Keep Your Garden From Becoming a Deer Salad Bar

Tired of serving the local wildlife an all-you-can-eat buffet of perennials, annuals and shrubs? Take some tips on the best deer-resistant plants.

By Amanda Lecky of Good Housekeeping

The first spring that we owned the house we live in now, I was thrilled to see a lush border of hostas pop up along the driveway. Hostas have been one of my favorite plants since I cut my gardening teeth in a shady spot in the Adirondacks, and so that first spring I added even more to the new property — brightening low spots with the variegated leaves of hosta “Sweet Innocence” and adding cool blue texture with hosta “Elegans.” All was well in our suburban yard until summer arrived, bringing with it not just heat and humidity, but some unexpected — and unwanted — guests: deer.

Soon, I realized that the deer that traipse through our property each night love hostas as much as I do. What says “textural border” to me screams “salad bar” to them. And so, after a couple of seasons of watching the deer gobble the hostas and various other perennials and annuals down to the ground, I finally pulled every plant from the border and let pachysandra fill the empty spots. That’s a plant deer don’t favor, though they’ve been known to eat just about anything if hungry enough.

I did experiment with spraying my plants with deer-repellent mixtures, but I’m a lazy gardener: I like to plant and then neglect as much as possible. So over time, I’ve filled my perennial beds with deer-resistant plants, such as echinacea and yarrow. These have the added benefit of being hardy and heat-tolerant, so I don’t have to water as much as I used to, either.

Luckily, there’s a wide variety of plants that deer don’t love, many of which you can read about in Ruth Rogers Clausen’s new book, “50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat” ($20, Timber Press). Clausen gives some great ideas on how to discourage deer from browsing in your garden and provides detailed planting and growing information, as well as a “deer resistance rating” for all 50 plants. Take her tips and you just might persuade the deer to eat at a restaurant down the street.

Fertilize Your Yard

How to Choose Fertilizer

• Three elements are found in fertilizers: nitrogen, which gives grass its green color; potassium, which helps to strengthen the roots; and phosphorus, which also works at the root level to strengthen growth.
  Using the appropriate levels of these elements will help a lawn naturally resist drought, wear and tear, inclement weather, pests and disease.
  Before buying a fertilizer, figure out how much of any of the three nutrients a lawn needs. A pH test will determine what a lawn may be lacking, and help guide homeowners to the best fertilizer combination. A number on the fertilizer bag will indicate the percentage of each nutrient contained. The percentages are in the following order: nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. For example, the numbers will look like this: 30-10-10.
  Take into account the time of year, soil type, type of grass and its health, the climate and whether the lawn is new or established when buying fertilizer.

When to Fertilize

• Spring generally isn’t a good time to fertilize. Nitrogen can cause the shoots to develop more than roots, which isn’t good for growth. However, fertilizing just before the season’s first spurt of growth is common among some gardeners. Fertilizing grass in the summer could make the lawn more susceptible to heat and drought.
  Fall is the best time to use fertilizer. This is the best time to plan ahead for all lawn care. While many homeowners may think grass doesn’t need to be fed since winter is just around the corner, using fertilizer in the fall will improve the lawn’s condition when spring arrives. Fall fertilizing will help encourage deep roots and help crowd out weeds in spring. Many gardeners fertilize twice in the fall, once early in the season and again right before the winter’s first cold snap.

How to Fertilize

• Even waiting until the best time to fertilize and using the best brand won’t help if the product isn’t applied correctly. It’s best to use a slow-release, granular fertilizer. This allows the lawn to absorb the fertilizer over time.
  Use only the proper amount; never apply more than 1 lb. per 1,000 square feet of yard. Spread fertilizer in two directions. Using a rotary spreader will help get the work done quickly. Drop spreaders take longer, but allow for a more uniform application. Apply fertilizer to dry grass and water afterward with 1/2-inch of water. If a storm is approaching, wait to fertilize. Sweep up any spilled fertilizer.

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