I have read many articles that contained lists of plants that deer were supposed to dislike and so would be left alone. Although most of the writers admitted that they could not guarantee that their suggested plants would be safe it is a fact that a starving deer will eat anything to satisfy its hunger. This is just one of the gardening myths that are debunked in this article by Elisabeth Ginsburg which I found on the Backyard Gardener website.

A friend called not long ago, and she sounded desperate.
?I am going to join the N.R.A,? she said in a tone that suggested she had just committed herself to scrubbing the floor of Grand Central Station with a toothbrush. When I asked her why a normally peaceful person would want to do such a thing, she told me the whole sad story.
It seems that my friend had just bought a fall-blooming anemone that was gorgeous, healthy and-best of all-on sale. Lovingly installed in her Westchester garden, the anemone lasted exactly one day. A deer apparently ate it during the wee hours of the following morning. This was particularly ironic for my friend because just recently she had seen her anemone?s name on a respected publication?s list of ?deer proof? plants.

The myth of the deer proof plant is only one of several that I have been reminded of recently. In truth, a hungry deer will eat just about anything, even if the act results in distress of one kind or another. Unfortunately deer have rather large stomachs and rather small brains.
Thinking about deer reminds me of another myth-that the presence of a dog or cat will keep squirrels, raccoons and other marauders out of the garden. I have three cats. One is an excellent mouser and another is as big as an average cocker spaniel. Neither of them is able to intimidate the horde of bulb-stealing, plant chewing mammals that troop through my backyard on a daily basis.

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