Deer can be lovely to look at in the wild, but when they are dining on your most valuable landscape plants they can raise the blood pressure of even the most ardent nature lover. No list of deer resistant plants is 100% trustworthy. Their tastes can change with the seasons, and with the growth changes that plants undergo each year. Sometimes it is the succulent new spring growth of a plant that they find irresistible. When that new growth hardens off later in the growing season it no longer tastes or feels the same and they move on to other delicacies. In late summer and fall, when deer are trying to accumulate more fatty tissue, they may be eating plants with higher fat content in the leaves, stems and bark.
There are many products on the market that claim to discourage and repel deer from eating desirable plants, and many of them work quite well when used according to label directions. It is probably not feasible, however, to treat an entire landscape with these sprays.
The only foolproof, 100% guarantee of a deer free landscape is to install appropriate fencing to keep the deer out. This is costly, and in many landscapes, not a viable option. Use the following list to find suggestions for plants that seem to be less palatable to deer. These plants have been observed to be less likely to be damaged by deer, but none of them are immune to deer browsing. Under the right circumstances, deer will eat almost any plant.
| TREES |
|
| Black Alder |
Alnus glutinosa |
| Apple Serviceberrry |
Amelanchier x grandiflora |
| River Birch |
Betula nigra |
| Paper Birch |
Betula papyrifera |
| Musclewood |
Carpinus caroliniana |
| Northern Catalpa |
Catalpa speciosa |
| Beech |
Fagus spp. |
| Gingko |
Gingko biloba |
| Thornless Honeylocust |
Gleditsia triacanthos var. inermis |
| Kentucky Coffeetree |
Gymnocladus dioica |
| Tuliptree |
Liriodendron tulipifera |
| Magnolia |
Magnolia spp. |
| Ironwood |
Ostrya virginiana |
| Swamp White Oak |
Quercus bicolor |
| Bur Oak |
Quercus macrocarpa |
| Japanese Tree Lilac |
Syringa reticulata |
Note: the above mentioned trees may not taste good to deer, but bucks will rub their antlers on all young, smooth tree trunks, causing severe damage and even death to immature trees through girdling.
| CONIFERS |
|
| Concolor Fir, White Fir |
Abies Concolor |
| Juniper |
Juniperus spp. |
| Larch, Tamarack |
Larix spp. |
| Dawn Redwood |
Metasequoia glyptostroboides |
| Norway Spruce |
Picea abies |
| White Spruce |
Picea glauca |
| Colorado Blue Spruce |
Picea pungens f. glauca |
| Mugo Pine |
Pinus mugo |
| Austrian Pine |
Pinus nigra |
| Red Pine |
Pinus resinosa |
| Bald Cypress |
Taxodium distichum |
| Giant Arborvitae |
Thuja plicata |
| SHRUBS |
|
| Japanese Barberry |
Berbis thunbergii |
| Summersweet Clethra |
Clethra alnifolia |
| Carolina Allspice |
Calycanthus floridus |
| White Fringetree |
Chionanthus virginicus |
| American Filbert |
Corylus americana |
| Smokebush |
Cotinus coggygria |
| Carol Mackie Daphne |
Daphne x burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie' |
| Forsythia |
Forsythia spp. |
| Rose of Sharon |
Hibiscus syriacus |
| Winterberry |
Ilex verticillata |
| Japanese Kerria |
Kerria japonica |
| Northern Bayberry |
Myrica pensylvanica |
| Potentilla |
Potentilla spp. |
| Rugosa Rose |
Rosa rugosa |
| Spirea |
Spiraea spp. |
| Common Snowberry |
Symphocarpos albus |
| Indiancurrant Coralberry |
Symphocarpos orbiculatus |
| Common Lilac |
Syringa vulgaris |
| BROADLEAF EVERGREENS |
| Boxwood |
Buxus spp. |
| Inkberry |
Ilex glabra |
| PERENNIALS |
|
| Yarrow |
Achillea spp. |
| Monkswood |
Aconitum spp. |
| Lady's Mantle |
Alchemilla mollis |
| Ornamental Onion |
Allium spp. |
| Willow Amsonia |
Amsonia tabernemontana |
| Anemone |
Anemone spp. |
| Columbine |
Aquilegia spp. |
| Jack-in-the-Pulpit |
Arisaema triphylum |
| Artemesia |
Artemesia spp. |
| Butterfly Weed |
Asclepias tuberosa |
| Astilbe |
Astilbe spp. |
| False Indigo |
Baptisia spp. |
| Bergenia |
Bergenia cordifolia |
| Boltonia |
Boltonia cordifolia |
| Siberian Bugloss |
Brunnera macrophylla |
| Sedge |
Carex spp. |
| Black Snakeroot |
Cimiguga racemosa |
| Coreopsis |
Coreopsis spp. |
| Delphinium |
Delphinium spp. |
| Pinks |
Dianthus spp. |
| Bleeding Heart |
Dicentra spp. |
| Gas Plant |
Dictamnus albus |
| Leatherwood Fern |
Dryopteris marginalis |
| Purple Coneflower |
Echinacea purpurea |
| Joe-Pye Weed |
Eupatorium purpureum |
| Meadowsweet |
Filipendula vulgaris |
| Blanketflower |
Gaillardia x grandiflora |
| Prairie Smoke |
Geum triflorum |
| Helenium |
Helenium spp. |
| Coral Bells |
Heuchera spp. |
| Iris |
Iris spp. |
| Blazing Star |
Liatris spicata |
| Ligularia |
Ligularia spp. |
| Lupine |
Lupinus spp. |
| Ostrich Fern |
Matteuccia struthiopteris |
| Virgina Bluebells |
Mertensia virginica |
| Beebalm |
Mondarda spp. |
| Oriental Plant |
Papaver orientale |
| Russian Sage |
Perovskia atriplicifolia |
| Obedient Plant |
Physostegia virginiana |
| Mayapple |
Podophyllum peltatum |
| Jacob's Ladder |
Polemonium caeruleum |
| Lungwort |
Pulmonaria spp. |
| Black-Eyed Susan |
Rudbeckia fulgida |
| Perennial Salvia |
Salvia x superba |
| Pincushion Flower |
Scabiosa spp. |
| Yellow Stonecrop |
Sedum kamschaticum |
| Goldenrod |
Solidago spp. |
| Lamb's Ear |
Stachys byzantina |
| Spiderwort |
Tradescantia virginiana |
| Speedwell |
Veronica spp. |
| VINES |
|
| American Bittersweet |
Celastrus scandens |
| Kentucky Wisteria |
Wisteria macrostachys |
| GROUNDCOVERS |
|
| Ajuga, Bugleweed |
Ajuga reptans |
| Canada Wild Ginger |
Asarum canadense |
| Bishop's Hat, Barrenwort |
Epimedium spp. |
| Sweet Woodruff |
Galium odoratum |
| Pachysandra |
Pachysandra spp. |
| Periwinkle, Myrtle |
Vinca minor |
| ORNAMENTAL GRASSES |
|
| Feather Reed Grass |
Calamagrostis spp. |
| Big Bluestem |
Andropogon gerardii |
| Northern Sea Oats |
Chasmanthium latifolium |
| Oat Grass |
Helictotrichon sempervirens |
| Bottlebrush Grass |
Hystrix patula |
| Maiden Grass |
Miscanthus spp. |
| Purple Moor Grass |
Molinia spp. |
| Switch Grass |
Panicum virgatum |
| Native Bluegrass |
Poa palustris |
| Little Bluestem |
Schizachyrium scorparium |
| Moor Grass |
Sesleria spp. |
| Indian Grass |
Sorghastrum nutans |
| Prairie Dropseed |
Sporobulus heterolepsis |