One bright note, a list of deer-resistant plants appears in the back of the catalogue from the Twombly Nursery in Monroe.

The deer-resistant plants, which flourish in sweltering heat and look best in August and September, are also wonderful for summer house gardens, Mr. Raymond said.

A. Euphorbia appears on almost all lists of deer-resistant plants.

Forget about the lists of deer-resistant plants; the deer don't read them.

Frankenbach's Deerfield Nursery will show deer-resistant plants and biodynamic composting techniques.

Wild animals will prey on deer, so discourage them from dwelling in your backyard with deer-resistant plants like fir trees, chokecherry, mountain mahogany, quince, Russian aloe, juniper, larch and bishop's weed, snow in summer and baby's breath.

Some people on the island plant deer-resistant plants, and a gardener friend recently told me that the reactions to these vary from one side of the island to the other.

As a suburban gardener who has lost countless beautiful purple hostas, pink azaleas, pink and white verbena, among other plants, I have found that the most effective thing to do is to landscape using deer-resistant plants.

But the effectiveness of planting deer-resistant plants is greatly dependent on the local deer population, according to Bill Hlubik, a county agricultural agent at the Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

As many who work outdoors have learned, there are no truly deer-resistant plants.