A tough winter in this region is as tough on the region’s wildlife as it is our plants. Nearly everyone has dealt with deer in the landscape at one time or another. A question I hear frequently is
What can I plant that the deer won’t eat?
Good question! And the short answer is: Nothing! What the deer will eat depends on a large amount of variables. Everything from weather; availability of desirable food; deer gender, age, health; deer population in the area; and existing travel paths influence whether or not your plants will get eaten.
Some plants seem to be a selection of last resort and are less frequently browsed. One of my go-to answers for deer-resistant plants to try are Ferns. Any type of fern. Ferns seem to make it through season after season unharmed…
… and here’s a picture I took from my office window of a young deer eating ferns out of the Demonstration Gardens in the front of our building. So much for ferns… those darn deer.
Bucks Horticulture 