Deer-Resistant Design

By Karen Chapman
Timber Press, 2019

Coyote urine, Irish Springs soap, human hair, and plastic party flags. What do these things have in common? I’ve tried them all in my quest to keep the deer out of my garden. So far, the only thing working is the flags I’ve attached to fish line around the vegetable garden. Of course, I still see deer in my yard but my veggies haven’t been eaten during the night. I’m happy with that but still hope to deter them all together.

The only spot I didn't put down Deer Repel! Just stared at me as I walked by.Karen Chapman’s “Deer-Resistant Design” published in 2019, offers “proven solutions for a lush, deer-defying garden.’ So I was happy to read it. Ms. Chapman owns the award-winning landscape design company Le Jardinet (lejardinetdesigns.com).

The book is divided into sections based on different regions of the US. I read carefully the Pacific Northwest, my part of the country. This garden was much bigger than my yard, 5 acres to my one-and-a-half lot. Fencing wasn’t an option for the whole property but they did install a double fence around the vegetable garden. Throughout the rest of the property, they created planting beds with beautifully colored plants and flowers chosen for their deer-resistance.

The author says that deer still visit but it’s mostly during the winter months so little damage is done. Quite a success story. I made a list of plants and shrubs to check out at my local garden nursery.

The remainder of the book was of little interest, sadly. Since it’s so region-specific, it was less helpful. I did enjoy looking at the different gardens and was impressed by the designs that were deer-resistant. I look forward to searching out some new, big critter resistant plants.

Reviewed by Barbara Racine, who spent 40 plus years working at independent college bookstores.