Protecting Plants from Browsing Animals

Plant a garden that deer and rabbits don't like.

Achillea x 'Paprika'
Item # 10090 		Achillea 'Paprika'
Paprika Yarrow

each $7.99
3 to 6 plants $7.79
7 or more $7.59
Lavandula angustifolia 'Buena Vista'
Item # 63109 		Lavandula angustifolia 'Buena Vista'
Buena Vista English Lavender

each $7.99
3 or more $7.79

Item # 99854 		Deer Repellent 3 Pack

Each $74.95
  • Topic: Pests
  • Author: Cindy Bellinger
  • Keywords: deer, rabbits, pests, Pests, rabbitresistant, deerresistant
  • Date: November 2003

© All articles are copyrighted by High Country Gardens. Republication is prohibited without Permission.

This time of year means taking extra precautions around my place because fall is when the bears start coming down from the mountains. The cool weather also brings out the raccoons.

They’re all looking for a bit more food, and it’s why I no longer put out bird feeders. I don’t want either of these critters coming around.

But it’s not just birdfeeders that attract wild animals; it’s gardens. They always have a supply of greens! Deer and rabbits especially like easy fresh nibbles. Gophers, too. Chemicals and tall fences are two ways of dealing with unwanted browsers. A more natural way of deterring animals from snacking in your garden is putting in plants animals don’t like.

Deer

Several years ago a reader in Eastern Washington said the deer and elk were flocking to her garden, nearly wiping it out. She even found them digging into some of the “deer-resistant” plants. She thought it was because of the drought. “They were starved and ate anything, even roses-thorns and all,” she wrote. “But when the rains came and there was more greenery for them, the deer resistant plants worked.

Her list of plants that the deer didn’t like included (deer resistant):

  • Daffodils
  • Lavenders
  • Bachelor’s buttons
  • Yarrow
  • Sunflowers

Erecting a deer “trap” around your garden is another option. Lay a series of 2×4s between rows and around the perimeter. On top of this framing lay fencing wire with large mesh. Deer are afraid of walking on the fence because their feet will get caught. Parallel mesh wire fences approximately 6 ft. tall placed about 4-5 ft. apart is a formidable barrier that deer will not jump (unlike a single fence).

Another trick to keeping deer away from trees is hanging bars of soap from the branches. Position the bars of soap about every three feet.

Rabbits

Rabbits that like eating the bark off your trees (especially fruit trees) during the winter. Try wrapping trees with foil or burlap or encircling it with chicken wire. Red pepper spray or ground-up red peppers sprinkled on the ground is another way to ward off rabbits and squirrels. Following are partial lists of plants that rabbits reputedly like and don’t like.

Plants that rabbits don’t usually like (rabbit resistant):

  • Russian sage
  • Orange globe mallow
  • Gladiolus
  • Caryopteris
  • Various Salvia
  • Coreopsis Moonbeam
  • Lavenders
  • Agastache
  • Rosemary
  • Chamisa
  • Sages (Artemisia) of all varieties
  • Oregano
  • Thyme
  • Nepeta
  • Cold hardy Spanish Broom (Cytisus)
  • Ratibida (yellow and Mexican Hat)
  • Silver-edged horehound
  • ...and evergreen bushes and trees

For a more extensive list, see High Country Garden Tips and select the 2 articles Rabbit and Deer Resistant Plants.

Plants that rabbits LOVE to eat include (not rabbit resistant):

  • Bearded Iris
  • Penstemons
  • Germander

Other ways to repel rabbits include:

  • Dog hair: After brushing the dog, place the hair among plants and in the joints of the edging strips around the trees.
  • Mothballs: Scatter mothballs around the garden. Needs to be re-applied frequently.
  • Cat litter: Place the used cat litter along the edges of the garden and ring plants with it. Continue to replace with newly used litter.

Natural (non-pesticide) products that you can use to deter gophers, rabbits, deer and other browsers are:

  • Bulb Guard: Soak bulbs before planting. Good for repelling gophers, moles, voles.
  • Deer Off: Spray onto foliage every few months. Good for repelling deer, rabbits, squirrels.
  • Mole and Gopher-Med: Apply to the soil surface and water it in to move it down into the soil. Good for repelling moles and gophers. Apply when gophers become active in late summer and again in early to mid-spring.

If you have found any other methods or products that work to deter garden browsers, let us know and we’ll pass on the advice. May your gardens be free of browsers.