50 beautiful deer-resistant plants The prettiest annuals, perennials, bulbs, and shrubs that deer don't eat

Freelance garden writer Clausen (former horticulture editor, Country Living Gardener; Perennials for American Gardens) shares her years of experience preventing deer from destroying ornamental gardens. She begins by explaining her deer-resistance rating for plants, then offers a brief section on deterring deer, in which she covers topics from fences to repellents. The heart of her book focuses on designing a deer-resistant garden using 50 plants that deer do not often find palatable. Each subsection (annuals, perennials, shrubs, ferns, bulbs, herbs, and grasses) is arranged by common name. Each plant has a three-page entry that includes the scientific name, USDA hardiness zones, mature size, deer-resistance rating, description of the plant, cultural information, how to use the plant, descriptions of available cultivars, and numerous suggestions of pleasing plant combinations. Each entry has a beautiful full-page photograph of the plant. VERDICT This visually appealing, practical, authoritative book is highly recommended for gardeners in deer country who would like to have a beautiful garden without fencing as their only solution.-Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction Considering the explosion of deer populations across the United States and the huge amount of damage that they inflict on rural, suburban, and even urban gardens and parks, it is no surprise that deer and gardeners are seldom compatible. But is it possible to achieve a beautiful, deer-resistant garden without resorting to fences, barriers, and toxic repellents? Indeed, you can still have a lush, thriving garden by making smart plant choices. Many stunning plants are unpalatable to deer because of their poisonous compounds, fuzzy or aromatic leaves, tough, spiny, or bristly textures, and for a variety of other less obvious reasons. This guide presents the most outstanding ornamental examples of these. The "Bambi" syndrome is fine for those not plagued by deer. Of course deer are beautiful, and yes, they were sometimes (not always) here first, and they certainly deserve to live out their lives with full bellies as nature intended, but there is often not enough food for dense deer populations, and these animals are stressed by modern life and eradication of habitat. Since natural predators such as mountain lions and wolves have been largely eliminated, deer have been allowed to run out of control. A hundred years ago when year-round hunting was permitted, white-tailed deer numbers dropped, so hunters, fearing their sport would be ruined, urged laws to restrict hunting to about three to four months, from fall through Christmas. As the balance of nature was disrupted, white-tailed deer populations exploded. Gardeners in different parts of the country are plagued by different species of deer. West of the Mississippi River, mule deer ( Odocoileus hemionus ) and black-tailed deer ( O. hemionus columbianus ) predominate. The latter is a subspecies of the former, smaller and stockier but just as hungry. In the East and elsewhere, white-tailed deer ( O. virginianus ) make their home. Moose and elk are found in northern regions. While these species formerly lived on the edges of woods and forests, they have now discovered that there are easy and tasty sources of food in a new region called "the backyard."   Excerpted from 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs That Deer Don't Eat by Ruth Rogers Clausen All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.