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You've found the famous Dave's Garden website! Join this friendly global community that shares tips and ideas for home and gardens, along with seeds and plants! Check out the DG homepage for a brief overview of what you'll find in this gardening mega-site.
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Whether your nemesis is deer, or burrowing rodents that dine on your bulbs and ornamentals, plant these critter-resistant varieties, then sit back and smile.
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NOTE: Zones were taken from national nursery catalogs and various state extension fact sheets, and may differ slightly from other data resources, depending on plant variety.
 | Toni Leland has been writing for over 20 years. She has written a biweekly gardening newspaper column as a spokesman for the Ohio State University Master Gardener program, and writes for Grit magazine and Romance Writers Report. She has been a gardener all her life, working soil all over the world. In her day job, she scripts and produces educational DVDs about caring for Miniature Horses, as well as writing and editing books about this unique height breed. |
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Subject: armadillos and raccoons
Posted by deerfarmer (from Bellville, TX) on May 6, 2008 at 12:54 PM:can anyone give me advice other then shooting them on ways to get rid of armadillos which are rototilling my back yard, and raccoons which destroy my corn crop and peaches? ...
Subject: One chipmunk, used-any takers?
Posted by gbarthutk (from Knoxville, TN) on May 5, 2008 at 11:47 PM:Does anyone have suggestions for trying to relocate or just drive off chipmunks? I have one that has turned my property into a replica of the NY subway system. I know the bird feeders are what draws him/her, and for a while the fresh clumps of sunflower sprouts were a change of pace, but now it's either him or me. The dogs are digging up the yard to try to get him, and today I found blanched sunflower sprouts in the crawlspace under the house- he chewed though the foundation vents. Last fall I bought a live trap and baited it with sunflower seeds (his favorite) and have managed to catch this far 1 grackle, 1 warbler, 2 finches, and I am waiting for the partidge in a pear tree. Current score-Chipmunk 4, harried homeowner 0. I don't want to poison him, but even pouring gasoline into a large burrow the dogs found has not discouraged him. I am going to pull out the live trap again, but worry the birds will call the Audobon Society on me;) Any advice is appreciated. ... Posted by Sofonisba (from Putnam County, NY) on May 7, 2008 at 10:03 PM: Wish I had advice for you, but reading your post made me have lots of sympathy for you! Ever see "Caddyshack"? ...
Subject: Boy oh Boy!
Posted by tonileland (from Nashport, OH) on May 5, 2008 at 7:42 PM:Wow, looks like I goofed this time! LOL
I guess if a critter is hungry enough, they'll eat anything. However, all my research sources swore by the plants I listed.
How could I know all the gardeners had already sworn! :o)
Thanks for all your comments and notes.
Toni ... Posted by broncbuster (from Waxahachie, TX) on May 6, 2008 at 3:22 PM: I never had any problems with rabbits until I started growing daylilies. They would come and nibble at night and I'd find half-eaten leaves the next morning. One night my yellow labrador, Tanner, killed one in the middle of my yard and I haven't had a problem since. They must have all witnessed the demise of their cohort and decided that my place is better left alone. The only other garden pests I've ever had, besides insects, was a border collie that would uproot any newly placed plant and tear it to pieces, and a flock of guineas that would get into my Texas Skullcap looking for bugs and scratch every single twig off. Well, I shipped the mutt to Oklahoma on accident and sold the guineas to a business associate.
The list was pretty close to correct for rabbits in my area, but maybe those other rabbits have adapted to what's available in their area. I always enjoy your articles Toni, so keep 'em coming! ...
Subject: city deer
Posted by nancydemond (from Brookings, OR) on May 5, 2008 at 12:37 PM:Here in Brookings Oregon (southern coast) we have herds of deer coming through our neighborhood. They especially like red twig dogwood, iberis sempervirons Candytuft, occasionally rhododendren buds, and sedum Autumn Joy. They even ate my crocus bloom this year, altho only the white and purple - for some reason didn't like the yellow. They have been known to come up onto my porch and eat pansies and other annuals right out of my pots. I can't plant roses or tulips out front as it like deer candy. They never forget where the choice plantings are! ...
Subject: Bushy tails, rats on stilts & voles
Posted by al448789 (from Charlotte, NC) on May 5, 2008 at 11:31 AM:Here in the Charlotte area, the rabbits aren't too fussy. Star-of-Bethlehem seems to be one of their favorites. They mow down the leaves, but seem to leave the flowers alone. The deer don't pass up Caladium (particularly in pots) and after finished with that move on to the elephant ears. They even mowed down an Autumn Fern last winter. No idea which species likes the bleeding heart, but something does.
As for voles, God help the Hosta and most everything else in their path. Best solution so far has been a friendly neighborhood cat and when it isn't around some mice bait placed in the openings of their tunnels. ... Posted by freeper7 (from Seaford, DE) on May 5, 2008 at 9:05 PM: For the voles in your hostas, try these possibilities:
-mice bait is in the ground for a long time; try baiting mouse snap traps with peanut butter (cover with a clay pot to keep birds and pets away)
-plant your hostas in a sea of small rocks; the voles will avoid the struggle
-plant your hostas in containers raised on bricks (to keep the voles from getting in through the bottom holes...they are persistent pests but don't climb well.)
Hope these ideas help. We have taken all our hostas out of the ground and put them in containers here in western Delaware. They are just as pretty and last a lot longer. Now if I could just figure out what to do with the roses.....:-) ...
Subject: Deer Resistant plants always of interest
Posted by tabasco (from Cincinnati (Anderson, OH) on May 5, 2008 at 11:19 AM:Hi, toni!
You are very brave to write up a list of such plants for publication! Most of the ones on your list are ignored by the critters in our Ohio garden, but sometimes we notice a few are eaten down to the quick by nighttime marauders!
If you haven't already had a look at it, our DG member, Dr. Roxanne Malé-Brune of Ohio University, has recently published a five year study on deer resistant plants that might be of interest to midwestern and eastern gardeners: [HYPERLINK@home.frognet.net]
Luckily our local bunny population here has moved on to better 'pickins' elsewhere or into a nice terrine on somebody's cocktail buffet, but the deer continue to dine on the Siberian Iris, bluebells, and some of the others. Not to mention the darned moles/voles who love the liatris roots.
Thanks again for the list of plants. I see a few on there that I haven't tried yet! t. ...
Subject: rabbits eat more on this list!
Posted by artinthegarden (from Madison, WI) on May 5, 2008 at 9:34 AM:Here in my Madison, Wisconsin garden, rabbits have eaten many of the plants on this list: hydrangeas down to snow line during the winter, echinacea and rudbeckia-whole plants were eaten down to just a nub last fall, and the new growth of my phlox this spring. Yikes! I was especially surprised at the coneflowers last fall. ... Posted by psychw2 (from Boise, ID) on May 5, 2008 at 10:30 AM: Guess the critters are like people. SOMEONE somewhere will eat what no one else will, and if you're hungry enough you'll eat what you thought you would never! I am so lucky to NOT be plagued with the critters, probably because I live on a tiny little lot in a Senior Mobile Home park. Trust me, some of these ladies with their walkers and canes are more dangerous than the wildlife! ... Posted by figaro52 (from Oak Lawn, IL) on May 5, 2008 at 4:35 PM: In my Chicago suburban garden the rabbits just LOVE grape hyacinth. I've known them to nibble at black-eyed susan, and one year during December they chewed a honeysuckle vine to the ground!
Edited to say that I ALWAYS had trouble with rabbits eating the allium plants before I closed the salad bar and put up a fence!
This message was edited May 5, 2008 3:39 PM ... Posted by laura10801 (from Fairfield County, CT) on May 5, 2008 at 9:49 PM: Yep rabbits eat my rudbeckia, echinacea, any and all tulips. I have taken to spraying with non-toxic deterrents like The Deer and Rabbit Solution, Critter Ridder, and Liquid Fence with pretty good results, but if they're hungry nothing will stop them. ... Posted by lauragene (from Lander, WY) on May 6, 2008 at 1:53 AM: My rabbits eat echinacea, Virginia creeper, dianthus, columbine flowers, phlox, grape hyacinth flowers, tulips and asters. Deer eat all garden greens, shrubs, most small trees, bark and new growth on pines, junipers, aspen, birch, fruit trees... of course, roses-- all parts. However, none of my critters-- and I have many, many deer and rabbits, as well as a voracious marmot and hundreds of hungry voles-- none of them eat Snow-in-Summer, Indian blankets, lovage, catnip, pepper and spearmints, blue flax, iris, Russian sage, most penstemons, or hyssop. Narcissus and Lily of the Valley are also safe-- probably because they are so poisonous. ... Posted by Wassercom (from Northbrook, IL) on May 6, 2008 at 11:04 AM: This past winter, rabbits did a phenomenal amount of damage to gardens in the Chicagoland-area. I lost 5 woody hydrangeas, and the rabbits nearly girdled a beech tree that I planted several years ago. I'm also seeing girdled crabapple trees and forsythias in many of my neighbor's yards.
It seems to me that each passing winter, the rabbits are becoming more and more aggressive. I asked about this at the local nursery, and was told the West Nile Virus has wiped out the rabbit's natural predators (hawks, owls, etc), resulting in a population explosion. I have not been able to independently verify this story and would like to know if there is any additional information available on the topic? First and foremost, I am hoping that the hawks and owls are making some sort of comeback so the natural order can be restored.
... Posted by figaro52 (from Oak Lawn, IL) on May 6, 2008 at 11:21 AM: I have some hawks in my area that occasionally pick up a rabbit. Experience has taught me that every winter I need to protect all deciduous shrubs and young trees with chicken wire. This past winter I noticed a rabbit had been chewing on a dwarf mugo pine. Fortunately I noticed in time to protect and save the shrub. They try to eat boxwood and holly, but they spit those out. These critters are capable of doing way more damage in the winter than during the active growing season. ...
Subject: take black-eyed susans off your list
Posted by blackthumb1101 (from Champaign, IL) on May 5, 2008 at 8:35 AM:For years I would have agreed that black-eyed susans were varmint-proof, but no longer. It appears our local rabbits have developed a taste for them--sheared them off right about rabbit-head level. I couldn't believe it at first and like a fool put in a replacement. Next day, same thing--sheared right off. And my family wonders why, when I see rabbits, I think what a tasty dinner they would make! ... Posted by calandpey (from Alamo, TN) on May 7, 2008 at 12:05 AM: Black-eyed susans are weeds to me. They have pretty blooms but come up everywhere a seed drops. They're in the grass, in the rose beds, everywhere. I've decided to do away with them completely.
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Subject: dear little creatures
Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on May 5, 2008 at 7:51 AM:Thanks very much! varmits (dear little creatures) are my waterloo
Fitsy ...
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