Sierra Foothill Garden

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• Since not all of your readers know the proper names of plant, could you give your lists in common names as well? Names such as daisy, marigold, lavender, poppy, etc. I love your site but have to go to a different one because of this.

  • Thanks, Lynn, for the reminder,...I will try to do that always in the future! :-) Sue

    • Is there a way to print list without all the photos?

• Nice Site. Thank you.

  I am moving to a new property in the hills. I have a black thumb and am looking for plants that will be resistant to my lack of gardening skills while also being deer resistant.

  Also, I am looking for a type of creeping/climbing vine. Would you be able to identify or highlight these?

  Thanks for any ideas or help you can provide.

  • Hi Beth, Best wishes for your move into our beautiful foothills. As you spend time here, I hope you come to like whatever native plants you happen to have on your property now. They will be your best friends since you feel challenged by gardening. We have groomed up our native trees and shrubs to look neat and park like. Take this list to your closest nursery,...they will all be very hardy, as deer resistant as possible and beautiful. If all else fails, depend on two plants, lavender and rosemary. California natives are the absolute best, naturally, whenever you can find them.

    • Hi Sue,
      I'm looking for only 4 or 5 deer-resistant plant for the Sierra foothills area. Other than lavender and rosemary, what other 3 or 4 plants-out of this long list would you recommend?

      • Hi Connie, a couple favorites are Ceanothus, Wild lilac, in any size needed and sage, especially Autumn sage, of which I must have 40 plants! They're all blooming now and have since spring. A third might be Lamb's ear,...a perennial that adds a pop of white to the garden.

        • Hi Sue,

          When you say "Autumn Sage", are you referring to Salvia greggii, 'Autumn Red'?. We will be moving to the Sierra Nevada Foothills and I would love to be able to grow this plant.

          Regards,

          Lori

        • Hi Sue,

          Like your site, neat, adventurous and informative. I have to admit, that is a long list.

          I am up in Placerville, and a frequent guest at our local Front Yard Nursery., to which also has a pretty in depth list of supposed deer resistant plants.

          As you know, Deer are inquisitive creatures and not very much creatures of habit. One year the local herd samples a little of this and that, and well, I think you know the rest of the story.

          What caught my eye on this particular post, is that the local deer around here have always loved to nibble on our many Ceanothus, Rock Roses, and various others. And, as much as I hate to transplant or throw any of them away, I just either let them have their way as they do a clean prune :), or I just simply prune away their last feast.

          I'll have to make a list for you of all the plants I have scratched off of the Nurseries long list.

          Hey, they need to eat too!

  • THE most deer resistant plant that's also drought tolerant and attracts hummingbirds is from the sage or salvia family Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) It reseeds freely and comes in pinks to reds -with an off-white plant every now & then. It blooms on & off all year long at 1200'

    • Pam, I find that Autumn sage is one of the most useful and colorful plants in my garden... I must have more than 25 and I also find they do well in containers. I hope you've also tried the Blue Oak sage, Salvia chamaedryoides, which has soft grey foliage....a nice contrast!

    • I will be at 3000 ft. Will Salvia greggii do well there?.

      • Foresthill, Ca.

      • Salvia greggii does not survive the winter at my elevation of 2650 near Grass Valley.

• best list I've seen on the web! most helpful--thanks so much!

  • Thanks so much, Joselyn,...many times people scoff and say they can't grow anything here. LOL! It's not true! Happy planting...

  • Many of the plants on this list are eaten by the deer in our region, both in Nevada and Placer Counties. I have been observing their preferences for 40 years in my own and others' gardens.

• Hi Sue. Nice list. Very impressive!

  I'm planning a garden in the Auburn area, and was wondering what flowers would fare best in this environment, while also surviving the deer. Your help would be greatly appreciated!

  • Thanks, Nick,
    For a few more ideas, see these three posts. I have most of these in my garden...believe me, I watch the deer as they cross through the property and it's so satisfying to see them pass these by.
    What to plant under Native Oaks and Pines?
    Tim and Barbara’s carefree artist garden
    An ideal plant list for a new Sierra foothill garden

• You have given a good list of plants for deer resistant gardens, but everyone should know that there are variables to any such list. What is ignored in one neighborhood may be a treat in another. The time of year makes a difference, as does the population density. Fawns seem to "sample" just about everything, and nursing moms get desperate if their habitat can't provide enough food. Talk to your neighbors about what works for them. Leave the plant you want in its pot, set it in the area where you want to plant it, and watch it for a few days to see what happens. Be prepared to install a protective barrier if it's needed, and be flexible about your choices.

  • Nursery-grown plants may be particularly vulnerable because of the nitrogen fertilizers commonly used, so setting a.container out is not a good test of deer-resistance. Better to plant and protect until the plant is no longer under the influence.

• Thanks for your advice, Beni. You probably have your own tested list of plants you succeed in growing....nice...

• Stumbled across your lovely
  site while searching for deer resistant plants. I am a starting a new garden in similar conditions north of Ashland, OR. Have many deer, which we love to watch. Also love to garden... I can see its going to be a challenge!

• The only thing I have found they will not eat even if hungry is vinca or periwinkle. That is here in Cuero, Texas, they do not eat them. I have had few problems here this year, but last year was terrible. They ate everything.

• Hi,
  We have several large containers and this is our idea of planting them. We would like to put in a type of shrub that blooms and is deer resistant. But... also, we would like to be able to put bulbs or other deer resistant annuals around the shrub. Can you give us some ideas. I like the list of plants but I do not know where to start. Thanks so very much Sue. Enjoyed your presentation last Thursday. =)
  Catana

• Hello there. I'm so glad to have found your website!! I am an avid gardener, but from So Cal. - The Santa Monica Mountains. We also have deer, rabbit, skunk, and millions of ground squirrels, but not as hungry as the ones up here. I have solved a few of the problems, but would love some ideas of Shade Plants that are deer resistant. I've been using digitalis and iris, but they just ate the base of my Boston Ivy that was to cover a very ugly side of my house. I'm trying to discourage them with shade cloth, but will need some more good natives or others that will grow in the shade, but will also be resistant to deer. I adore the deer, but they have nibbled on a few of my favorites. Any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated. I'd like to get the shade plants in soon. Thanks for everything!

  • I've had good luck with Rhododendron, Azalea and Abelia in the shade. All of these are shrubs and Rhodos will eventually grow tall.

    For a faster grower, consider Firethorn Pyracantha) but just know it has thorns. It's a sun plant but grows in part shade as well,... will grow tall and hide many flaws.

    For other shade plants, I grow Coral bells (Heuchera), Western Sword Fern, Bergenia,...a favorite, favorite plant now since it's deer and drought resistant and is very green even now in the driest season. It blooms in Feb!

    St John's Wort grows in shade and will spread...Columbine grows in shade or part shade,...very beautiful and self sows. All these are deer resistant in my garden. I only have time for survivors now, it seems.

    I'll have to expand on this and show photos in an article. It's a question many need answered so thanks for the question!

    • Nice site!!

      I have observed the deer in my Sierra foothill garden (near Tahoe) for 38 years. Some perennials for shade include Phlomis russeliana (Jerusalem sage), Brunnera macrophylla, Digitalis (foxglove, all species), Paeonia (peony), Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum' (golden feverfew), Helleborus (hellebore, all species), Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae (Mrs. Robb's bonnet), Best grass for shade is Chasmanthium latifolium(spangle grass, wild sea oats).

      Excellent groundcovers include Rubus calycinoides (creeping raspberry), Lamium maculatum (all species), Lamiastrum galeobdolen.

      Shrubs include Sarcococca (sweet vanilla plant), Choisya ternata (Mexican orange), and Osmanthus fragrans. Sadly, the native Carpenteria CA is browsed by deer, so I am protecting it while it is young.

      Many of the plants on this list have been eaten by deer in our region.

      Try to avoid plants that have been fertilized. Deer are far more likely to damage a plant fed with nitrogen. Protect young plants at least until new growth is strong. And fall planting is always best....roots can grow during the late fall and early spring.

      • Thanks for your suggestions, Carol. After speaking to many gardeners even in our local area, it seems some deer eat one thing and some another. These are the ones the deer pass by in my garden and for beginners,...it's a good starting place.

        It's so satisfying to carefully watch our 'daily deer' as they go by and see what they eat and don't eat.