Designing Gardens that are Deer and Rabbit Resistant
Designing gardens to attract wildlife is certainly popular. We have even dedicated whole newsletters on attracting wildlife to gardens. It is exciting to see different birds enjoying your garden for food, shelter and water.
But what happens when the wildlife takes a bigger bite than intended? It is a special thing to see deer, rabbits and other animals visiting your garden, however, not everyone appreciates the damage they can do when they get hungry!
There is not any one way to design a "deer or rabbit-proof" garden. When they get hungry, deer and rabbits will eat just about anything! But, if you are looking to create a new garden, there are some design ideas that might give your garden a fighting chance!
Garden Prep:
- remove brush piles or tree stumps that might give shelter to a group of bunnies
- look for the tell-tale signs (holes and tunnels) of current colonies
- keep some open areas as some animals will avoid areas that would expose them to predators
- create the gardens in raised planters or create courtyards
Existing Gardens:
- sometimes, by the time critter damage has been noticed, design ideas are not an option
- try removing the damaged plants and transplanting them to another spot in the garden
- what the critters find appetizing in your garden may not be the same as your neighbour
- some shrubs appreciate the constant pruning (ie...rabbits keeping a spirea dwarf!)
- there are repellents are available (Bobbex, Green Earth Animal Repellent, Critter Ridder and Skoot) that combine bad taste and smell
- Skoot is applied in the fall on dormant plant material (watch for more information in upcoming newsletters)
Fencing:
- fences are not always the most attractive solutions, but sometimes necessary
- bunnies are smart and very resourceful, they can squeeze through gaps smaller than they are
- try 36" chicken wire around the perimeter of the garden, bury one end 6" deep (as bunnies like to burrow) and bend the upper end outwards to avoid any climbing or jumping
- deer can jump quite high (especially if hungry!) so taller fencing from 6'-8' is preferable
- instead of fences, try wrapping specific plants with fruit bush netting or trunks with chicken wire to make it harder to eat
Plants:
- consider avoiding plants that rabbits and deer enjoy eating or underplanting them with plants that they avoid
- plants that these critters tend to avoid include toxic plants, fragrant plants or plants with fuzzy or prickly leaves
- the following is not a perfect list or a guarantee that they are deer or rabbit resistant but perhaps a place to start
Suggested Perennials
Astilbe
BeeBalm (Monarda)
Bergenia
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)
Bugbane (Cimicifuga)
Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
Catmint (Nepeta)
Carpet Bugle (Ajuga)
Columbine (Aquilegia)
False Indigo (Baptisia)
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis)
Ferns
Foxglove (Digitalis)
Iris
Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium)
Lamb's Ears (Stachys)
Lavender (Lavendula)
Maiden Grass (Miscanthus)
Monkshood (Aconitum)
Periwinkle (Vinca)
Peony (Paeonia)
Poppy (Papaver)
Primrose (Primula)
Russian Sage (Perovskia)
Sage (Salvia)
Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera)
Speedwell (Veronica)
Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum)
Spurge (Euphorbia)
Thyme (Thymus)
Tickseed (Coreopsis)
Wormwood (Artemisia)
Yarrow (Achillea)
*list taken from Heritage Perennials
Do you have critters munching their way through your garden? What solutions have you found that work in your garden?
Do you know another gardener who might enjoy this article?
Bobbex is non-toxic combination of food and feed products that have natural repellent characteristics. The active ingredients are eggs, capsaicin and a combination of Wintergreen oil, garlic oil, fish oil, castor oil, fish and meat meal. It doesn't hurt deer, rabbits or other herbivores. 
This non-toxic, pepper-based spray is designed to help protect your lawn, garden and garbage can from wild and domestic pests.
Sprinkle Critter Ridder in your yard, along a garden path or around a flower bed for full-proof, perimeter protection. Or spot-treat areas around ornamental plants, trees or shrubs, even trash bags to keep unwanted pests away. This patented formula effectively repels groundhogs, skunks, dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, chipmunks and other nuisance animals.
Yes, it's been hot...especially for us with fur coats! I have been everywhere looking for a cool spot to spend my days. Who said these were the "dog days of summer"...I think these hot afternoons belong to cat naps! It is important to keep hydrated during the heat. These summer showers are a welcome treat for us as well as the plants.
