Extension Service Garden Hints

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Here are some plants that deer tend to ignore

CORVALLIS - Deer are a favorite with many people, but they can be destructive to vegetation around homes, orchards and gardens in suburban and rural areas of Oregon.

A deer-proof fence may be the best insurance against deer damage, but landscaping with deer-resistant plants can also really make a difference.

Below are some examples of deer-resistant plants suitable for most areas in Oregon.

PERRENNIALS AND BULBS

• Columbine
• Artemisia tridentata - Basin Sagebrush, Big Sage
• Arundo donax - Giant Reed
• Delphinium spp. (Larkspur - POISONOUS)
• Digitalis spp. (foxglove - POISONOUS)
• Hellebore (POISONOUS)
• Iris
• Devil's Poker, Red-hot Poker
• Lupines spp. (POISONOUS)
• Narcissus (daffodil - POISONOUS)
• Romneya coulteri - Matilija Poppy
• Trillium spp.
• Tulip

SHRUBS

• Berberis spp.- Common Barberry and Oregon Grape
• American Bittersweet (POISONOUS)
• Cornus stolonifera - Red Osier Dogwood
• Daphne spp. (POISONOUS)
• Juniperus spp. Juniper
• Mountain Laurel (POISONOUS)
• Kerria japonica - Japanese Rose
• Kolkwitzia amabilis - Beauty Bush
• Pieris japonica- Japanese Pieris (POISONOUS)
• Rhododendron spp. (POISONOUS)
• Syringa vulgaris Common lilac

If you are interested in more plants and trees that are deer-resistant, the Oregon State University Extension Service offers the publication, "Deer Resistant Ornamental Plants," to help home landscapers choose landscape plants unpalatable to deer for their area of Oregon.

The four-page publication includes a climatic zone map for Oregon, and lists of deer-resistant perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, vines and groundcovers. For each plant the appropriate climate zones are listed.

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

By: Carol Savonen

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