Wow, they've never gone after my rugosas, but I have other roses with less thorns that they probably prefer.

They've never bothered my lavender. It is said that they don't like plants with a strong scent, but what they eat in one persons yard might not be bothered in another's. It seems that both you mentioned would be good in your situation.

A herd of tame deer pretty much lives full-time on our property and they love rugosa roses here. They are browsers and try most things at least once, even eucalyptus, but they've never touched rosemary or lavender. I have many phormiums and a few palms outside of the fenced garden and they don't touch those either. The phormiums could make a nice hedge - there are different sizes available. I only watered mine the first summer, so they might work in your situation, especially if you mulched. The deer will eat phormium flowers, at least here. It's true, what works for one person doesn't always work for another. I had a list of deer resistant plants from a nursery on Vancouver Island and it suggested that deer never touch peonies. Ha! Not "my" deer, they love them.