• Keep deer out of your garden with deer-resistant bedding plants.deer image by Henryk Olszewski from Fotolia.com
  
  Deer are sometimes major pests in gardens, eating just about any plants that you try to grow. They are especially troublesome in areas with high deer populations where natural resources for nutrition are limited. Choose deer-resistant plants to cut down on potential landscape damage. Deer are attracted to different plants based on smell, similar to how humans gravitate to foods that smell good, according to University of Vermont's Dr. Leonard Perry. Similarly, some plants are more resistant to deer because of their unappetizing odors.
  
  

Chinese "Forget-Me-Not"

• Cynoglossum amabile, or Chinese "Forget-Me-Not," is native to Asia. It is a deer-resistant plant with pink, white or blue blooms, according to a list prepared by McDonnell Nursery, in California. Plant the Chinese Forget-Me-Not in your garden in the spring or start indoors, then plant outdoors after last frost. An annual plant, which does well in the sun or light amounts of shade, it self-sows.
  
  

"Basket of Gold"

• "Basket of Gold," or Aurinia saxatilis, belongs to the Brassicales family, and is deer-resistant according to both McDonnell's and the Rutgers Cooperative Extension's plant list. This perennial commonly edges garden beds, and blooms clear yellow, gold, lemon, cream and white flowers. It grows well in eastern, western and mountain states in the United States.
  
  

Ageratum

• Ageratum, also known as "Whiteweed," belongs to the Asteraceae family, the largest family of flowering plants, according to the Plantzafrica website. Ageratum, an annual plant, is deer resistant, according to both McDonnell's and Rutgers. This bedding plant blooms fluffy violet, blue, white or pink flowers from early summer until the first frost. It grows well throughout the southern United States.
  
  

Annual Vinca

• Catharanthus roseus, or annual vinca, is an herbaceous bedding plant. Both McDonnell's and Rutger's lists include annual vinca as deer-resistant. This plant grows up to two feet tall, but smaller in cold regions, and blooms pink, white and purple flowers, according to the Plant Biology website.
  
  

French Marigolds

• Tagetes patula, more commonly called "French marigolds," belong to the Asteraceae family or Daisy family. This annual herbaceous bedding plant grows easily and is drought tolerant, according to the Folia website. According to both McDonnell's and Rutger's reports, French Marigolds are deer-resistant.