Extension Service Garden Hints

Control hungry deer with deer-resistant plants

Deer roaming the neighborhoods of Oregon towns and cities are not an unusual site in early morning hours during the summer. And although many people enjoy deer and don't mind having them around, home gardeners and landscapers have good reason to look at deer as pests.

Home landscapes are excellent sources of the vegetation deer like to eat. For example, deer feed on woody plants, grasses, fruits, nuts, ornamental trees, shrubs, vines and garden vegetables, according to Dan Edge, Oregon State University Extension Service wildlife specialist.

Edge, co-author of the Extension Service publication, "Deer-resistant Ornamental Plants," says that a deer-proof fence is the best way to keep deer away from home gardens and landscape plants. But landscaping with deer-resistant plants may be a more aesthetically pleasing alternative.

The four-page circular includes lists of deer-resistant shrubs, trees and groundcovers that are recommended for Oregon's various climate zones. If hungry deer are raiding your home landscape, the addition of deer-resistant plantings may help.

For more information on "Deer-resistant Ornamental Plants," EC 1440, visit our on-line catalog. Our publications and video catalog at: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ shows which publications are available on the Web and which can be ordered as printed publications.

By: Bob Rost
Source: Dan Edge

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