by Diane Sagers

CORRESPONDENT

In last week's article I wrote about how to deal with hungry deer that insist on making meals (multiple meals) of plants in your yard. Although there are deer repellents out there and some may encourage the deer to move on, most are not highly effective. Hungry deer can overcome many deterrents.

Without changing your landscape, your best bet is to build an 8- to 10-foot fence. This is effective against deer and about anything else that might try to get into your yard. Unfortunately, something of that magnitude looks more than a little un-neighborly, and you may feel you are living in a compound.

Fortunately there are plants that are deer resistant that you can use in your landscape. Some are less enticing to these animals, while others simply bounce back quickly from their browsing. You can get ideas from the canyons around our area to see what plants thrive despite deer munching, but you may not favor scrub oak as the shrub of choice for your yard.

Deer in different areas may have different appetites. Further complicating the matter, these animals may eat young plants but leave older ones alone. They may skip over some in the spring only to return for a taste in the fall. Worse yet, like people, their tastes change and they may develop a taste for different plants over time.

Some of the plants that we commonly grow here will do well despite deer browsing. The good news is that we are making some good choices already.

Trees

Firs (Abies): There are many firs that grow in our climate, and for the most part deer will leave them alone. The ever popular Douglas fir is misnamed -- it is not a fir at all. However it is considered resistant to deer browsing and makes a good selection.

Hackberry (Celtis): Not all hackberries are adapted to our climate zones, but the common hackberry is adapted to nearly all areas and the western hackberry as its name suggests, is another. It is native to Intermountain Utah. It grows 25 to 30 feet high and spreads nearly as wide. It has somewhat pendulous branches and oval leaves with berries that birds eat.

Maidenhair tree (Gingko biloba): This tree is a survivor -- from prehistoric times to the present. They make excellent specimen trees and street trees and they are deer resistant.

Spruce (Picea): Native spruce trees are found all over in our mountains, and many people have planted spruces in their landscapes.

Juniper (Juniperus): Local people often refer to junipers as cedar trees, but very few cedars actually grow well here. However, there are not many landscape trees and shrubs as well adapted to our area as junipers. They succeed in every type of soil the valley offers -- heavy or light and alkaline and salty. They are not well adapted to overwatering, so place these trees where they will not be watered too often and where their roots will not be waterlogged.

Oak (Quercus): Established oak trees are deer resistant, but you may need to put protection around newly planted and young plants.

Shrubs

Barberry (Berberis): Barberries are reputed to be deer resistant and in some cases they are. Unfortunately, in some areas, the deer consider these thorny shrubs to be a great dessert.

Cotoneaster: Cotoneaster falls into the same category as barberry shrubs.

St. John's Wort (Hypericum): This delightful shrub with the yellow spring blossoms is one that deer tend to leave alone.

Bulbs and perennials

Daffodils (Narcissus): Although deer delight in eating tulip bulbs and will dig for them in the winter or pull them up by the leaves and stems in the spring, they avoid daffodils. If you have had both in your yard in the foothills and wondered what happened to all the tulips you planted last fall, this could account for their disappearance.

Crocus: These tough little spring plants will survive winter, early spring snows, and even deer browsing.

Bleeding Heart (Dicentra): Bleeding heart is a shrub that appears for a short time in the spring then dies back until the next year.

Ferns: Although we may think of ferns in terms of the humidity-loving Boston ferns that we grow in our homes, there are some hardy varieties that will grow well in the cool shade on the north side of homes in our area. Choose carefully to find those that are winter hardy.

Beard Tongue (Penstemon): Penstemons are also native to our area with many native varieties growing in nearby hills. You may find a wide selection of these perennials in area nurseries.

Thyme (Thymus): Thyme makes an excellent ground cover with delightful spring flowers and lovely green foliage that persists through the summer months to form a backdrop to your annual plants.

Annuals

Floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum):

Impatiens: These dainty-flowered shade-loving plants are extremely popular in local landscapes and many new varieties have been added in recent years. They are resistant but certainly not impervious to deer damage. In some places the deer have developed a taste for them.

Lupines (Lupinus): Lupines are well adapted to grow in our area and many native varieties grow in the mountains of northern Utah.

Following is a list of other deer resistant plants adapted to our deer-prone areas. Many of the plants on this list will sound familiar to you. The list below these explanations is not exhaustive, but does offer a wide variety of possibilities.

Shrubs and Trees

Abies - Firs

Amelanchier - Serviceberry

Arctostaphyllos - Manzanita

Artemisia - Sagebrush

Berberis - Barberry

Buddleia davidii - Butterfly Bush

Buxus sempervirens - Buxus Boxwood

Caryopteris - Blue Mist Spirea

Celtis - Hackberry

Cerocarpus - Mahogany

Chamaebatiera - Fernbush

Cornus - Red-twig Dogwood

Cotinus coggygria - Smoke Tree

Fagus sylvatica - European Beech

Forsythia

Gleditsia triacanthos - Honey Locust

Juniperus spp. - Juniper (various species)

Kolkwitzia amabilis - Beautybush

Mahonia - Oregon Grape