Landscape plants for sandy soil, summer drought, and deer pressure

Selecting plants to thrive in this landscape requires consideration of our microclimate and environment, with characteristics such as:

"Poor" soil: Our Harstine soil is sandy and gravelly, so it doesn't hold moisture or nutrients. N is especially low. There is a silver lining: certain plants, from Madrona trees to lavender, thrive in this soil type. 

Drought: Western Washington summers have become very dry, despite the perception of our area as a rainy place, and we go several weeks at a time without rain. Watering has been a massive chore and often doesn't get done on schedule. However, there are a few standout plants that thrive with minimal watering, such as some manzanita varieties. 

Deer: Pressured by development, deer are seen everywhere in our neighborhood and have found a haven on our property. Can they be integrated into the property plan harmoniously? The destruction in our gardens has been discouraging, but we make increasingly better plant choices and build better fences as we adapt. 

Many plant lists for these types of conditions exist, but here are my rankings based on some observations:

Excellent performance: 

Almost anything growing on sunny slopes along our local highway is a good bet.

Arbutus family

Manzanitas: Cultivars of California and Oregon species are mostly thriving in our dry, sandy soil (outperforming the native Hairy Manzanita), but benefit from occasional N fertilizer. The deer absolutely leave them alone. They are gorgeous, too. 

Madronas: A favorite "broadleaf evergreen" native trees that likes dry, nutrient-poor soil. (Related strawberry trees, from the Mediterranean, do great in local conditions but get eaten by deer.) 

Kinnikinic (native, plus cultivars): Increasingly used in local landscaping as a groundcover, this is deer resistant and seems to be adaptable to drought conditions. 

Evergreen huckleberries: Carefree  evergreen shrubs for hedgerows/privacy, which also provide wildlife habitat and berries, and they seem entirely deer resistant. 

Tall Oregon Grape: Prickly like holly, so completely deer resistant, and happy to establish in sun or shade. The fruit is sour but makes excellent jelly! Low Oregon Grape does well in dry shade. 

Other natives holding their own: Alders in the lower/wetter part of the property (and they are Nitrogen fixers), Douglas firs in most areas, Ponderosa and shore pines, sword ferns and salal once established.

Blackberries, haha: Our longstanding, invasive Himalayan blackberry is a bully in the landscape, but you have to admire its resilience, and it produces abundantly. More controllable cultivars should also do well. 

Other invasives that have thrived, but I'm still removing them: English holly, Scotch Broom (a leguminous shrub that fixes N and thus easily colonizes areas with poor soil), Black locust (another Nitrogen fixer, which has a gorgeous, lush appearance without any water or care), and Japanese knotweed (another beauty that has to go). 

Ceanothus: my various cultivars from California (e.g. blue blossom AKA California lilac) are outperforming the native redstem ceanothus and are more deer resistant. 

Pearly Everlasting: One of my easiest native flowers, spreading by seed. 

Other easy flowers include Canada goldenrod, Western yarrow, and wooly sunflower, all deer resistant and valuable to local pollinators.

Catmints: Walker's Low has grown rapidly and serves up a feast for bees. 

Lavender, rosemary, oregano, and sage: Low-water Mediterranean herbs that deer avoid but pollinators love.  

Mid- performance: 

Aronia (chokeberries): Easier than blueberries, and when protected from deer, they are good producers of very nutritious berries. 

Ocean spray: Hanging in there with minimal care. 

Beaked hazelnut: Volunteers and new additions doing quite well: squirrels get all the nuts. 

Douglas spirea: A native that some find too aggressive in wetlands, which can also thrive surprisingly well in dry areas. 

Ninebark: Both Pacific (native) and cultivars are showing persistence

Black twinberry: An easy option for our wettest area. 

Plums: Both European and Asian, they need protection from deer but otherwise handle conditions very well. Not as bothered by pests and disease as pears and apples. 

Rhododendrons: They have long been popular in our area, certainly for good reason. The deer leave them alone, but they can require water, fertilizer, and shade. 

Apples: Can handle drought once established, but the fruit will always suffer from pests without treatment. Crabapples are an interesting alternative. 

Flowering quince: Fairly drought and deer tolerant but not thriving. 

Figs: Vulnerable to deer but otherwise pest free. 

Pineapple Guava: Deer resistant and drought tolerant but evidently needs good fertilizer to flower and fruit. 

Worse than expected: 

Red-flowering currants: just disappointing because of the hype: ours have been browsed by deer and suffered from drought.

Mock Orange: Heavily browsed by deer and also suffer some drought stress

Elderberries, including native blue and red elderberries: Destroyed by deer, need substantial watering and fertilizer. 

Pears: European pears require significant water, are attractive to deer, and are vulnerable to pests and disease. Asian pears are looking a lot better but need protection from deer. 

Mulberries: Somewhat vulnerable to deer, and not growing very fast in these soil conditions. 

Persimmons: Very demanding of water and nutrients and also attractive to deer. 

Lady ferns and deer ferns: Beautiful natives that need consistent moisture. 

Red huckleberries: Lovely natives that have been a little more difficult than their evergreen relatives. 

Seaberries/Sea Buckthorn: Hanging in but not thriving.

Red twig dogwood: Heavily browsed by deer

Western Red Cedar: Deer resistant but little ones have been vulnerable to drought. May not be resilient in a warming, drying climate. 

Vine maple: Beautiful but neither drought tolerant nor deer resistant. 

Camas: Spring-flowering bulbs work well with our rainfall patterns, and ours have come up and bloomed in spring, but they are then devoured by deer. 

Blue flax: A native perennial that is supposed to be drought tolerant and prefer sandy soil, but failed here.