Deer-Proof Shrubs: Hedges for Whitetail-Free Gardens

Odocoileus virginianus, commonly known as white-tailed deer or as whitetails, are a New World mammal which are familiar sights across North America, Central America, and northern South America. Whitetails are also recognizable throughout the world because of successful introductions and because of the popularity of Walt Disney's film about a white-tailed fawn, "Bambi."

Whitetails are paragons of grace and beauty as they glide, scamper, or run through their environment. Their lithe athleticism enables whitetails to attain swift running speeds of up to 30 miles per hour (48 kilometers/hour), even while negotiating tangled forest terrain. Deer are able to maintain swimming speeds of 13 miles per hour (20 kilometers/hour). With ease, whitetails easily bound over vertical barriers up to a height of 8-1/2 feet (2.6 meters). Whitetails likewise easily execute a horizontal leap of about 30 feet (9 meters).

Of further fascination is the loving interaction which is displayed between does and their fawns. Their gentle concern for their offspring is almost palpable. In fact, their search for food sources, including invasions of gardens and croplands, is motivated by retrieving food for their fawns, which have been placed in hiding places during their mother's forays. After the first litter, a doe usually gives births to twins, and the fawns wait, alone, in separate hiding places for the return of their mother.

Unfortunately, whitetail attributes are quickly forgotten by gardeners and farmers who discover that their valuable plants and crops have been visited by whitetails. The negative human-whitetail interaction is occasioned by habitat destruction and consequential decrease in whitetail food sources. In their search for nearby or substitute resources, whitetails are attracted to the munificent bounty of well-tended gardens and cropland.

Many strategies exist for curtailing or eliminating whitetail visits, especially to treasured personal gardens. The method which is most successful for me and which resolves the problem gently and naturally is building a natural barrier which prevents whitetails from trespassing onto my garden. This natural barrier comprises ornamentals, shrubs, and wildflowers which are unpalatable to whitetails. Of course, a famished deer --- just as with a starving person --- considers items which normally are rejected. Nevertheless, natural barriers have proven successful not only for me but also for many other gardeners worldwide.

Deer-proof shrubs provide a higher barrier than ornamentals or wildflowers but all three are successful together or individually. Surrounding the garden with deer-proof shrubs creates a natural fence which is also an insurmountable barrier. Whitetails shy away from anything that is repugnant or fearsome to them. Despite their agility, whitetails have no interest in hurdling over undesirable plants. In their experience, fences are objects which are surmountable, up to about 9 feet (2.7 meters), whereas undesirable foliage is to be avoided. Thus, a hedge of deer-proof shrubs effectively deflects whitetails.

The following shrubs have been selected for their reliability as well as attractiveness. Shrubs for a variety of hardiness zones are featured.

A side benefit of deer-proof shrubs is that they contribute additional visual appeal, and oftentimes aromatic enjoyment, to the garden which they are protecting.

Zones 2 to 8 (-50 to 20 °F; -46 to -7 °C)

Partial shade: Cornus canadensis, commonly known as Canadian bunchberry or crackerberry or creeping dogwood, reaches a height of 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters), with an unlimited spread which is determined by the gardener. Whorls of lance-shaped leaves turn brilliant red in autumn. Large white petal-like bracts surround the tiny flowerheards. Red fruits are edible, with a taste reminiscent of apples.

Zones 3 to 9 (-40 to 30 °F; -40 to -1 °C)

Full sun: Euonymus alatus, commonly known as burning bush or corkbush or winged euonymus or winged spindle tree, reaches a height of 6 feet (1.8 meters), with a generous spread of 10 feet (3 meters). Dark green, oval leaves turn brilliant red in autumn. Flowers open as pale green in summer. Pale red fruit has bright orange seeds.

Zones 4 to 9 (-30 to 30 °F; -34 to -1 °C)

Full sun: Berberis thunbergii, commonly known as Japanese barberry, reaches a height of 3 feet (0.9 meters), with a generous spread of 8 feet (2.4 meters). Egg-shaped, smooth leaves are green above with blue-green undersides. Flowers open as pale yellow, often with red tinges, in mid-spring. Fruits shine with red glossiness.

Zones 4 to 10 (-30 to 40 °F; -34 to 4 °C)

Partial shade: Weigela middendorffiana, commonly known as Middendorff weigela, has an equiproportional shape, with a height and a spread of 5 feet (1.5 meters). Leaves are vivid green. Flowers open in pale yellow bell shapes with orange or red markings in summer.

Although Weigela middendorffiana repels deer, it attracts hummingbirds in abundance.

Zones 5 to 9 (-20 to 30 °F; -29 to -1 °C)

Full sun: Pieris floribunda, commonly known as mountain fetterbush, reaches a height of 6 feet (1.8 meters), with a nearly proportional spread of 7 feet (2 meters). Its lustrous, deep green leaves are pointed with serrated edges. Flowers open as showy panicles in spring.

Zone 5 to Zone 10 (-20 to 40 °F; -29 to 4 °C)

Full sun: Buxus sempervirens, commonly known as common box or English box, reaches a height of 5 to 30 feet (1.5 to 9 meters), with a spread of 5 to 15 feet (1.5 to 4.5 meters). Native to the British Isles, English box shrub has been popularly introduced throughout Europe, western Asia, northwestern Africa, and the New World.

Flowers open in green-cream clusters in late spring.

Zones 6 to 9 (-10 to 30 °F; -23 to -1 °C)

Full sun: Lindera obtusiloba, commonly known as Japanese spicebush, reaches a height of 30 feet (9 meters), with a spread of 25 feet (8 meters). Dark green aromatic leaves, which turn to pale gold in autumn, have a mitten-like shape which subtly varies from leaf to leaf. Tiny, star-shaped flowers open as the yellow-green of chartreuse in early spring and emit a spicy scent. Glossy fruit ranges from dark red to black.

Although Japanese spicebush deflects deer, it is enormously popular with butterflies, such as spicebush swallowtails (Papilio troileus), for nectar and with birds for its berries.

Zones 7 to 9 (0 to 30 °F; -18 to -1 °C)

Full sun: Viburnum utile, commonly known as service viburnum, reaches a height of 6 feet (1.8 meters), with a nearly equiproportional spread of 5 feet (1.5 meters). Glossy dark green leaves turn dark maroon in autumn. Red buds open into dense, rounded clusters of starry white flowers. Oval berries change from red to black upon ripening.

Zones 7 to 10 (0 to 40 °F; -18 to 4 °C)

Full sun: Buddleia 'Pink Delight', commonly known as Pink Delight butterfly bush, reaches a height of 5 to 7 feet (1.5 to 2 meters), with a spread of 7 feet (2 meters). Leaves are grey green. Flowers open as deep pink clusters in late summer and last until the first frost. A sweet fragrance, redolent of honey, is emitted by these blossoms.

Although Buddleia 'Pink Delight' is repugnant to deer, it is irresistible to hummingbirds. Additionally, butterflies such as mourning cloaks (Nymphalis antiopa), red admirals (Vanessa atalanta), swallowtails (family Papilionidae), and so many more, both familiar and unfamiliar, exuberantly partake of its nectar.

Deer-resistant hedges: deer-proof shrubs for deer-free gardens

Enclosing a garden with deer-proof shrubs creates a natural barrier which effectively safeguards the gardener's prized plantings. Whitetails process the no-trespassing warning and comply by exiting the premises.

In tandem with deer-proof plantings, I also set aside uncultivated land. In this way, whitetails have alternative food sources. The natural method is the best strategy: my garden, the deer, and the environment all derive benefits, and there are no adverse effects. I have my garden, the deer have their fields, and the fawns are fed.

My special thanks to talented photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet:

*** jpod1567 for November 18, 2008 Photobucket photo of White-tailed deer

*** Mariaasion for Photobucket photo of White-tailed doe with fawn

*** ddolan1075 for Photobucket photo of White-tailed fawn

***Digitalbcon1 for July 24, 2007 Flickr photo of Canadian bunchberry, Glacier National Park, British Columbia (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

*** François Guibert (F.G.-L.A.) for December 22, 2005 Flickr photo of Euonymus alatus (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license)

*** Lisa Brown (Mean and Pinchy) for April 8, 2007 Flickr photo of Berberis thunbergii 'Concorde' (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license)

*** Hanna Zelenko for May 18, 2006 photo of Weigela middendorffiana, Minsk, Belarus (Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

*** Maja Dumat (blumenbiene) for February 18, 2011 Flickr photo of Pieris floribunda, Dresden Botanical Garden (Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license)

*** tanakawho for March 2, 2007 Flickr photo of Lindera obtusiloba (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license)

*** NicolesPlants for November 18, 2007 Photobucket photo of Pink Delight butterfly bush

*** James Gaither (J.G. in S.F.) for April 19, 2011 Flickr photo of Viburnum utile, University of California-Berkeley Botanical Garden (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license)

*** flylittlebutterfly1964 for Photobucket photo of White-tailed fawn

*** cuillerat_2009 Photobucket photo of White-tailed fawn

*** Lalaith_2009 for Photobucket photo of Two white-tailed fawns

*** Aegolius for June 20, 2009 Photobucket photo of White-tailed doe with fawn, Rideau Trail, Ontario, Canada and July 25, 2010 Photobucket photo of White-tailed deer

Flora: A Gardener’s Encyclopedia. Volumes I-II. Portland OR: Timber Press, 2003.

Geist, Valerius. Deer of the World: Their Evolution, Behaviour, and Ecology. Shrewsbury UK: Swan Hill Press, 1999.

Kays, Jonathan S., Lisa Curtis, and Michael V. Bartlett. “Wildlife Damage Management: Resistance of Ornamentals to Deer Damage.” Fact Sheet 655. University of Maryland College Park-Eastern Shore Cooperative Extension. http://extension.umd.edu/Publications/PDFs/FS655.pdf (Last accessed September 7, 2011)

Lancaster, Roy. Perfect Plant Perfect Place. London-New York-Sydney-Moscow: Dorling Kindersley, 2002.

Whitehead, G. Kenneth. The Whitehead Encyclopedia of Deer. Shrewsbury UK: Swan Hill Press, 1993.

Copyright Wednesday, September 7, 2011 by Derdriu