Yes, 16 deer resistant shrubs for clay soil is quite specific. But rather than merely looking at deer proof plants, I’ve broken the plant and soil components down to make this more manageable for you to read and use as a resource. For example, the soil type you have in your garden is important to the plants’ ability to thrive. And if deer are regular visitors, your plants deserve all the help you can give them.
Within this blog I’ve aimed to suggest ideas and plants that will be of use to those already gardening with deer and those gardeners who moving into a property where deer are likely to be a garden pest.
The following shrubs are ‘tried and tested’. For example, they’ve been used in gardens I’ve designed and clients have reported back on their success. Although remember that deer, like humans, vary in their tastes, so try different varieties and cultivars within each of the following shrub species if the deer eat your first choice. Gardening is a continuous learning curve after all!
But we do start with a brief look at your most likely visitors and the damage they might or can do …
Oh Deer
Deer Species
There are several species of deer who might be garden visitors in the UK, of which two are native species – Red and Roe. One is naturalised, the Fallow deer, introduced by the Normans in the 11th century. Japanese Sika Deer are mid-19th century introductions, Reeve’s Muntjac deer were introduced in the early 20th century. Chinese Water deer are descendants of escapees from Whipsnade zoo in 1929.
Distribution
Although five of the deer species may be found across the UK, they are more likely to be a problem in certain areas where they have larger populations.
- Roe deer are found across just about all of England and Scotland plus much of Wales, but not at all in Northern Ireland. They’re one of the most frequently seen deer.
- Red deer are mainly found in the Scottish Highlands, East Anglia, South West England and Northern Ireland.
- Fallow deer have most of their population south of Yorkshire, with patches covering the rest of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
- Japanese Sika Deer are mainly found in western Scotland, western Northern Ireland and with pockets in various other places.
- Reeve’s Muntjac Deer covers swathes of southern and central England but is patchy throughout the rest of the UK.
- Chinese Water deer tend to only be found around Herts and East Anglia.
Deer damage
As a browsing animal, deer will nibble at leaves that they can reach. Which includes those they can reach by standing on their hind legs with their front ones resting against a trunk. The result being that even smaller deer can reach to 1.2 metres. At certain times of the year, when there is less foliage they may strip bark from branches and trunks. This is called fraying, and can be highly damaging to the shrub.
16 Deer Resistant Shrubs for Clay Soil
Raising the crown of shrubs and trees may help with deer-proofing shrubs and trees. What this means is removing the lower branches so that they’re not accessible, so it helps if you know the height of the deer who visit your garden. Luckily the most likely visitors, Roe and Muntjac, are less than 70 cm shoulder height and can reach to about 1.2 metres when they stand on their hind legs.
But the following 16 deer resistant shrubs shouldn’t need that treatment. Planting these will give you flowers pretty much year round, plus winter stem colour and evergreen interest.
- Abelia
- Buddleia
- Chaenomeles
- Choisya
- Cornus sanguinea
- Deutzia
- Hydrangea
- Lonicera winter
- Osmanthus
- Physocarpus
- Potentilla fruticosa
- Ribes
- Salvia microphylla
- Santolina chamaecyparissus
- Syringa meyeri
- Wisteria
Many of these shrubs do well in a range of soils, not just clay. Do remember that if your soil is very heavy clay, improving the drainage will help the shrubs to thrive over wet winters, particularly ones such as Santolina.
Abelia
Once mature this is a pretty hardy shrub – which is good news as not only is it deer resistant but flowers from July to October. Lightly scented, a shrub in full bloom will definitely give off a delightful scent. Give it a warm spot, slightly sheltered and getting a fair bit of sun, preferably in the afternoon. Some of the cultivars are small enough to thrive in pots in a courtyard garden.
Buddleia
From white through pink to deep purple and even orange flowers buddleia has a lot to offer. Butterflies and bees love it, deer don’t. See blog link below for more.
Chaenomeles
Ornamental or Japanese quince can be grown as wall shrub, hedge or freestanding shrub and will tolerate shady spots as well as sunny. Spring flowers of red, pink or white followed by autumn fruit. Plus the fruits are edible when cooked, although somewhat fuller of seeds that the culinary quince, Cydonia oblonga.
Choisya
Mexican orange blossom often gets a bad name as its used in communal planting schemes and car parks, but in the right place it is an excellent garden shrub. Rather than green evergreen foliage, try the cultivar ‘sundance’ or for delicate foliated leaves try ‘Aztec pearl’.
Cornus sanguinea
This dogwood is grown for the winter colour provided by younger stems. Generally red, the cultivar ‘midwinter fire’ has ombre coloured stems blending red, orange and yellow. Cut back to c3 buds above ground level at the end of March to be sure of fresh stems in the following winter.
Deutzia
A deciduous shrub with masses of fragrant pink or white flowers during early to mid-summer. Deutzia vary in size with the smallest around a pot worthy 60cm and the tallest at 3 metres so there are plenty to choose from to suit your garden space.
Hydrangea
I think this is the only one of our shrubs that positively thrives on a heavy clay soil! Although mainly deciduous, Hydrangeas offer a long season of interest with their decorative flower or seed heads lasting throughout most of the winter.
Lonicera
All the Lonicera or honeysuckle are deer resistant, but here I’m suggesting the winter flowering honeysuckle, which is a shrub rather than a climber. Lonicera fragrantissima flowers from November to March which makes it a useful addition to your pollinator friendly planting scheme and to a cutting garden!
We’ve reached the halfway mark of our 16 deer resistant shrubs for clay soil list, and I wonder whether you’ve been surprised by any of my suggestions so far. Hopefully I’ve given you ideas for shrubs you didn’t know about as well as reminding you of some that were already familiar.
Osmanthus
Sometimes referred to as false holly, Osmanthus heterophyllus ‘Goshiki’ is my favourite cultivar with evergreen foliage in green, gold and cream, plus scented flowers from July to September.
Physocarpus
Physocarpus opulifolius ‘diabolo’ has dark purple foliage; whilst ‘lady in red’ and ‘darts gold’ have leaf colours you’d expect from their names. Deciduous shrubs they make an excellent foil to contrasting herbaceous perennials over the summer months. For example, electric blue flowered Eryngium (also deer resistant) will stand out against any or all of these.
Potentilla fruticosa
Shrubby cinquefoil often gets ignored which is a pity as this compact shrub is a good size for small gardens and blooms from late spring through to autumn. Flower colours are yellow, white, pink and red and it is a favourite of many pollinators.
Ribes
The flowering currant is most often seen as a pink or red flowering plant. But my favourite of these spring flowering shrubs is the fragrant yellow flowered Ribes odoratum, syn R. aureum. But whichever flower colour you choose, the dissected foliage adds further interest.
Salvia microphylla
Blackcurrant sage is a plant I first bought way back in the late 1990s from a specialist nursery. The red flowers, aromatic, blackcurrant scented foliage attracted me then and I haven’t looked back. Both flowers and leaves are edible for humans but deer are not as keen! Salvia ‘hot lips’ is a microphylla cultivar.
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Cotton lavender isn’t a lavender at all, although the soft silver-grey foliage is similar. This evergreen shrub makes a pretty knee-height hedge and also looks attractive planted in combination with Salvia microphylla and Stipa tenuissima.
Syringa meyeri
Korean lilac is ideal in smaller gardens, a compact shrub that is smothered in fragrant blooms during mid spring and summer. Perhaps not as good as a cut flower as the common lilac, but only because the stems can be rather short. The fragrance is every bit as good. All the lilacs seem to be deer resistant.
Wisteria
Last, but certainly not least, Wisteria. Those fragrant panicles of purple or white blooms are safe from deer depravation for our enjoyment. And of course Wisteria hums with bees of all kinds as well as birds and other pollinators. There’s a blog link below for those of you who need help with pruning wisteria.
What next?
There are, of course, more than 16 deer resistant shrubs for clay soil. But by breaking my help to you down into types pf plants – shrubs, herbaceous perennials, edibles – and by soil types, my aim was to reduce your time spent cross checking. Which means that you can expect more blogs like this one where you can benefit from my years of expertise! But the next deer related blog is most likely to be on ways to prevent deer from accessing your garden on the first place. And being me, I have some unusual but not complicated methods for you to try too.
And finally
If you’d like help creating a deer resistant planting design for your garden, or have queries regarding your existing garden, do get in touch to ask about our design and consultancy services.
For further gardening advice and inspiration, ideas for edible gardens and more, check out Plews Potting Shed blogs, including the selection below and our monthly Tipsheet You could come and find us on Instagram – @plewsgd Pinterest and Facebook too.
And on that note, you can have a peek at my new garden in the (new) Instagram account @spitfiresandslowworms and for those of you who prefer Facebook – Spitfires and Slow Worms
And if you’d like some personal help, we offer a mix of practical sessions and theory in our bespoke Gardening Lessons and Courses. There’s a blog link below plus a pdf download with more info
Related Gardening articles you may enjoy from our Award Winning Blog
More about 3 of our deer resistant shrubs for clay soil –
Why has my Blue Hydrangea turned Pink?
Buddleia – Butterfly Bush or Beast?
Cornus – Dogwood – Colourful Winter Stems
Rabbit Proof Plants – most of which are likely to be deer resistant too
And more planting inspiration for every season …
Scented Shrubs for Christmas Morning
5 Scented Flowering Shrubs for a Midsummer Garden
Flowering Shrubs for Late Summer Colour
9 Shrubs and Trees for Stunning Autumn Foliage
Evergreen Shrubs for Foliage Interest
10 Winter Flowering Shrubs – Planting Ideas for your Garden
Shrub Pruning Tips
Pruning Spring Flowering Shrubs
Gardening Courses and Lessons
What might a Plews Gardening Lesson be Like?
Plews Gardening Lessons Information
I know how pleasant it can be to watch them … so long as they’re not nibbling anything other than the grass!
