They can serve as focal points

Evergreen trees and shrubs form the structural backbone of any garden design and are invaluable for many seasonal interest. They can serve as focal points or they can be a backdrop for other plants and garden features. Their utility and importance cannot be underestimated.

Where I work as a landscape designer in Morris County, New Jersey, we face some of the highest deer pressure in the country. For those who garden in unfenced areas with a growing population of these creatures, few things are more destructive than a valuable or expensive plant ruined by browsing. While there are deterrents you can use with varying degrees of success, the solution ultimately lies in plant selection. With careful selection, there are many options for both broadleaf evergreens and conifers that are worthy of the garden, are suitable for your conditions, and are unattractive to hungry animals. While none are completely deer-proof, the following plants are typically left undisturbed, allowing gardeners to enjoy them for years to come.

1. Magnolia virginiana ‘Green Shadow’

‘Green Shadow’ Sweetbay magnolia takes to a variety of conditions. This underused, fragrant, small tree has an open form and white flowers in summer (inset), making it an asset when other flowering trees and shrubs are in decline. The flowers are followed by ornamental, orange seeds. It is a host plant for many species of butterflies and moths, including the native tiger swallowtail. It is notable for its long, ovate to lanceolate leaves and green stems. This tree loses some leaves in cold winters, but most of the leaves remain. It is salt tolerant, making it ideal for coastal gardens and street plantings.

2. Ilex opaca ‘Satyr Hill’

One of our best native hollies, American holly is an excellent deer-resistant tree with its spiny leaves. Generally, this plant is too large to use in most suburban garden settings. 'Satyr Hill' is a very compact variety suitable for small gardens; it will only reach 9 to 10 feet tall and wide after 10 years. It will eventually grow large, but it takes pruning well and its size can be easily managed. 'Satyr Hill' naturally grows in a tight pyramidal shape (inset) with slightly glossy leaves, more olive-colored and flat than other hollies.

With male pollination nearby, female plants produce abundant red fruits in the fall, a major food source for birds including American robins, cedar waxwings, and bluebirds. Although this tree is hardy to zone 5, fruit production is limited in colder climates.

3. 'Otto Luyken'

Southeastern Europe and Southwest Asia The glossy, dark green leaves of 'Otto Luyken' cherry laurel shine in its compact form, making it very valuable for small gardens. It can be used as a screen or as a green presence in mixed borders.

This shrub or small tree bursts with white bottlebrush flowers in late spring. All parts of this plant are toxic to humans and animals if ingested, which makes it a deer-resistant plant. Although cherry laurel does not like heavy fertilization, it can be shaped by hand pruning after flowering. Hedge shears will destroy the large leaves, making the plant look bushy.

4. Viburnum rhytidophyllum 'Green Trump'

The hairy leaves of the Central and West China Leatherleaf Viburnum are irritating to herbivores and are often avoided. 'Green Trump' is a compact cultivar with smaller, more rounded leaves than other varieties. Its sculptural branches are useful in winter containers as well as as young plants. In spring, the blue-green new foliage and its attractive, deep pink buds open to white lacecap flowers, setting it apart from other evergreens in the landscape and making it a focal point in sun or shade. Unless you prefer a more open and airy habit, it should be pruned immediately after flowering to prevent leggy growth. Left to grow more naturally, this very reliable semi-evergreen shrub makes an excellent garden plant. Otherwise, with very diligent pruning, a dense growth can be achieved that provides a screen for privacy.