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

Kinnikinnick (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 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. (We also have a native blackberry, Rubus ursinus, which persists despite the fact that many folks fight it.) 

Other invasives that have thrived, though we try to manage them: English holly, Scotch Broom (a leguminous shrub that fixes nitrogen and thus easily colonizes areas with poor soil), Black locust (another N fixer, which has a gorgeous, lush appearance without any water or care), and Japanese knotweed (another beauty that has to go). 

Ceanothus: various cultivars from California (e.g. blue blossom AKA California lilac) are doing well, and we're witholding judgement on our native redstem ceanothus. 

Pearly Everlasting: One of our easiest native flowers. 

Other easy native 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 good producers of very nutritious berries. Native to eastern North America. Great fall color!  

Red-flowering currants: we have the native variety and the common King Edward VII cultivar for ongoing comparison. 

Ocean spray: This native shrub/tree doesn't get enough attention in local landscaping. 

Beaked hazelnut: Established trees and new additions are doing quite well, but 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 are carefree but need protection from deer.

Rhododendrons: They have long been popular in our area, for good reason, and the deer leave them alone.

Apples: Can handle drought once established, but the fruit will always suffer from pests without treatment. Crabapples can be gorgeous in bloom.

Flowering quince: Fairly drought and deer tolerant with vibrant spring blooms. 

Figs: Vulnerable to deer but otherwise pest free. 

Pineapple Guava: Deer resistant and drought tolerant but ours haven't wanted to flower and fruit yet. 

Worse than expected: 

Mock Orange: Heavily browsed by deer, will probably do better when mature. 

Elderberries, including native blue and red elderberries: Destroyed by deer, and need more water and fertilizer than expected. 

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: More demanding of water and nutrients than expected, 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. Might still be worth it--nice mid-sized tree, and a native alternative to Japanese maples with equal fall color. 

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.