With the right picks, Okotoks can keep its blooms from becoming a deer buffet.

Okotoks parks staff are using lessons from several years of planting trials to limit deer damage in public flower beds.

Gordon White, a parks technician with the Town of Okotoks, said the town has focused on choosing plants that deer are less likely to eat. The approach has been refined over time because some plants marketed as deer resistant have not worked reliably in local displays.

White said the town has reused flower varieties that performed well last year and replaced varieties that did not. He said most displays accessible to deer have continued to look good, even with some minor browsing.

The town’s current plant choices include Dusty Millers, Angel Wings, Snapdragons, Salvias and Rudbeckias, which White said deer have generally avoided.

For residents trying to protect their own flowers, White suggested choosing varieties deer tend to leave alone. He also said hanging baskets can be a better option for flowers that may otherwise attract deer.