If you are looking to create a small accent garden in your front lawn, it would be wise to plant deer-proof flowers or herbs. Below is a selection of two flowers and an ornamental herb that is not attractive to roaming deer. Some other shrubs and flowers are unattractive to deer but are too large or unwieldy for a small, narrow garden. This article will focus on those plants and herbs that will do well in a small space, as well as that fend off hungry deer.

Daffodils

Daffodils are beautiful flowers that contain a chemical, lycorine, which is deadly to deer. They are also very easy to grow, so if you think that you have a brown thumb, then you should consider planting these. Daffodils are bulbs, which are much larger than seeds. You should plant them in your accent garden in the fall in order to see them bloom in the spring.

Another great thing about Daffodils is that they come back every year and actually increase in number. If you're only familiar with bulbs such as tulips, you might expect to have to plant new bulbs every fall, but that's not necessary with daffodils.

They are perfect for an accent garden strip to put beside your lawn because they are tall and present a lot of beautiful color in a small footprint. They don't spread out very wide, which is prefect when you are dealing with a small accent garden.

Marigolds

The flowers of the Marigold are not toxic, but the roots do produce a toxic chemical called alpha-terthienyl. This chemical prevents insects from eating the roots of the flower. While the flowers of the marigold are not toxic, deer tend to stay clear of marigolds because of the flowers' strong scent.

Marigolds are bright, annual flowers that are either yellow or bright, golden orange. They will stay in bloom throughout the entire spring and summer. You can purchase a new tray of marigolds every year, or you can collect the seeds from the faded flowers and replant them for next year. In order to do this you will need to avoid "deadheading" the flowers. Deadheading is the process of removing the flower heads when they begin to fade so that new, bright flowers bloom. If you leave a few flower heads on until they fade completely, you can harvest them and open them up and find seeds inside. These seeds can be used to plant new marigolds. It will lessen the amount of blooms for the season but will ensure that you have new marigolds for the next season.

Lavender

Deer don't like herbs because of the strong smell. So you could plant any number of fragrant herbs, but lavender is a great choice because it has such a beautiful, vibrant purple color. You could even cut the lavender and use it dried as a potpourri. You can find a tray of lavender at your local garden supply store. Unlike some other herbs, lavender does not spread as aggressively, and so it won't overtake a small accent garden. Also, it doesn't shed petals onto your lawn, so you won't have the added headache of raking up petals before you mow the lawn.

For more information or assistance with landscaping your small garden space, talk with professional landscapers, such as those at Heritage Lawn and Landscape.