While we wait for the soil temperatures to warm in anticipation of sowing seeds to our gardens, we can spend some time trying to improve our landscape in deer country.

I haven’t seen my Gang of Five for several weeks, but I can almost feel their eyes peering at the landscape from between the juniper branches.

Ruth Rogers Clausen, author of “50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants,” offers some suggestions to help us make a plan or change some of what we have. The book is a collection of annuals, perennials, bulbs and shrubs that have distinctive features that deer avoid.

We aren’t the only ones who unintentionally provide a smorgasbord for the deer. Our four-legged visitors are a major concern throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. The book is an easy guide to a more successful landscape based on observations of gardens in the United States, Canada and Europe, plus years of the author’s gardening in the Northeast.

Many books have been written dealing with deer controls, with the most recommended being fencing. It’s definitely the best solution, if possible and appropriate. Sprays and repellents are expensive and, in order to be effective, require repeated applications. I have a file folder full of bits and pieces of what to plant, but I was happy to find a book that offered more info regarding how to put it all together.

There probably isn’t a plant that is totally deer-proof. Even at best, the flowers of a deer-resistant plant might be nipped off. Several years ago, I watched one of the Gang of Five head for the daffodil bed and nip off several of the blooms, leaving them on the ground. I guess it was just a challenge to see if he/she could make the lady scream or maybe it was the teenage dare from a travel mate.

Not all of the 50 suggested plants will grow in our tri-county area. With suggestions from the Clausen research, plus suggestions from local OSU Extension publications, you might find plants you have overlooked previously.

Sometimes we pass over plants because they seem so ordinary without regard to how they could benefit us.

Deer-resistant rating system

Clausen developed a deer-resistant rating system. Each plant is rated on a scale from 1 to 10. Plants rated lower than 7 — those regularly browsed by deer — are not included. Deer candy, such as hostas, lilies and day lilies, are rated 1-3.

7 — Deer sometimes nip off flowers but leave foliage alone.

8 — Deer occasionally nip off one or two flowers but mostly ignore plant

9 — Deer occasionally browse young spring foliage but mostly ignore plant

10 — Deer rarely browse foliage or flowers and usually avoid plant altogether.

There are certain plant characteristics that deer tend to avoid. They are likely to ignore plants with fuzzy leaves, such as lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantine). Deer get confused when overstimulated by fragrant flowers or foliage. Plants with spines or bristles are usually passed by.

Although the plants are listed by common name, the botanical name is given secondarily. How often have you given a common name to a plant to have a neighbor correct you with another name? If you want to get the most from the book, you need to find the plants by their botanical name.

Dusty miller

Dusty miller (Senecio cineraria, S viravira, Artemisia stelleriana and Tanacetum ptarmiciflorum) have in common their silvery-gray, white mealy or floury coating on the surfaces of their leaves. The protective coating, typically created by hairs or wax, is unpalatable to deer. I know, you might raise your eyebrows in protest of the common plant, but Clausen suggests the plants be used in drifts in combination with bronze fennel, Russian sage, or caryopteris. The deer resistance rating for dusty miller varieties is 9-10.

Floss flower

The fuzzy flowers and rough-textured foliage of the annual floss flower (Ageratum houstonianum) aren’t of interest to deer. Floss flower is available in blues, pinks and white and is valued as a front-of-the border plant perhaps at the feet of a dark evergreen hedge. Clausen also suggests the plant in informal drifts along with an ornamental grass that would provide some movement. The deer resistance rating is 9-10.

Bush cinquefoil

There is good reason you see so many bush cinquefoil (Potentilla fruiticosa) in Central Oregon. It is a faithful, low-maintenance deciduous shrub that proves eye candy for the gardener and food and nectar for butterflies. The plant likes fertile soil in full sun or part shade. Deer do not like the hairy leaves. Clausen suggests planting with Russian sage (Perovskia) or bluebeard (Caryopteris) for color contrast in late summer. The deer resistance rating is 9-10.

English lavender

English lavender (Lavandula angusifolia) is way too fragrant to be of interest to deer. We have two lavender growers in Central Oregon, so finding a variety that grows well here isn’t a problem. Its deer resistance rating is 9-10.

Hybrid sage

Hybrid sage (Salvia x sulvestris) is a popular clumping perennial. Deer are repelled by the aromatic foliage. Its deer resistance rating is 9-10.

Thyme

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) can be either a bushy shrub or a matted ground cover. Bees love thyme, so be wary of planting the ground cover in a well-trodden walkway. You might be stung when the groundcover is in bloom. Its deer resistance is 9-10.

Other good choices

Many iris varieties are mentioned throughout the book with design tips that make them more attractive than when used in a stiff foundation planting. Ornamental grasses are avoided by deer because of their sharp leaf edges and their fuzzy flower spikes.

There is good news if you are a rose lover. Clausen writes that the tough, spiny rugose rose (Rosa rugose) is one of the few roses that deer don’t damage.

Deer like their food fresh and lush. Clausen advises growing your plants lean and cutting down on chemical fertilizers. Soil fertility can be maintained with regular applications of organic matter such as compost that will increase the tilth of the soil without encouraging soft, deer-favored growth. The deer won’t be happy, but you will be.

— Reporter: douville@bendbroadband.com