Got Deer?

Contributed By Marcia Ladd-Spears, Co-Chair, BGC Book Donation Committee

Deer-Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast by Ruth Rogers Clausen and Gregory D. Tepper is a great read for all who love native plants and contend with the deer who also love them. White-tailed deer, Odocoileus viriginianus, plentiful in the Northeast, are considered by many to be the number one obstacle to a successful garden. This book discusses how gardeners can have a successful garden and live in companionship with deer.

Covering several states in the Northeast, the authors discuss annuals, perennials, grasses, and shrubs, giving each a deer-resistant rating as well as growing advice, companion planting suggestions, and a list of beneficial wildlife that are attracted to the plant. Some characteristics of deer-resistant plants are: fuzzy leaves, fibrous leaves, aromatic leaves, spines or bristles, and poisonous compounds. There is also a long list included of plants that are “deer candy,” many of which I have learned to avoid planting over time as I live in a heavily populated deer area.

Some of my favorite deer-resistant plants mentioned in this book are Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum), a colorful, bountiful and ecologically important perennial. The biennial or short- lived annual brown-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba) is another colorful favorite which in also pest and drought resistant. The maidenhair fern (Adiantum pedatum) is another beauty which works in a shade garden. Grasses are lovely and can add detail and color in the fall. I am partial to pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) and have included it in my spring garden planting plan.

These are just a few of the many listed and described plants in this beautiful book with colorful photos and clear planting instructions. Even if you don’t have to compete with deer to have a successful garden, the information about native plants can supply ideas about how to create a beautiful landscape.

This was one of the books donated to Lincolnville Community Library by the BGC Book Donation Committee.