Ways to Protect Your Garden and Keep Deer Away in New Jersey

Now that Mother's Day has come and gone now is the time to get outside and start planting.

You're pretty much in the clear here in New Jersey.

That's what I was always told. Gardeners would say once Mother's Day came around it was safe to start planting your flowers and vegetables.

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The odds of the temperature getting down to below freezing are pretty rare this time of year and night temperature should stay above 50 degrees.

Now that we have the green light to start planting, we have one big problem in many areas of New Jersey.

That problem...DEER!

You can plant your flowers and vegetables one day and wake up the next and they're all gone.

That's happened to me! Has it ever happened to you?

If you have a 6 to 8-foot fence that deer can't jump over you're in luck, but if you don't, you're going to have to come up with another solution to keep the deer away.

You can try different non-toxic sprays that are supposed to help repel animals, but they don't always work and you have to make sure you keep reapplying.

Country Living recently had an article about 38 deer-resistant plants.

But remember that there's no such thing as deer-proof plants, only deer-resistant plants. While they're typically less likely to feast on plants with highly aromatic, fuzzy, or prickly leaves, there are no guarantees about what your neighborhood Bambi will (or won't!) eat.

Here are the 38 plants deer typically stay away from, according to Country Living.

38 Deer-Resistant Plants

Boxwood

Lavender

Japanese Forest Grass

Allium

Hellebore

Winter Aconite

Dusty Miller

Agastache

Bleeding Heart

Daffodil

Daphne

Dwarf Alberta Spruce

Sage

Peony

Rosemary

Iris

Pieris

Lamb's Ear

Abelia

Barberry

Caryopteris (Bluebeard)

Diervilla

Forsythia

Winterberry Holly

Potentilla

Butterfly Bush

Baptisia

Heuchera

Lamium

Ornamental Grasses

Catmint

Bee Balm

Foamflower

Torenia

Sweet Alyssum

Ageratum

Heliotrope

Angelonia

Did you know New Jersey has so many native plants?

Some of New Jersey's Native Plants

New Jersey has more than 2,000 native plants in the state. But 350 of them are in a searchable database at www.jerseyyards.org. Here are some native plants you can find in the Garden State, some perfect for hummingbirds and butterflies and others for yard beauty.

Gallery Credit: Jen Ursillo