Deer-Resistant Plants
These are plants often overlooked by deer. However, deer may still eat the tender, new growth of some of these plants. Deer tend to dislike fuzzy and aromatic leaves, and spiny, bristle-like textures.
Botanical Name | Common Name(s) |
Aconitum napellus | Monkshood |
Actaea racemosa | Black Cohosh |
Agapanthus | African Lily |
Ageratum houstonianum | Floss Flower |
Alchemilla mollis | Lady’s Mantle |
Antirrhinum majus | Snapdragon |
Aquilegia | Columbine, Granny’s Bonnett |
Athyrium niponicum | Japanese Painted Fern |
Baccharis pilularis (dwarf cultivars) | Dwarf Coyote Brush |
Bamboo-Various | Bamboos |
Baptisia species | False Indigo |
Berberis species (not purple-leafed varieties) | Barberry |
Bouteloua curtipendula | Sideoats Grama |
Buddleia species | Butterfly Bush |
Buxus sempervirens | English Boxwood |
Carex morrowii | Japanese Sedge |
Chaenomeles | Japanese Quince |
Choisya ternata | Mexican Orange Blossom |
Cistus | Rock Rose, Sun Rose |
Clematis | Old Man’s Beard |
Continus coggygria (not purple-leafed varieties) | European Smoketree |
Convallaria majalis | Lily-of-the-Valley |
Cornus sanguinea | Dogwood |
Cortaderia selloana | Pampas Grass |
Daphne | Spurge Laurels |
Delphinium | Larkspur |
Dicentra eximia | Fringed Bleeding Heart |
Digitalis | Foxglove |
Echinacea purpurea | Purple Coneflower |
Echinops | Globe Thistles |
Euphorbia | Spurges |
Forsythia | Forsythia |
Fragaria chiloensis / x ananassa | Ornamental Strawberry |
Gaultheria shallon | Oregon Wintergreen |
Helleborus | Hellebores |
Hippophae rhamnoides | Seaberry, Sea Buckthorn |
Hydrangea | Hydrangea |
Hypericum | St. John’s Wort |
Isotoma species | Isotoma |
Jasminium | Jasmine (winter and summer types) |
Juniperus species | Juniper |
Kerria japonica | Kerria |
Kniphofia | Red Hot Pokers |
Lantana sellowiana / montevidensis | Trailing Lantana |
Lantana species | Lantana, Big-Sage, Wild-Sage, Tickberry |
Laurus nobilis | Sweet Bay |
Lavandula | Lavender |
Leucanthemum x superbum | Shasta daisy |
Lonicera species | Honeysuckles |
Lupinus | Lupins |
Magnolia | Magnolia |
Mahonia | Mahonia |
Monarda bradburiana | Bradbury’s Beebalm, Eastern Beebalm |
Monarda didyma | Scarlet Beebalm, Bergamot |
Narcissus | Daffodils |
Nepeta x faassenii | Catmint |
Nerine | Nerine |
Oenothera lindheimeri (formerly Gaura lindheimeri) | Lindheimer’s Beeblossom, Gaura, Lindheimer’s Clockweed, Indian Feather |
Pachysandra terminalis | Japanese Pachysandra |
Paeonia species | Peony |
Perovskia atriplicifolia | Russian Sage |
Philadelphus | Mock Orange |
Phormium tenax | New Zealand Flax |
Potentilla fructicosa | Bush Cinquefoil |
Rheum rhabarbarum | Rhubarb |
Ribes | Currant, Gooseberry |
Robinia pseudoacacia | False Acacia |
Romneya coulteri | California Poppy |
Rosa rugosa | Beach Rose |
Rosa spinosissima | Scothc Rose |
Rosmarinus officinalis | Rosemary |
Santolina species | Santolina |
Schizachyrium scoparium | Little Bluestem, Beard Grass |
Scutellaria incana | Hoary Skullcap |
Senecio cineraria | Dusty Miller |
Spiraea japonica | Japanese Spirea |
Tagetes tenuifolia | Signet Marigold |
Trachelospermum jasminoides | Star Jasmine |
Verbena | Garden Verbena |
Vernonia lettermannii | Ironweed |
Viburnum(deciduous types) | Viburnum |
Vinca major | Bigleaf Periwinkle, Blue Periwinkle |
Vinca minor | Vinca / Periwinkle |
Weigela | Weigela |
Yucca | Yucca |
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