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

Establishing a food forest, native plants, and other plants to this landscape has taught me a bit about our unique microclimate/environment:

"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 I don't get around to all landscape plants as often as they would like. There are just a few standouts that thrive with minimal watering, such as some manzanita varieties. 

Deer: Finally, the deer pressure in our area is very heavy. They are present on our five acres at most hours of the day. They are our wild livestock, constantly grazing and fertilizing, but mostly causing chaos. They have broken into my blueberry patch more times than I can count. New landscape plants that are supposed to be deer resistant are put to the test immediately--if they get eaten, I fence them, and most grow back. 

Other pests and disease: I have been growing organically, without spray of any kind. On the one hand, if native plants get eaten (like my pacific willow), perhaps they are at least serving the food web, but we generally want our landscaping to be resilient to pests and disease. 

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). I have just had to add some N (fish fertilizer) due to yellowing leaves. The deer absolutely leave them alone. They are gorgeous, too. 

Madronas: My favorite trees, and native. Volunteers and transplants do well here, but they evidently can't handle "better" soil or regular watering. (Related strawberry trees, from the Mediterranean, do great in local conditions but get eaten by deer.) 

Kinnikinic (native, plus cultivars) is deer resistant and seems to be developing considerable drought tolerance over time. 

Evergreen huckleberries: Carefree for hedgerows/privacy and also provide wildlife habitat and fruit, and seem entirely deer resistant. 

Tall Oregon Grape: Prickly like holly, so completely deer resistant. I lost many small plugs after transplanting, but once established, they seem resilient. The fruit is sour but makes excellent jelly! Low Oregon Grape seems to do pretty 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, and I have removed most from the property, but you have to admire its resilience, and it produces abundantly. This suggests that more controllable cultivars should also do well. 

Other invasives that have thrived, but I'm still removing them: English holly, Scotch Broom (it helps that its a Nitrogen fixer), 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) are outperforming the native redstem ceanothus and are more deer resistant. 

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

Other easy ones include Canada goldenrod, Western yarrow, wooly sunflower, all deer resistant.

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 has done surprisingly well with drought. 

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

Black twinberry: I have it in the shade in my lowest/wettest zone and it's done great. 

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

Rhododendrons: They have always been popular in our area, certainly for good reason. The deer leave them alone completely. However, mine demand a lot of water and fertilizer and suffer from too much sun exposure. 

Apples: Can handle drought once established, but the fruit will always suffer from pests without treatment. I am enjoying the beauty of crabapples. 

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: mine are hanging in there but have been browsed by deer and has suffered from drought stress, pest pressure, and perhaps nutrient deficiencies. 

Mock Orange: Heavily browsed by deer and also suffers a bit from drought stress

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

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: Cool natives that need consistent moisture. 

Red huckleberries: I love the look of these but have lost a few. 

Seaberries/Sea Buckthorn: Hanging in but not thriving.

Red twig dogwood: Heavily browsed by deer

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

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

Camas: A native bulb, my common camas were sadly eaten by deer soon after emerging and flowering

Blue flax: A native perennial that is supposed to be drought tolerant and prefer sandy soil, mine were a complete failure.