Designing a beautiful landscape that deer will walk right past.
When deer consider your backyard their home, creating a landscape they won't devour becomes the first priority. At this property, the deer regularly bed down in the backyard, so every plant was chosen with deer resistance in mind.
The site presented another challenge. A steep slope along the right side of the house exposed the foundation and made it impossible to create a balanced landscape. A retaining wall solved both problems, allowing the planting beds to extend to the end of the house. The result anchors the home to the landscape and creates a more finished, symmetrical appearance.
The shady beds were planted with deer-resistant favorites, including Plum Yew, Boxwood, and golden ornamental grasses for year-round color and texture. Two specimen conifers — Nootka Cypress (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) and Hinoki Cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) — provide structure and serve as striking focal points.
The clean lines, restrained plant palette, and strong architectural forms complement the home's contemporary design while proving that a landscape can be both elegant and highly resistant to deer browsing.
The front entry is shown in the Gallery Before/After sliding photos.
