02/24/2003

By CAROL SAVONEN, OSU master gardener

Deer are a favorite with many people, but they can be destructive to vegetation around homes, orchards and gardens in suburban and rural areas of Oregon.

A deer-proof fence may be the best insurance against deer damage, but landscaping with deer-resistant plants can also really make a difference.

Deer frolic in Alberta, Canada. (AP Photo)

PERRENNIALS AND BULBS:

-- Columbine

-- Artemisia tridentata - Basin Sagebrush, Big Sage

-- Arundo donax - Giant Reed

-- Delphinium spp. (Larkspur - POISONOUS)

-- Digitalis spp. (foxglove - POISONOUS)

-- Hellebore (POISONOUS)

-- Iris

-- Devil's Poker, Red-hot Poker

-- Lupines spp. (POISONOUS)

-- Narcissus (daffodil - POISONOUS)

-- Romneya coulteri - Matilija Poppy

-- Trillium spp.

-- Tulip

SHRUBS

-- Berberis spp.- Common Barberry and Oregon Grape

-- American Bittersweet (POISONOUS)

-- Cornus stolonifera - Red Osier Dogwood

-- Daphne spp. (POISONOUS)

-- Juniperus spp. Juniper

-- Mountain Laurel (POISONOUS)

-- Kerria japonica - Japanese Rose

-- Kolkwitzia amabilis - Beauty Bush

-- Pieris japonica- Japanese Pieris (POISONOUS)

-- Rhododendron spp. (POISONOUS)

-- Syringa vulgaris Common lilac

If you are interested in more plants and trees that are deer-resistant, the Oregon State University Extension Service offers the publication, "Deer Resistant Ornamental Plants," to help home landscapers choose landscape plants unpalatable to deer for their area of Oregon.

The four-page publication includes a climatic zone map for Oregon, and lists of deer-resistant perennials, bulbs, shrubs, trees, vines and groundcovers. For each plant the appropriate climate zones are listed.

"Deer Resistant Ornamental Plants," EC 1440, is available by mail for 75 cents a copy plus $3 shipping and handling. Send your request and check or money order payable to OSU to: Publication Orders, Extension and Station Communications, OSU, 422 Kerr Administration, Corvallis, OR 97331-2119.

Or view it on the web at: <http://eesc.oregonstate.edu>. Select "Publications and Videos," then "Gardening," then "Flowers, Shrubs and Trees," then "Deer Resistant Ornamental Plants."