I plant marigolds about 2 feet apart, deer hate them.
Have had no problems. We have a lot of deer in yard everyday. No garden plants eaten. (Michigan)

Ornamental grasses are a good alternative to flowers - which lets face it are just very expensive deer food..........

Between deer, rabbits and groundhogs it's getting pretty difficult to keep most things growing here.

I've already got my arsenal of seeds for winter sowing but know a lot of it will be eaten to the ground.

Cameron, you have some of the most integrated, well planned and beautiful gardens I've ever seen.

Claymama, I planted Marigolds after reading rabbits didn't like them. They devoured them. Only planted them because my father likes them but they're now relegated to the deck which has ugly chicken wire barrier on stairs to keep groundhogs from eating what's on said deck.

Deer walking nightly through newly laid top soil in two beds raised for better drainage and are compacting the heck out of them while they nibble on fall planted perennials staged to be filled in with spring planted things. Can't deer fence every bed at or visible from the residential street as it begins to look like an armed camp...LOL. The beds in back where I have fenced aren't doing the job for some critter that is still eating whatever foliage is left on Echinops Ritro.

Cameron, keep posting those pictures. I can always live vicariously...my dream gardening experience.

Newbie,

I'm sorry that it took me so long to get back to this forum. Thanks for the compliments.

Gardening with deer is a challenge. Also, as you are finding, what the deer don't eat, the rabbits might.

The foliage on my echinops has been nibbled, too. I'm not too worried about it for next summer.

Right now, I have placed a wimpy 32" high wire edging fence around the edges of the garden just to keep the deer from walking through there this winter and trampling things. There's nothing for them to eat, but they still like to shop!

I write a blog post everyday (during winter when I'm not gardening). I always try to include information about the plants being deer resistant/rabbit resistant or not.

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: Defining Your Home Garden (my blog)

Marigolds are not all alike in their ability to control deer/rabbit foraging. The old/original varieties do the trick not all these hybrids. The oldies are not as pretty as the hybrids but beauty is not the desired characteristic you want.