Deer-Resistant Garden Bed

By: Sherri Ribbey

This deer-resistant island bed will add interest to any bare spot with full sun to part shade and most of the plants are not usually tasty to deer.

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Plant a deer-resistant garden

Brittany Petrello was stumped when it came to this Georgia front-yard bed. It sits between her home and an undeveloped lot. Trees of varying heights provide a bit of privacy and some shelter from the sun but otherwise it was empty. We decided to help her design a garden that added color to this large space in her front yard while trying not to setup a buffet for the deer. Keep reading to see where Brittany started and our garden plan for the space.

Dee-resistant-Garden-plan-before-photo: Here is the before photo of this garden bed which already had a few trees and stones but otherwise it was empty.

A blank canvas

You can see the before photo of this garden bed above. This spot gets morning sun and some afternoon shade — a big help in zone 7 Georgia, where summers get hot and humid. The stones are easy to see now, but once plants mature they’ll be hidden. You might choose to reposition them near the front of the garden so they’re more visible in future years in this deer-resistant garden bed.

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Colorful front-yard garden bed

Brittany started off by planting a few Sunny Knock Out^® shrub roses and a chaste tree. The challenge was finding additional plants to tolerate part shade and the occasional deer that comes calling while providing some colorful curb appeal. Because of the deer the roses will need a repellent spray to keep from getting nibbled. (Though when deer are really hungry, no plant is safe.)

In a large space like this, big sweeps of plants fill the space and make a big impact. Since the house is light gray, and Brittany uses purples in her seasonal plantings; repeating that color here coordinates the look of the entire front yard. While the plants in this garden plan work for Georgia, they’ll do fine in other areas, too. However, bloom times may vary somewhat regionally.

Add shrubs as a backdrop

Adding a backdrop of large shrubs helps anchor an island bed in the yard. Here, bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) would be a good deer-resistant choice. This white-flowering native shade shrub gets 8 to 12 feet tall and 8 to 15 feet wide.

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Meet the plants in this deer-resistant garden plan

Check out the lettered plan above and see the corresponding plant information in the slideshow below. Click through to learn more about each plant in this deer-resistant garden design.

A
Stokesia (Stokesia ‘Honeysong Purple’)

Type Perennial Blooms Purple flowers in midsummer; cut spent stems to basal foliage when all flowers are done Light Full sun to part shade Size 12 to 14 in. tall, 12 to 15 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

B
Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis Crème Fraiche^®)

Type Shrub Blooms White flowers in spring with variegated foliage; cut out any branches that revert to solid green Light Full sun to part shade Size 1 to 2 ft. tall and wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

C
Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana ‘Pink Manners’)

Type Perennial Blooms Pink flowers in early summer to fall; remove spent blooms to encourage side branches to grow more quickly Light Full sun to part shade Size 2 to 3 ft. tall, 18 to 20 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9

D
Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea ‘Fragrant Angel’)

Type Perennial Blooms White flowers in summer; deadhead spent stems to basal foliage or leave seedheads for birds Light Full sun to part shade Size 2 to 3 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

E
Mealycup sage (Salvia Cathedral^™ series)

Type Tender perennial (Usually grown as an annual) Blooms Deep violet, lavender or white flowers from spring to fall; cut spent center stem to leaf joint so side stems develop more quickly Light Full sun to part shade Size 18 to 24 in. tall, 13 to 16 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11

F
Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata ‘John Fanick’)

Type Perennial Blooms Pink and white flowers from summer to fall; cut spent center stem so side stems develop more quickly Light Full sun to part shade Size 24 to 36 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8

G
Sunny Knock Out shrub rose (Rosa hybrid)

Type Shrub Blooms Yellow-white flowers start in spring and bloom on and off until fall (To deter deer, the roses will need a repellent spray to keep from getting nibbled) Light Full sun Size 3 to 5 ft. tall and 3 to 4 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 11

H
Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus)

Type Shrub Blooms Purple flowers late summer to early fall Light Full sun Size 4 to 15 ft. tall and 5 to 8 ft. wide Hardiness Cold hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9

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Deer-Resistant Garden Bed

By: Sherri Ribbey