Aromatic Herbs Discourage Deer

More and more Sonoma County gardeners are seeking plants safe from frequent or occasional visits from deer. Although few plant species are one hundred percent deer proof, gardeners can rely on a large number of easy-care, attractive, drought-tolerant plants that deer may taste but not destroy.

Strong Scents

Some of the safest plants are familiar aromatic herbs; others are lesser familiar medicinal, ornamental, or cosmetic herbal plants.

• Many highly scented herbs familiar to gardeners become even stronger under drought conditions and even less attractive to deer.
  • Culinary herbs such as rosemary, thyme, winter savory (Satureja montana), oregano (Origanum), chamomile (Chamaemelum), and lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) all are useful as ornamentals.
• Other aromatic perennials not considered culinary herbs are also not pleasing to a deer’s palate. All are low-water-demanding in the garden.
  • Jerusalem sage (Phlomis), shrub marigold (Tagetes), pitcher sage (Lepechinia), curry plant (Helichrysum italicum), myrtle (Myrtus), and rue (Ruta) have also proven safe.
• Popular herbal garden perennials such as lavender, foxglove (Digitalis), scented geraniums (Pelargonium), cat mint (Nepeta), the many sages (Salvia), and ornamental oreganos (Origanum) fit easily into nearly any sunny garden bed or container as does the lesser known, fuzzy-leaved, pale green herb, horehound (Marrubium).
• Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) makes an excellent ground cover in moist spots while yerba buena (Saturejadouglasii) does the same in shade, while thyme (Thymus) and rue (Ruta) are ignored in sun and more arid conditions.
• Winter savory (Satureja montana) and French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus) serve dependably as low, deciduous shrubs, while evergreen rosemary (Rosmarinus), and deciduous barberries (Berberis) and lemon verbena (Aloysia triphylla) become larger.
• Although deer avoid them, fast-spreading comfrey (Symphytum) and mint (Mentha)should never be planted in the ground since, once established, they’re nearly impossible to eradicate. 

Reliable Teucrium

One of the most unheralded garden herbs is Teucrium. Today, it has little herbal use but is highly valued as a drought-tolerant ornamental that benefits from occasional summer irrigation.

• Commonly called bush germander, Teucrium fruticansmay be left unpruned to reach 6-8 ft. or sheared into a hedge or rounded shape. Small, grayish green leaves give a silvery cast accented by bright blue flowers in summer and fall. ‘Azureum’ fits best in home gardens and can be maintained below its mature 5-foot height and width. ‘Compactum’ is even lower-growing.
• From Elizabethan times, Teucrium chamaedrys(syn. Teucrium x lucidrys) has been grown as a low, evergreen shrublet with tiny, bright green leaves clipped like boxwood to create low hedges and knot gardens. Left untrimmed, its many stems reach 12-18 inches tall, flop over and become unruly. Deep pink flowers appear in summer on unclipped plants. Groundcover ‘Nanum’ reaches only 6 inches high and spreads broadly. It benefits from annual shearing or mowing to ground level.
• Valued for a long season of bloom on a soft mound of gray-green foliage, Teucrium cossonii(similar, if not identical to Teucrium majoricum) is an exceptionally drought tolerant low perennial, especially when given some afternoon shade. Pinkish purple flower clusters nearly cover stem tips and attract bees. Little or no maintenance required but trimming after blossoms have faded encourages re-bloom and limits spread.
• Teucrium aroaniumis similar to Teucrium cossonii in flower and foliage but more compact. It becomes a sub-shrub, developing a woody base and rooting as it forms a low tuft 6 inches high.
• Teucrium flavumlooks best when pruned twice annually to keep its long stems from flopping over on a 4-ft shrub. Its dark green foliage looks good year-round while pale yellow flower spikes appear in summer.
• Teucrium marum, called cat thyme, develops into an aromatic, 2-ft shrub with wiry stems, very small leaves, and tiny pink flowers in summer.
• Teucrium scorodonia ‘Crispum’ has very attractive, soft, ruffly-leaved foliage, but it becomes a thuggish invader when long stems root as they spread, and seeds from insignificant flowers self-sow far too readily. Once it spreads, it is difficult to eradicate. Gardeners are advised to avoid planting it.

August 2023