Living With Deer
Damage to valuable landscape plants tends to increase along with the growing population of white‐tailed deer in rural and suburban areas of Massachusetts. By choosing plants less favored by deer, you might be able reduce some of the impact of browsing, but no plant will resist deer feeding under all conditions. Many variables such as the animals’ experience and health status, weather, and availability of more desirable foods will determine which plants deer choose to eat.
Plants Less Favored by Deer
| Shrubs, deciduous | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Bayberry | Myrica spp. |
| Beautybush | Kolkwitzia amabilis |
| Bottlebrush Buckeye | Aesculus parviflora |
| Common Boxwood | Buxus sempervirens |
| Common Lilac | Syringa vulgaris |
| Corkscrew Willow | Salix matsudana ‘Tortuosa’ |
| Forsythia | Forsythia spp. |
| Mahonia | Mahonia spp. |
| Red Osier Dogwood | Cornus sericea |
| Redvein Enkianthus | Enkianthus campanulatus |
| Snowball Viburnum | Viburnum tomentosum |
| Witch Hazel | Hamamelis spp. |
| Trees, deciduous | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| American Sycamore | Platinus spp. |
| Beech | Fagus spp. |
| Birch | Betula spp. |
| Catalpa | Catalpa spp. |
| Common Sassafras | Sassafras albidum |
| English Hawthorne | Crataegus laevigata |
| Flowering Dogwood | Cornus florida |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos |
| Hop Hornbeam | Ostrya virginiana |
| Japanese Flowering Cherry | Prunus serrulata |
| Kousa Dogwood | Cornus kousa |
| Sweetgum | Liquidambar styraciflua |
Protect New Trees + Shrubs
Protect newly planted woody plants with sturdy, wire mesh barriers. If deer pressure is heavy, leave barriers in place until plants are well established and able to tolerate some browsing. In late winter and early spring, if deer are hungry they will feed readily, with little discrimination, on young trees and shrubs.
| Trees and Shrubs, evergreen | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Chinese Juniper | Juniperus chinensis |
| Drooping Leucothoe | Leucothoe fontanesiana |
| False Cypress | Chamaecyparis spp. |
| Holly, American | Ilex opaca |
| Inkberry | Ilex glabra |
| Japanese Pieris | Pieris japonica |
| Mountain Laurel | Kalmia latifolia |
| Pine, Austrian | Pinus nigra |
| Pine, Mugo | Pinus mugo |
| Pine, Pitch | Pinus rigida |
| Pine, Red | Pinus resinosa |
| Pine, Scots | Pinus sylvestris |
| Spruce, Colorado Blue | Picea pungens glauca |
| Spruce, Norway | Picea abies |
| Spruce, White | Picea glauca |
| Vines | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Climbing Hydrangea | Hydrangea anomala petiolaris |
| Japanese Wisteria | Wisteria floribunda |
Herbaceous Plants to Try
Bulbs: autumn crocus, daffodil, Dutch iris, hyacinth, snowdrop, Siberian squill
Annuals: ageratum, larkspur, marigold, nasturtium, snapdragon, sweet alyssum
Perennials: bleeding heart, purple coneflower, daylily ('Stella de Oro'), coreopsis ('Moonbeam'), foxglove, lavender, lily of the valley, purple fountain grass, Russian sage
Resources
http://ag.umass.edu/resources/home-lawn-garden
http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/
www.massflowergrowers.com