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50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants: The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs that Deer Don't Eat
“Take Clausen's tips, and you just might convince the deer to eat at a restaurant down the street.” — Good House Keeping
Are deer destroying your garden? There is a solution, and it doesn’t involve fencing, barriers, or chemicals. Keeping your garden safe from deer is as simple as choosing the right plants. In 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants , perennial plant expert Ruth Rogers Clausen highlights the best, most versatile plants that deer simply don’t eat. The plant choices include annuals and perennials, shrubs, bulbs, grasses, and herbs. For each suggested plant, Clausen shares helpful growing and design tips. This practical, authoritative, full-color guide is a must-have solution to a common garden problem.
Are deer destroying your garden? There is a solution, and it doesn’t involve fencing, barriers, or chemicals. Keeping your garden safe from deer is as simple as choosing the right plants. In 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants , perennial plant expert Ruth Rogers Clausen highlights the best, most versatile plants that deer simply don’t eat. The plant choices include annuals and perennials, shrubs, bulbs, grasses, and herbs. For each suggested plant, Clausen shares helpful growing and design tips. This practical, authoritative, full-color guide is a must-have solution to a common garden problem.
224 pages, Paperback
First published May 31, 2011
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133 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
June 29, 2012
For those of us who garden in deer country, it is important to find ways to cope, and one way is to grow plants that deer do not prefer.
We grow many of the plants listed in this book such as daffodils, ferns, lady's mantle, peonies, monkshood, Baptisia, Hellebores, Epimediums, and others.
Well worth reading.
We grow many of the plants listed in this book such as daffodils, ferns, lady's mantle, peonies, monkshood, Baptisia, Hellebores, Epimediums, and others.
Well worth reading.
April 11, 2012
"Hostas are the quintessential deer candy." Ha! I wish I had known that before we planted a dozen at the edge of our backyard.
October 21, 2017
This book contains lots of good information about how to keep deer from eating your landscape plants. The main point, however, is to encourage gardeners to use plants that deer avoid so there is no need to expend time and energy battling deer.
The plants highlighted are nice looking. I have some of them already in my garden. The author provides a single picture of each plant and information about how and where to grow it, along with suggested companion plants.
This book is definitely worthwhile for anyone who has problems with deer. I just wish there were more pictures showing how the plants are used. I read Garden Gate magazine and I like how it provides sample design layouts that shows how a garden bed looks and where each plant goes. The magazine also provide more drawings and pictures of the plants themselves, which show not just the flowers, but the whole plant and how tall and wide it typically grows. Sometimes the plants are even shown at various seasons, so you can see what the plants look like when not in bloom or in the Fall.
I would have liked more of that in this book. Having a list of plants is nice, but showing how to use them visually would have been even more helpful. There were some pictures of the plants used in landscaping, but just not enough for me.
The plants highlighted are nice looking. I have some of them already in my garden. The author provides a single picture of each plant and information about how and where to grow it, along with suggested companion plants.
This book is definitely worthwhile for anyone who has problems with deer. I just wish there were more pictures showing how the plants are used. I read Garden Gate magazine and I like how it provides sample design layouts that shows how a garden bed looks and where each plant goes. The magazine also provide more drawings and pictures of the plants themselves, which show not just the flowers, but the whole plant and how tall and wide it typically grows. Sometimes the plants are even shown at various seasons, so you can see what the plants look like when not in bloom or in the Fall.
I would have liked more of that in this book. Having a list of plants is nice, but showing how to use them visually would have been even more helpful. There were some pictures of the plants used in landscaping, but just not enough for me.
January 4, 2021
Oh Dear! No Deer!
If your property has more than enough temporary fences and other deer barriers and still you have lost precious trees, shrubs, and plants to a hungry deer population, this book offers practical help. It begins by discussing the land itself, how you can shape the various elevations, create natural-looking pathways and barriers, and make browsing more difficult for these foraging creatures.
The author uses most of the book to carefully introduce 50 deer resistant plants, shrubs, and trees. He gives the scientific and common names, the soil and light requirements, the hardiness zone spread, and an excellent photo for each of the fifty, along with discussions of their hybrid cultivars and their best companion plants. Oh deer! I can’t wait to get started planning my landscaping, using this book as my guide.
If your property has more than enough temporary fences and other deer barriers and still you have lost precious trees, shrubs, and plants to a hungry deer population, this book offers practical help. It begins by discussing the land itself, how you can shape the various elevations, create natural-looking pathways and barriers, and make browsing more difficult for these foraging creatures.
The author uses most of the book to carefully introduce 50 deer resistant plants, shrubs, and trees. He gives the scientific and common names, the soil and light requirements, the hardiness zone spread, and an excellent photo for each of the fifty, along with discussions of their hybrid cultivars and their best companion plants. Oh deer! I can’t wait to get started planning my landscaping, using this book as my guide.
January 18, 2022
I appreciated that most of the suggested plants listed (other than the annuals of course and oddly enough none of the grasses) would work in a zone 4, where I live. However, one major flaw was that for every plant suggestion, the author would provide design advice and suggested companion plants to grow with it but no supplemental photos were incorporated into the book so I constantly found myself looking up these other plants to get a visual. Also, there were a number of times the author would use her own anecdotal evidence rather than research to affirm how deer-resistant a given plant was, which I found to be a bit flimsy.
June 22, 2020
If deer are destroying your yard as they are with my front yard, then this book will help. The solution doesn’t involve deer fencing, barriers or chemicals. Choosing the right plants that deer don’t like is the solution. The plants included in this book include annuals, perennials, shrubs, bulbs, grasses and herbs.
Clausen lists 50 plants and includes pictures, growing tips and design tips. This is a practical guide for a common garden problem. I have planted some of these in my yard already but now have more ideas for more plants and replacing the ones deer like too much.
Clausen lists 50 plants and includes pictures, growing tips and design tips. This is a practical guide for a common garden problem. I have planted some of these in my yard already but now have more ideas for more plants and replacing the ones deer like too much.
August 20, 2020
Very good resource!
Useful information! I found a lot of good ideas and inspiration using fairly common plants which is a plus for those folks who live in rural areas and are unable to locate more exotic plants making for economical choices. The plants mentioned in this book are beautiful, yet workhorses in gardens. Good photos and care of plants. I found the info about the nature and life cycles of deer are helpful to me and many people will find interesting.
Useful information! I found a lot of good ideas and inspiration using fairly common plants which is a plus for those folks who live in rural areas and are unable to locate more exotic plants making for economical choices. The plants mentioned in this book are beautiful, yet workhorses in gardens. Good photos and care of plants. I found the info about the nature and life cycles of deer are helpful to me and many people will find interesting.
July 5, 2021
This book changed my gardening practices forever! I have re-located all the plants deer love to my backyard - where my dogs can protect them - and now have a lovely front garden full of healthy, beautiful plants that deer don't eat. A must-read for any gardener.
September 14, 2018
Well written but, unfortunately, the limited number of photographs, many of which were less than inspiring, led me to give this title three rather than four stars.
November 7, 2011
A beautiful book for any gardener who has a problem with deer. This book would also be a great resource to any gardener, as it has in-depth information on annuals, perennials, shrubs, ferns, blubs, herbs, and grasses, and how to grow them and good design tips for these different types of plants. The bonus would be that it helps to create a deer-resistant garden without the use of physical barriers and allows the gardener and company to enjoy a beautiful garden. The photographs are stunning and make this desert-rat wish she lived in a place that would support such beautiful gardens.
The beginning of the book details ways to determine if you have a deer presence, and various techniques, besides plants, that would help to deter deer from eating your garden, such as sound and visual barriers, and adding levels to the garden which deer would avoid. There is even a list of plants that would attract deer, so you know what not to plant.
If you love gardening, and whether or not you have a deer problem, this book is a wonderful resource.
This book was provided by netgalley.com for an honest review.
The beginning of the book details ways to determine if you have a deer presence, and various techniques, besides plants, that would help to deter deer from eating your garden, such as sound and visual barriers, and adding levels to the garden which deer would avoid. There is even a list of plants that would attract deer, so you know what not to plant.
If you love gardening, and whether or not you have a deer problem, this book is a wonderful resource.
This book was provided by netgalley.com for an honest review.
July 22, 2014
Ruth Rogers Clausen's gardening expertise combines with Alan L. Detrick's gorgeous photography to make a visually beautiful book on a subject much needed by today's gardeners. Probably like most readers, I first casually scanned the book looking at the photographs to determine how the book was laid out and what was included. Imagine my surprise when the chapter on annuals only included 5 plants-one of which is poisonous, and two have gray foliage and basically no flowers! My disappointment was resolved when I began to read the first chapter "Help! Deer Are Destroying My Garden" which actually has more valuable information that the majority of the book which covers the 50 plants specified. That chapter is a reason alone to get this book, otherwise as a relatively experienced gardener I would just reference one of the deer resistant plant lists on a reputable gardening site online.
July 11, 2013
Deer have been my biggest problem where I am currently living and they have ruined many plants and flowers. This boom helped me find some good plants that deer seem to stay away from. A co worker also taught me that 4 egg yolks mixed in a gallon of water and sprayed on and around the garden keeps deer away and doesn't harm the plants. It was an interesting book with good info and great pictures.
September 10, 2014
Excellent resouce.
May 2, 2015
Good information and great layout.
March 15, 2016
This book was okay, but not very. Too much of what was in it was stuff I already knew. I guess I was looking for something more concise.
May 30, 2016
A must know for our deer pasture of a yard. A step beyond yes daffodils, no tulips. I'd like to add ferns, hellebores. Glad that peonies are OK. Too bad I bought the hostas that were eaten.
September 3, 2016
General descriptions of deer resistant plants were so helpful. We can live with deer and still have pretty gardens. VERY encouraging. Good pictures.
May 17, 2015
Includes nice plant profiles.
July 1, 2016
Love the layout and the photography. Ease of access with quick look.
April 26, 2017
found out we have many of these plants in our flower beds
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews