Deer devastation

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Flower beds are often ruined by deer, so plant wisely.

By Country queries of The Field

Monday, 27 October 2008

My house sits in the middle of a farm surrounded by forestry. We love to see the wildlife in our garden but are unable to have flower beds as the muntjac and fallow deer come and help themselves. As we don't want to fence the garden are there plants we could have that the deer would not eat? If so, what are they?

Deer have a preference for certain plants so planting unpalatable ones can help reduce deer damage. The range of unpalatable plants is restricted and will limit the diversity and appeal of the garden if they are the only choice. These plants include camellia, fuchsia, hellebore, hosta, hydrangea, iris, lavender, poppy and rhododendron.

Another way to protect your flowers and maintain a diverse garden is to provide an alternative browse for the deer by allowing branbles, rosebay, willowherb, rowan, dandelion, campion, knotweed, sweet lupin, redleg and yarrow to grow in the garden. The deer will prefer these and should avoid your favourite vulnerable plants.

This mixture of effective plant protection should help reduce deer depradation and provide an attractive boundary. An added benefit is that a more varied garden would be richer in insects and birds. With this extra safeguard other plants should flourish. A list can be found on The British Deer Society's website.