Print Article | Email to a Friend

One of the most iconic of wildlife native to the Finger Lakes region, the whitetail deer is as revered for its rustic beauty as it is reviled for its destructive feeding habits. Gardeners and landscapers alike wage a constant and often losing battle against the deer’s very survival instinct as they feed upon our landscape plantings. Methods utilized to limit deer browse damage range from scent and contact repellents to physical barriers and scare tactics, each with its own limitations or drawbacks. As a landscape contractor, I believe the best way to minimize browsing damage is by installing plants that deer simply just don’t like.

A Common Problem

When meeting a customer for the first time to discuss a landscape planting design, one of the first things I hear is: “We have a deer problem.” Invariably, one of the next criteria mentioned for their planting is: “And, we want it low maintenance.” Planting trees and shrubs that require repeated applications of malodorous potions or seasonal installation of barriers does not qualify as low maintenance by anyone’s standards. Even those of us that really enjoy gardening and the work it entails, soon tire of all this additional effort. Furthermore, the idea of landscape plantings is to beautify our surroundings. Have we really achieved anything aesthetically pleasing if there are barricades and fencing around shrubs six months a year, or if we have dangling bars of soap and shredded rags soaked in coyote urine hanging from tree branches?

Prudent Planning

I’m not suggesting that anyone abandon their existing landscape plantings or an heirloom plant from a dear (no pun intended) relative to the ravages of the resident deer population. These are the situations where the repellents and barriers serve the best purpose. But you will be saving quite a bit of effort, not to mention replacement costs, if newly installed plants are ones that deer do not find especially palatable. The list, on pages 14 and 15, of deer-resistant trees, shrubs and perrenials is compiled from my own experience at homes throughout the Finger Lakes area. These are species that have sustained very little or no damage, even when everything else around has been severely browsed. While no method of deer-proofing a landscape is entirely foolproof, these particular plants will assist you in developing and sustaining an attractive planting while allowing you once again to appreciate the natural beauty of the whitetail deer.

Del Cronise, of Cronise Landscape & Design, works throughout the Finger Lakes region. Call him at (585)229-4776 or visit his website at www.croniselandscape.com.
______________________________

TREES

Common name - Latin name - Chief ornamental interest

Paperbark Maple - Acer griseum - Attractive bark, good reddish fall color

Red Maple - Acer rubrum - Brightest red fall foliage, excellent shade tree

Sugar Maple - Acer saccharum - Bright yellow and red fall colors

River Birch - Betula nigra - Attractive bark, yellow fall color

American Hornbeam - Carpinus - Interesting structure, smooth gray bark

Hickory - Carya - Attractive bark and branching

Redbud - Cercis canadensis - Magenta early spring flowers

Dogwood - Cornus - Attractive flowers, fruit and foliage

Ash - Fraxinus - Shade tree, purple/yellow fall color

Ginkgo - Ginkgo biloba - Golden yellow fall color, interesting branching

Honeylocust - Gleditsia - Shade tree, yellow fall color

Sweetgum - Liquidambar - Shade tree, excellent fall color

Magnolia - Magnolia - Large, showy flowers

Dawn Redwood - Metasequoia - Interesting bark and branching

Black Gum - Nyssa sylvatica - Interesting branching, excellent fall colors

Hop Hornbeam - Ostrya - Interesting structure and bark

Persian Witchhazel - Parrotia persica - Interesting small tree, glossy foliage

Serbian Spruce - Picea omorika - Dark blue-green needles, narrow habit

Oak - Quercus - Sturdy shade tree, russet red fall colors


SHRUBS

Common name - Latin name - Chief ornamental characteristic

Bearberry - Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - Evergreen groundcover, very hardy

Barberry - Berberis sp. - Red to deep purple foliage in season

Butterflybush - Buddliea davidii - Fragrant midsummer flowers

Boxwood - Buxus sp. - Glossy dark green evergreen foliage

Beautyberry - Callicarpa japonica - Metallic violet purple berries, fall into winter

Carolina Allspice - Calycanthus floridus - Fragrant chocolate-red flowers, yellow fall color

Beauty Bush - Kolkwitzia amabilis - Pink flowers, mid-June

Bluebeard - Caryopteris x clandondensis - Gray-green foliage, blue flowers

Buttonbush - Cephalanthus occidentalis - Glossy green foliage, for wet soil areas

Dogwood - Cornus sp. - Interesting flowers, fruit, bark

Cotoneaster - Cotoneaster sp. - Useful groundcover plants

Burning Bush - Euonymous alatus compactus - Lipstick red fall color

Forsythia - Forsythia x intermedia - Bright yellow, early-spring flowers

Witchhazel - Hamamelis sp. - Fall or late-winter flowering

Rose of Sharon - Hibiscus syriacus - Large, late-summer flowers

Virginia Sweetspire - Itea virginica - Fragrant white flowers, brilliant fall colors

Mountain Laurel - Kalmia latifolia - Glossy evergreen, pink/white summer flowers

Kerria - Kerria japonica - Golden orange summertime flowers

Drooping Leucothoe - Leucothoe fontanesiana - White flowers, glossy evergreen

Spice Bush - Lindera benzoin - Yellow flowers in early spring, yellow fall color

Mahonia - Mahonia aquifolium - Blue-green glossy evergreen, yellow flowers

Russian Cypress - Microbiota decussata - Low evergreen, spreading groundcover

Bayberry - Myrica pennsylvanica - Semi-evergreen, drought tolerant

Japanese Andromeda - Pieris japonica - White springtime flowers, glossy evergreen

Potentilla - Potentilla fruticosa - Yellow or white summertime flowers

Rugosa rose - Rosa rugosa - Large flowers, decorative rose hips

Gro-lo Sumac - Rhus aromatica - Tall deciduous groundcover, excellent fall colors

Spirea - Spirea sp. - Heavily flowering shrubs, pink or white

Snowberry/Coralberry - Symphoricarpus sp. - White or pink fall berries

Lilac - Syringa vulgaris - Fragrant mid-May flowers

Viburnum - Viburnum sp. - Wide variety of shapes, sizes, and flowers


PERRENNIALS

Common name - Latin name - Chief ornamental characteristic

Yarrow - Achillea - Yellow or pink flowers, feathery foliage

Bishop’s Weed - Aegopodium - White and green variegated groundcover

Lady’s Mantle - Alchemilla - Velvety light green foliage, yellow flowers

Ornamental Onion - Allium - Showy purple flowers in early summer

Bluestar - Amsonia - Light blue flowers, early summer

Astilbe - Astilbe - Feathery foliage with red, pink and white flowers

Bergenia - Bergenia - Waxy evergreen foliage, pink flower spikes

Heart-leaved Brunnera - Brunnera - Forget-me-not type blue flowers in spring

Bellflower - Campanula - White and blue summer flowers

Snow-in-Summer - Cerastium - Rock garden plant with silvery foliage

Leadwort - Ceratostigma - Dark blue, late-summer flowers. Red fall foliage

Bugbane - Cimicifuga - White flowers with delicate foliage

Clematis - Clematis - Exceptional flowering vine

Lily of the Valley - Convallaria - White bell-shaped flowers in spring

Tickseed - Coreopsis - Gold-yellow flowers, summer until frost

Larkspur - Delphinium - Tall summer spikes in blue, white and pink

Bleeding Heart - Dicentra - Spring blooming, white or pink, for heavy shade

Coneflower - Echinacea - Long season bloomer in deep rose or white

Barrenwort - Epimedium - Groundcover with glossy, heart-shaped leaves

Ferns - Most genuses - Lush foliage, adaptable to many conditions

Meadowsweet - Filipendula - Moisture loving, flowers in rose and white

Sweet Woodruff - Galium - Groundcover plant with dainty white flowers

Cranesbill - Geranium - Long season blooms in rose, pink and purple

Grasses - Most genuses - Wide variety of sizes and flowering types

Hellebore - Helleborus - Evergreen foliage, bloom at Christmas or Easter

Coralbells - Heuchera - Red, pink or white bell shaped flowers

Chameleon plant - Houttuynia - Red, yellow and green variegated leaves

Siberian Iris - Iris siberica - Purple and white flowers, early summer

Yellow Archangel - Lamiastrum - Striking groundcover with silvery variegation

Deadnettle - Lamium - Low groundcover with pink or white flowers

Lavender - Lavendula - Aromatic, green foliage. Lavender purple flowers

Gay-feather - Liatris - Tall, feathery purple blooms in midsummer

Ligularia - Ligularia - Decorative foliage with citrus colored flowers

Lupine - Lupinus - Tall, spring flower spikes in many colors.

Gooseneck Loosestrife - Lysimachia - White, late-summer flowers on arching stems.

Mint - Mentha - Herbs, adaptable to varying conditions and soils

Forget-me-not - Myosotis - Delicate, light blue flowers in spring

Persian Catmint - Nepeta x faassenii - Foliage and light blue flowers for long season

Nippon Daisy - Nipponanathemum - Late-summer, white and yellow daisy-like flower

Evening Primrose - Oenothera - Early-summer golden-yellow blooms

Marjoram - Origanum - Aromatic foliage with tiny purple flowers

Peony - Paeonia - Early-summer blooms in pink, red and white

Russian Sage - Perovskia - Green foliage with long lasting blue flowers

Jacob’s Ladder - Polemonium - Green foliage with blue bell-shaped flowers

Solomon’s Seal - Polygonatum - Arching branches with white flowers in spring

Primrose - Primula - Early spring flowers in wide variety of colors

Lungwort - Pulmonaria - Pinkish blue flowers in very early spring

Ornamental Rhubarb - Rheum - Coarse leaves with tall summer flower heads

Sage - Salvia - Adaptable, aromatic foliage and flowering

Lamb’s Ears - Stachys - White foliage with spikes of pink flowers in spring

Germander - Teucrium - Glossy evergreen with tiny purple flowers

Thyme - Thymus - Groundcover with pink or purple flowers

Speedwell - Veronica - Early to midsummer flower spikes in purple and pink