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" When we first moved from manic midtown Manhattan to the serenity of rural Litchfield County, Conn., my wife and I were struck by the amazing array of flora and fauna on our 3.5-acre lot. Thick stands of mature hardwoods and white cedars grew among ferns and flowering mountain laurel. The stream defining our southern property line routinely attracted a wildlife menagerie that included turkey, fox, chipmunk, possum, coyote, raccoon and, of course, deer\u2014lots and lots of deer. Years later, we still like the beauty outside the window. But the excitement of watching the deer wore off rather quickly once they started feasting on our gardens.   Three years ago, I planted a large bed of hosta (plantain lily) to help soften the transition between a stonewall staircase and the lawn. Big mistake. Apparently, when deer see hostas, they think salad bar. The bed of lush plants soon looked as if it had been mowed. It turns out, though, that while deer love hostas, they absolutely disdain lots of other plants that can look equally good in a garden. &amp;quot;If deer are starving, they&amp;#039;ll eat almost anything,&amp;quot; says David Jensen, but under normal circumstances the critters are surprisingly choosy. Jensen owns Deer-Resistant Landscape Nursery, a mail-order firm that sells over 300 deer-discouraging plants. And Jensen has a very simple, yet effective way of testing his plants: His central Michigan nursery isn&amp;#039;t fenced in. &amp;quot;If my plants weren&amp;#039;t deer-resistant,&amp;quot; Jensen says, &amp;quot;then I wouldn&amp;#039;t have them to sell.&amp;quot;  Owners of nonresistant plants can try everything from fences to motion-activated sprinklers with little effect. Anti-deer sprays, such as Deer Off, Liquid Fence or Plantskydd, lose efficacy after a few months and must be reapplied. For my hosta problem, Bill Hosking, owner of James S. Hosking Nursery in Watertown, Conn., suggested using Milorganite, an organic fertilizer derived from sewage sludge strained from a Milwaukee wastewater treatment plant. The smell has definitely kept away the deer\u2014and most of my neighbors\u2014and I still have to reapply the Milgoranite to continue to discourage the deer.  Bottom line: The best approach is to simply choose plants that deer don&amp;#039;t like to eat. Below are 22 deer-resistant plants to consider for your garden. Compiled by David Jensen of Deer-Resistant Landscape Nursery, the list is divided into seasons and includes ground cover and shrubs.  Perennials    Perennials rely on their roots to live through the winter. Aromatic foliage accompanies the spring and summer blooms, keeping the deer at bay. Combine perennials on contrasting blooming schedules to maintain visual interest in your garden throughout the growing season.  Spring blooming * Dicentra, bleeding heart * Narcissus, daffodils * Helleborus, hellebores  Early summer blooming * Euphorbia, spurge * Iris Sibirica, Siberian iris * Thymus, thyme  Midsummer blooming * Agastache, hyssop * Buddleia, butterfly bush * Digitalis, foxglove * Lavandula, lavender * Nepeta, catmint * Salvia, meadow sage  Late-summer/fall blooming * Aconitum, monkshood * Caryopteris, bluebeard * Perovskia, Russian sage * Ornamental grasses  Groundcover Creeping groundcovers accent shady spaces, and their hardy roots can protect against erosion.  * Ferns (regardless of species) * Lamium, spotted dead nettle  Shrubs Whether deciduous or evergreen, shrubs retain year-round structure, giving the garden proportion and balance. The vigorous boxwood and cinquefoil recommended here can thrive despite harsh conditions.   * Acanthopanax, aralia * Berberis, barberry * Buxus, boxwood * Potentilla, bush cinquefoil  From PopularMechanics.com   NEXT: How to Build a Garden Arbor "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/how-to/a5461/deer-resistant-garden/>