, tulips, daylilies, and some vegetables - just happen to be the plants that I've been fighting to save from the deer for many years.

Most of the annual and perennial flowers are doing fine without protection. If I grew plants that were not deer-resistant, they would have died out long ago. That being said, there are no "deer-proof" plants - only plants that the deer leave alone most of the time.

Tips for Deterring Deer

1. Surround plants that are susceptible to deer damage with deer-resistant plants, especially strong-smelling ones like lavender, rue and feverfew.

2. Set a radio in the garden overnight. In my experience, deer despise talk radio. Unfortunately, they get used to it after a while.

3. Commercial deer deterrents sometimes work, but they are very expensive. You can make your own by blending up smelly plants that deer dislike, then straining the mixture and putting it in a spray bottle. Spray the liquid on susceptible plants.

I've also tried mixing egg whites with tabasco sauce and crushed garlic. This sticky mixture can be spread on susceptible plants with a paintbrush. It works for a little while -- until the sprinklers wash it off. Experiment first with a small spot on the plant to make sure the mixture doesn't damage the plant. I used this mixture with variable success on daylily seed pods (which are deer candy) before I switched to physical barriers (wrapping the pods with netting fabric attached with a safety pin).

4. Physical barriers work best. In our garden, every young fruit tree is surrounded by its own cage. These giant cages are made by pounding T-posts into the ground, then wrapping chicken wire fencing around the T-posts. Small plants like lettuce and young roses are protected with tomato cages. If the deer are very persistent, cover the tomato cage with netting, which lets in sunlight, but keeps out browsing deer.

Here's a list of our best deer-resistant flower seeds.

Deer-Resistant Annual Seeds

Ageratum

Alyssum

Calendula

California Poppy

Centaurea cyanus

Clarkia amoena

Cleome

Coreopsis

Cosmos

Cynoglossum

German Chamomile

Mirabilis jalapa

Nasturtium

Nicotiana

Nigella

Poppy

Rudbeckia

Salvia

Snapdragon

Tithonia

Zinnia


Deer-Resistant Perennial Seeds

Agastache

Allium

Alyssum (Aurinia)

Aquilegia

Asclepias tuberosa

Aster alpinus

Bronze Fennel

Campanula

Centranthus ruber

Delphinium

Dianthus

Digitalis

Echinacea

Gaillardia

Geum

Iberis gibraltarica

Lavandula angustifolia

Liatris

Lupine

Lychnis

Oenothera

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Platycodon grandiflorus

Papaver

Rudbeckia

Ruta graveolens

Salvia

Saponaria ocymoides

Scutellaria resinosa

Shasta Daisy

Sidalcea malviflora

Thalictrum aquilegifolium

Thymus serpyllum

Verbascum phoeniceum

Verbena bonariensis


Related Articles

Shade-Tolerant Flowers -- Annuals and perennials for difficult shady spots.

Drought-Tolerant Flowers -- Save water and still have a beautiful garden.

First-Year Flowering Perennials -- Get more bang for your buck.


Recommended Books

Designing with Plants by Piet Oudolf and Noel Kingsbury

Perennial All-Stars: The 150 Best Perennials for Great-Looking, Trouble-Free Gardens by Jeff Cox


Seeds

Annual Flower Seeds

Perennial Flower Seeds


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