Deer resistant plants for clay soil

Kat Foot · August 2018

Our garden has clay soil and we regularly get visits by deer from the nearby national park. One side of the garden is also framed by old oak trees which do have the habit of sucking nutrients from the soil. The majority of the planting areas are sunny, though, some with dappled shade.
I was wondering if anyone could recommend plants that are deer resistant that can handle clay soil and don’t need moist soil? I prefer perennials and bulbs and would love some ideas for evergreens as well. Thanks very much in advance!

Buttercupdays · August 2018

I don't have deer visiting, but I have had three rogue sheep (mine!) using my garden as additional grazing all spring and summer. The two worst culprits are now grazing the Elysian Fields as they would have needed deer fencing to keep them confined.

For what it's worth, the plants that have survived them and the drought are mainly: hardy geraniums, day lilies, crocosmias, foxgloves, yellow flag iris and Lysimachia punctata. And ground elder of course!

They did eat all flowers though, and were starting on the last two when desperation set in and I had them dispatched. (Also tupping time will soon be here, and I couldn't afford the compensation payouts, if they took the same approach to the neighbours' ewes!)

All these plants are tough and will grow just about anywhere, and most have thuggish tendencies.

Hardy geraniums and foxgloves would certainly look good in your setting and spread mainly by self seeding which gives a natural look but means they are relatively easy to remove if caught young.

I would add some clumps of the beautiful grass Deschampsia caespitosa, which has wiry leaves, also unpopular, and will grow in sun or shade.

raisingirl · August 2018

If the deer are muntjac I don't think there is anything they don't eat. The bigger ones are slightly more selective. They seem to avoid most of the umbellifers - achillea, wild carrot, angelica, etc.
For evergreens all I can suggest are prickly ones like holly, very strong aroma ones like juniper or very small leaf ones like lonicera nitida. No guarantees on any of them, though. In winter, when there's very little about, they seem to at least try a nibble on more or less anything
At the opposite end of the problem - don't plant roses. It seems to be their very favourite flower

Kat Foot · August 2018

Thanks everyone! So far, my survivors are daffodils, day lilies, heather, salvias, daisies, crocosmia, echinacea. I was gifted some roses, but I had to move them to the side of the house and they seem to be ok so far.

I'd really like to add a few more flowers as well as some more evergreens. Bulbs are great, but tulips are devoured? Any flowering perennials worth a try?

Obelixx · August 2018

The RHS produces this list of deer resistant plants - https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=185

You can look each one up and see if it's to your taste and will grow on clay but you can always improve clay by working on thick layers of well-rotted garden compost and manure every autumn. Pile it on, spread it out and leave the worms to work it in over winter. You'll end up with wonderful, fertile soil as long as you are patient.

1634 Racine · August 2018

I find my deer normally only come in Spring and leave me alone in Summer. They eat all my tulips and the new buds on my roses. The roses always bounce back. Sadly not the tulips! The also stripped my dwarf silver hebe of all its foliage.

Redwing · August 2018

I live in an area where there are a lot of fallow deer. I can cope with the grazing but what really does in shrubs is in the spring when the stags are desperate to shed their antlers. They rub them against the young shrubs and trees, sometimes killing them, especially fruit trees. It's a problem for us.

Deer resistant plants for clay soil

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