Deer can cause a great deal of damage to a garden in a very short time. Excluding deer from your property using fences is very expensive. Repellents can work, but need to be reapplied regularly. One of the easiest and most cost-effective way to minimize the impact deer have on your landscape is to plant deer resistant plants and avoid using plants that deer are known to prefer.
This list covers some options for deer resistant plants, organized by how frequently they are known to be damaged: “rarely” and “occasionally”. Keep in mind that a few factors can affect whether or not deer eat certain plants, and when under extreme stress from starvation deer will eat almost anything. No plant should ever be considered "deer proof".
Plants that deer tend to avoid have some characteristics that can help you identify possible deer-resistant plants to try that are not on this list.
Occasionally, deer will taste test plants they are unfamiliar with. This can result in minor damage to plants newly installed in your landscape. Smaller plants (annuals in particular) that are newly planted can be pulled completely from the ground as deer taste test. To prevent this, use deer repellent for a few weeks after planting until the new plants are solidly rooted into the ground.
Buck Rub damage
Adult male deer can damage smaller trees by rubbing their antlers on the trunks. Bucks prefer smaller trees 1-3" in diameter to rub on. Trees planted near wooded areas where deer herds spend a lot of time are particularly at risk. This "buck rub" can peel off large sections of bark from the tree and is at the very least disfiguring. In severe cases it can kill the tree due to girdling. If you have large herds of deer near your landscape, consider protecting young trees until the tree is large enough to not interest the deer. Trees can be surrounded with protective fencing or an odor repellent (dried blood or predator urine) can be used. Planting resistant tree selections will not prevent buck rub damage.
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RARELY DAMAGEDOCCASIONALLY DAMAGED
TREES
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Aesculus parviflora
Mimosa
Albizia julibrissin
River Birch
Betula Nigra
Deodar Cedar
Cedrus deodara
Katsura Tree
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Hawthorn
Cratagus spp.
Japanese Cedar
Cryptomeria japonica
Ginkgo
Ginkgo biloba
Honey Locust
Gleditsia triacanthos
American Holly
Ilex opaca
Eastern Redcedar
Juniperus virginiana
Crape Myrtle
Lagerstroemia hybrids
Southern Magnolia
Magnolia grandiflora
Sweetbay Magnolia
Magnolia virginica
Black Gum
Nyssa sylvatica
Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Picea glauca ‘Conica’
Pines
Pinus spp.
Carolina Cherrylaurel
Prunus caroliniana
Japanese Flowering Cherry
Prunus serrulata
Live Oak
Quercus virginiana
Bald Cypress
Taxodium distichum
Chastetree
Vitex agnus-castus
SHRUBS
Abeila
Abelia x grandiflora
Japanese Barberry
Berberis thunbergii
Butterfly Bush
Buddleia spp.
Japanese Boxwood
Buxus microphylla
Sweetshrub
Calycanthus floridus
Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
Blue Mist Shrub
Caryopteris x clandonensis
Japanese False Yew
Cephalotaxus harringtoniana
Summersweet
Clethra alnifolia
Deutzia
Deutzia gracilis
Eleagnus
Eleagnus pungens
Fothergilla
Fothergilla gardenii
Gardenia
Gardenia jasminoides
Chinese Holly
Ilex cornuta
Inkberry Holly
Ilex glabra
Yaupon Holly
Ilex vomitoria
Anise
Illicium spp.
Winter Jasmine
Jasminum nudiflorum
Juniper
Juniperus spp.
Kerria
Kerria japonica
Leucothoe
Leucothoe spp.
Japanese Privet
Ligustrum japonicum
Loropetalum
Loropetalum chinensis
Wax myrtle
Myrica cerifera
Nandina
Nandina domestica
Tea Olive
Osmanthus fragrans & O. heterophyllus
Pyracantha
Pyracantha spp.
Rosemary
Rosmarinus officinalis
Sweet Box
Sarcococca spp.
Spring Blooming Spirea
Spiraea spp.
Yucca
Yucca spp.
PERENNIALS
Yarrow
Achillea spp.
Lady’s Mantle
Alchemilla spp.
Blue Star
Amsonia spp.
Japanese Anemone
Anemone x hybrida
Columbine
Aquilegia spp.
Sea Thrift
Armeria maritima
Butterfly Weed
Asclepias tuberosa
Cast Iron Plant
Aspidistra elatior
Aster
Aster spp.
Astilbe
Astilbe spp.
False Indigo
Baptesia spp.
Bergenia
Bergenia cordata
Leadwort
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Green and Gold
Chrysogonum virginianum
Tickseed
Coreopsis spp.
Crocosmia
Crocosmia spp.
Dianthus
Dianthus gratianopolitanus
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Joe Pye Weed
Eupatorium dubium
Ferns
Many species
Gaura
Gaura lindheimeri
Blanket Flower
Gaillardia spp.
Lenten Rose
Helleborus orientalis
Coralbells
Heuchera spp.
St. John’s Wort
Hypericum calycinum
Candytuft
Iberis sempervirens
Red Hot Poker
Kniphofia spp.
Lantana
Lantana spp.
Blazing Star
Liatris spp.
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Bee Balm
Monarda spp.
Catmint
Nepeta spp.
Prickly Pear
Opuntia spp.
Ornamental Grasses
Many Species
Oriental Poppy
Papaver orientale
Russian Sage
Perovskia spp.
Jacob’s Ladder
Polemonium caeruleum
Black Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia fulgida
Texas Sage
Salvia greggii
Meadow Sage
Salvia nemerosa
Hens and Chicks
Sempervivum spp.
Goldenrod
Solidago rugosa
Lamb’s Ear
Stachys byzantia
Stoke’s Aster
Stokesia laevis
Foam Flower
Tiarella spp.
Spiderwort
Tradescantia spp.
Toad Lily
Tricyrtis hirta
Trillium
Trillium spp.
Mullein
Verbascum spp.
Speedwell
Veronica spp.
ANNUALS
Ageratum
Ageratum houstonianum
Snapdragons
Antirrhinum majus
Wax Begonia
Begonia semperflorens
Cleome
Cleome hassleriana
Coleus
Solenostemon scutellaroides
Cosmos
Cosmos bipinnatus
Heliotrope
Heliotropium arborescens
Polka Dot Plant
Hypoestes phyllostachya
Lantana
Lantana camara
Lobelia
Lobelia erinus
Melampodium
Melampodium padulosum
Pentas, Starflower
Pentas lanceolata
Plectranthus
Plectranthus spp.
Mealycup Sage
Salvia farniacea
Marigold
Tagetes spp.
Silverleaf
Helichrysum angustifolium
Vinca
Catharanthus rosea
Dusty Miller
Senecio cineraria
Zinnia
Zinnia spp.
Petunia
Petunia spp.
VINES & GROUNDCOVERS
Bugleweed
Ajuga reptans
Crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
Carolina Jessamine
Gelsemium sempervirens
Coral Honeysuckle
Lonicera sempervirens
Mondo Grass
Ophiopogon japonicas
Star Jasmine
Trachelospermum asiaticum
Confederate Jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Periwinkle
Vinca major & V. minor
TREES
Firs
Abies spp.
Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
Red Maple
Acer rubrum
Serviceberry
Amelanchier spp.
Flowering Quince
Chaenomeles spp.
Japanese Falsecypress
Chamaecyparis pisifera
Chinese Fringetree
Chionanthus retusus
Dogwood
Cornus florida
Kousa Dogwood
Cornus kousa
Witch Hazel
Hamamelis spp.
Foster’s Holly
Ilex x attenuata
Nellie Stevens Holly
Ilex x ‘Nellie Stevens’
Goldenrain Tree
Koelreuteria paniculata
Saucer Magnolia
Magnolia soulangiana
Dawn Redwood
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Bradford Pear
Pyrus calleryana
Oaks
Quercus spp.
Willows
Salix spp.
SHRUBS
Camellias
Camellia spp.
Smokebush
Cotinus coggyria
Forsythia
Forsythis x intermedia
Rose of Sharon
Hibiscus syriacus
Hydrangea
Hydrangea spp.
Japanese Holly
Ilex crenata
Virginia Sweetspire
Itea virginica
Mahonia
Mahonia bealei
Deciduous Azaleas
Rhododendron spp.
Rhododendron
Rhododendron spp.
Viburnum
Viburnum spp.
Weigela
Weigela florida
VINES & GROUNDCOVERS
Trumpet Vine
Campsis radicans
Goldflame Honeysuckle
Lonicera x heckrottii
Liriope
Liriope spp.
Virginia Creeper
Parthanocissus quinquifolia
Lady Banks Rose
Rosa banksia
Japanese Wisteria
Wisteria Floribunda
PERENNIALS
Shasta Daisy
Chyrsanthemum superbum
Ice Plant
Delosperma cooperi
Hardy Hibiscus
Hibiscus moscheutos
Iris
Iris spp.
Phlox
Phlox spp.
Sedum
Sedum spp.
Verbena
Verbena canadensis
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