more common selections include pampas grass,
crown of thorns, asparagus fern and century
plants.
Unfortunately, these measures may not
provide enough protection for the deer’s
irresistible favorites, such as vegetables like
tomatoes, corn and peas. They also love fruit
trees, such as black cherry, crabapple, plum and
pear; and flowers that include azaleas, hibiscus,
roses, day lilies, impatiens, pittosporum,
dahlias, phlox, shrimp plant, clematis,
bougainvilleas – despite their thorns – and
many more.
You may want to seriously consider
replanting with deer resistant trees, shrubs and
flowers. Unless food is especially scarce, the
deer will normally move on if your yard is filled
with vegetation that offends their tastebuds,
sense of smell, digestive systems, or overall
health. You’ll be happy to know that there are
many attractive, easy to cultivate, plants that
the deer don’t normally choose to eat. Perhaps
if you landscape with these, your uninvited
dinner guests will go elsewhere. You may want
to try replanting with live oak, crape myrtle,
eucalyptus, ligustrum, magnolia, podocarpus,
and almost any palms, as well as fig, loquat and
orchid trees. Consider, too, some of the better
known shrubs that deer tend to dislike, such as
philodendron, lantana, croton, oleander, bird of
paradise, bottlebrush, gardenia, ixora, Japanese
boxwood and plumbago. Deer normally avoid
vines and ground covers like allamanda, society
garlic, wandering Jew, star or yellow jasmine, or
English ivy. Plus, some of the wide selection of
annuals, perennials and bulbs that deer seldom
damage include aloe, anise, sage, black-eyed
Susan, marigolds, periwinkle, petunias, Shasta
and bush daisies, and several varieties of lilies.
These are just samplings of the many
selections that have been recommended by
the University of Florida’s Institute of Food
and Agricultural Sciences Extension and the
Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Department
to help you proactively protect your garden
and grounds. However, your neighborhood
nursery should probably be your main source
for deer-proofing information and plants. After
all, you are not likely to be alone with your deer
problem; and deer-resistant plants and products
are probably in the most demand.
Enjoy a deer-free landscape and garden.
9
and edible berries. Fakahatchee or gamma
grass, an insect-free ornamental that grows
in spiky symmetrical clumps and has winecolored
flowers, is also a good choice. Other
The easy to grow, climbing crown of thorns, which flowers
most of the year, can help form a protective, spiny border
to protect gardens from deer, that would rather not eat it
anyway.
Deer and other wild animals inhabited the Tampa Bay
area long before we moved in with our parking lots,
buildings and homes.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE 171
NORAA