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Plantings for Elk and
Altitude
Beautiful as they may be, deer and elk provide yet
another challenge to the high country gardener. Whether you intend on
growing only one tree or flower, or an extensive landscape, you will most likely
be visited (on a regular basis!) by deer and/or elk that assume youve created a
salad bar just for them.
The plants that deer and elk eat will vary between
seasons and is influenced by the density of their population, the availability
of native forage, and weather conditions. At the end of particularly dry
or cold winters, and during hot and dry summers, animals will eat just about
anything. Also, they may eat a plant they ordinarily wouldnt like if it
has been recently planted or if it has an abundance of tender, new growth caused
by over-watering or heavy fertilization. Sometimes plants eaten to the
ground in one area by one group of animals may be ignored in another area by
other animals. Some individuals may love to eat all you have, while others
may be more particular. Even plants they generally dont like may be
nibbled by many as they are testing the palatability of them. Spring and
late summer/early autumn typically sees the most damage to plants, but most all
unprotected plants are susceptible at all times.
Beyond the munching, a bull elk or buck can cause great
damage to valued trees with their antlers during rutting season in fall.
Trees that may be relatively safe from eating can be their favorites to
practice fight with. Commonly used trees include Colorado Blue Spruce,
Bristlecone Pines and Sandbar Willows. In addition, bark damage is seen in
spring when theyre rubbing the velvet off their antlers. Elk are also
known to snap branches of trees and shrubs, pull plants out of the ground, and
step on others. The only way to protect plants from this type of damage is
to fence off the plant/s entirely. This can be done individually for
specimen plants, or collectively for an extended area. Fencing is also a
carefree way to protect flowerbeds or vegetable gardens en masse.
If fencing is not an option for you, there is a variety
of deterrents that are effective to minimize munching. Please ask us about
the choices available. The use of a spray deterrent on newly installed
deer/elk resistant plants can help prevent the experimental nibbling that may
occur just because theres a new ingredient at the salad bar. There are
plants that deer and elk tend to avoid, and a very few that we have never seen
them eat (but that list is getting smaller each year!)
Key to the Plant List
Botanical Name The first name listed is the genus; a
group of closely related plants. The second name, if given, is the
species, which further narrows the choice. If no species is listed, the
abbreviation spp. will indicate that most species in that genus are deer/elk
resistant.
Maximum Elevation Guidelines The information given is
intended as an approximate guide and should not be considered to be definitive.
Definitions:
Deciduous a plant that drops its leaves in the fall or
winter and grows new leaves each growing season.
Evergreen a plant that retains its leaves for more than
one annual cycle of growth.
Semi-evergreen a plant that retains at least some green
foliage well into winter, sometimes shedding leaves only in cold climates.
The following plants are generally not preferred by
deer or elk:
|
Botanical Name |
Common Name |
Height (inches) |
Exposure |
Water Needs |
Max. Elev. (feet) |
Comments
(N = Colorado Native Plant) |
|
Achillea spp. |
Yarrow |
12-30 |
S |
Low |
9,000 |
Easy, some spread aggressively |
|
Aconitum spp. |
Monkshood |
24-36 |
Sh-PtS |
High |
9,000 |
Poisonous; roots, leaves and seeds |
|
Agastache spp. |
Agastache |
24 |
S |
Low |
8,000 |
Attracts hummingbirds |
|
Alchemilla spp. |
Ladys Mantle |
12-18 |
S-PtSh |
Mod |
9,000 |
Blooms July-August |
|
Alyssum saxatile |
Basket-of-gold |
12-18 |
S |
Low |
8,000 |
Cut back after bloom |
|
Armeria spp. |
Thrift or Sea Pinks |
6-12 |
S |
Mod |
9,000 |
Use in rock gardens, deadhead
|
|
Asclepias tuberosa |
Butterfly Weed |
18-30 |
S |
Low |
8,000 |
Lean, sandy soil |
|
Astilbe spp. |
Astilbe or False Spirea |
18-36 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod-High |
8,000 |
Late season blooms |
|
Berlandiera lyrata |
Chocolate Flower |
8-12 |
S |
Low |
7,500 |
Long bloom |
|
Centaurea montana |
Bachelor Buttons or Mountain Bluets |
24 |
S |
Low |
8,500 |
Long bloom |
|
Centranthus ruber |
Red Valerian or Jupiters Beard |
18-36 |
S |
Low |
9,000 |
Long bloom, can reseed |
|
Cerastium tomentosum |
Snow-in-summer |
6-12 |
S |
Low |
10,000 |
Mow or shear after bloom |
|
Convallaria majalis |
Lily of the Valley |
6-9 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod |
9,000 |
Poisonous |
|
Dicentra spp. |
Bleeding Heart |
12-36 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod |
9,000 |
Easy; dwarf form is long blooming |
|
Digitalis spp. |
Foxglove |
18-48 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod |
8,000 |
Poisonous |
|
Echinacea spp. |
Coneflower |
18-36 |
S-PtSh |
Low |
7,500 |
Long, late season bloom |
|
Echinops spp. |
Globe Thistle |
30-36 |
S |
Low |
7,000 |
Interesting plant |
|
Eryngium spp. |
Sea Holly |
24-30 |
S |
Low |
7,000 |
Late bloom, reseeds, good accent to
color |
|
Euphorbia characias |
Cushion Spurge |
18-24 |
S |
Low |
9,000 |
Reseeds, great fall color |
|
Galium odoratum |
Sweet Woodruff |
6-10 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod |
9,500 |
Nice groundcover |
|
Iberis sempervirens |
Candytuft |
6-12 |
S-PtSh |
Mod |
8,500 |
Bright white, spring blooms |
|
Kniphofia spp. |
Red Hot Poker |
24-36 |
S |
Low |
7,500 |
Bright colors |
|
Lamium spp. |
Dead Nettle |
4-6 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod |
8,500 |
Great groundcover |
|
Lavandula angustifolia |
Lavender |
12-18 |
S |
Low |
8,500 |
Dries well |
|
Levisticum officinale |
Lovage |
60 |
S-PtSh |
Mod |
8,000 |
Easy celery substitute |
|
Liatris spp. |
Gayfeather |
18-36 |
S |
Mod |
8,000 |
Easy, late blooming |
|
Limonium latifolium |
Sea Lavender |
12-24 |
S |
Low |
7,500 |
Late blooming, dries well |
|
Linum perenne |
Blue Flax |
12-24 |
S-PtSh |
Low |
9,500 |
N is L. lewisii; reseeds, best in
swaths |
|
Lupinus spp. |
Lupine |
18-30 |
S-PtSh |
Mod |
9,000 |
Showy spring blooms |
|
Mentha spp. |
Mint |
12-24 |
S-PtSh |
Mod |
7,500 |
Aggressive spreader, attracts bees |
|
Monarda spp. |
Bee Balm |
12-48 |
S-PtSh |
Mod |
9,000 |
Attracts hummingbirds |
|
Nepeta spp. |
Catmint |
12-36 |
S-PtSh |
Low |
7,500 |
Aggressive spreader, attracts bees |
|
Paeonia officinalis |
Peony |
24-36 |
S |
Mod |
9,000 |
Long lived, takes several years to
mature |
|
Perovskia atriciplifolia |
Russian Sage |
36-60 |
S |
Low |
7,500 |
Shear low in spring |
|
Phlox subdulata |
Creeping Phlox |
4-6 |
S |
Low |
8,500 |
Semi-evergreen groundcover |
|
Polemonium spp. |
Jacobs Ladder |
12-36 |
Sh-PtS |
Mod |
8,500 |
Fern-like foliage |
|
Potentilla verna |
Cinquefoil, Creeping |
2-4 |
S |
Low |
8,500 |
Spreading groundcover |
|
Pulmonaria spp. |
Lungwort |
8-18 |
Sh |
Mod |
8,000 |
Very early bloom, nice leaves |
|
Ratibida columnifera |
Mexican Hat or Prairie Coneflower |
18-24 |
S |
Low |
7,500 |
N; good for natural gardens
|
|
Rheum spp. |
Rhubarb |
30-48 |
S |
Mod |
8,500 |
Likes rich soil, stalks are edible
leaves are poisonous |
|
Rudbeckia hirta |
Black-Eyed Susan |
6-48 |
S |
Low |
8,000 |
N; prolific blooms |
|
Salvia spp. |
Sage |
15-30 |
S |
Low |
8,500 |
Many varieties |
|
Santolina chamaecyparissus |
Lavender Cotton (silver-gray, not
green species) |
18-24 |
S |
Very Low |
7,500 |
Semi-evergreen |
|
Solidago spp. |
Goldenrod |
12-48 |
S |
Very Low |
7,500 |
Late blooming |
|
Stachys byzantina |
Lambs Ear |
6-18 |
S-PtSh |
Low |
7,500 |
Trim in December, reseeds |
|
Tanecetum spp. |
Tansy |
12-36 |
S-PtSh |
Low |
8,500 |
Covered in blooms |
|
Thymus spp. |
Thyme |
1-12 |
S |
Low |
8,500 |
Many varieties |
|
Veronica spicata |
Speedwell |
10-18 |
S-PtSh |
Moderate |
8,500 |
Upright spikes of blooms |
|
Veronica spp. |
Creeping Veronica |
1-3 |
S-PtSh |
Low |
8,500 |
Great low groundcover |
|
(many) |
Ferns, Hardy |
12-48 |
Sh |
Mod-High |
|
