How to Avoid Evergreens That Deer Eat

Identify the evergreen plants in your yard that the deer have been eating. Deer often graze and forage on catabaw rhododendrons, both balsam and fraser fir, evergreen varieties of azaleas and Atlantic white cedar.

Transplant, if possible, the evergreens you've identified to more protected areas of your property such as inside a fence line, next to a front or back door where foot traffic would keep the deer away, near a dog house or next to your garage or parking space.

Plant deer-deterring plants around your frequently nibbled evergreens if you can't move them to create a barrier of scented or bitter leaves that deer don't like to eat. Select herbs such as ornamental chives, thyme, bee balm, lemon balm or lavender and place them around the base of the evergreen or in a ring about 1 to 2 feet out from the plant.

Replace the evergreens that are being consumed with evergreen plants deer don't eat. Trees deer avoid include spruce, eastern Canadian hemlock and limber pine. Resistant shrubs to select are boxwoods, juniper, northern bayberry, andromeda, heather or rhododendrons that are the PJM or purple gem variety. Place creeping juniper or green carpet pachysandra to have an evergreen groundcover deer will leave alone.