What Plants & Herbs Deter Deer in a Vegetable Garden?

Strategy

• Deer tend to avoid plants that taste bad or that have made them sick in the past. These tend to be strongly scented plants, plants with fuzzy or prickly leaves or plants that have a very bitter taste. Deer generally find the plants they wish to feed by their odor, so one of the favorite strategies among gardeners is to install plants that mask the odor of the plants deer favor using plants like lilac or sage. Roses, however, tend to be deer favorites. They should only be planted in a heavily deer-proofed location.

Using Resistant Plants

• Plant deer-resistant, strong smelling plants around the vegetable garden as a border -- the smellier, the better for this application. Just remember that some resistant plants are very tall and may block the sun from your vegetable garden, so plan accordingly. Another favored use is to plant deer-favored plants among the resistant plants -- two resistant plants for each favored plant seems to be an effective number. A few examples of resistant shrubs that would make great border plants are barberry, common buckthorn and Anthony Waterer spirea.

Resistant Garden Plants

• Since deer are attracted to or deterred by scent, many gardeners interplant their gardens with strong herbs. Many use catmint, chives, lavender, mint, sage and thyme. Others include French marigolds, yarrow, ornamental peppers, Mexican oregano, marjoram, tansy and rosemary. All of these plants are common vegetable or herb garden residents and blend naturally in to a vegetable garden.

Resistant Ornamentals

• There are many, many other plants that deer avoid. Some deer in New York state have been specifically observed avoiding specific flowering annuals and perennials. These are plants that should be considered along with deterrent veggies and herbs. Annuals include amaranth, castor bean, Chinese forget-me-not, cosmos, cupflower, dusty miller, periwinkle, saliva, spider flower and zinnias. Perennials on the list include allium, bleeding heart, coreopsis, foxglove, lily of the valley, lupine, peony and speedwell.