See our list of deer-resistant plants and flowers to keep the hungry herds away from your garden!
First, what is deer candy? Deer love narrow-leaf evergreens, especially arborvitae and fir, and show a preference for hostas, daylilies, and English ivy, according to researchers in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, who have studied white-tailed deer damage to nurseries in the Northeast and report heaviest browsing from October through February.
Several growers who participated in the study noted that deer seem to prefer plants that have been fertilized.
Which plants do deer dislike?
- Not surpisingly, deer stay away from poisonous plants! Daffodils, foxgloves, and poppies are common flowers that have a toxicity that deer avoid.
- Deer also turn their noses up at fragrant plants with strong scents. Herbs such as sages, ornamental salvias, and lavenders, as well as flowers like peonies and bearded irises, are just “stinky” to deer.
- Would you want to eat something prickly? Neither do deer (unless they’re desperate). Plants such as lamb’s ear are not on their preferred menu.
- Our favorite deer-resistant perennials are bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis). They are popular with us, but not deer!
Keeping in mind that the first rule in deer-proofing is that there are really no completely deer-proof plants, here is a chart with some plants that deer rarely or seldom severely damage:
Top Deer-Resistant Plants
| Botanical name | Common name |
| Achillea filipendulina | Yarrow |
| Aconitum sp. | Monkshood |
| Ageratum houstonianum | Ageratum |
| Allium sp. | Onion |
| Amelanchier laevis | Allegheny Serviceberry |
| Antirrhinum majus | Snapdragon |
| Armoracia rusticana | Horseradish |
| Artemisia dracunculus | Tarragon |
| Artemisia sp. | Silver Mound |
| Arisaema triphylum | Jack-in-the-pulpit |
| Asarum canadense | Wild Ginger |
| Asparagus officinalis | Asparagus |
| Aster sp. | Aster |
| Astilbe sp. | Astilbe |
| Berberis sp. | Barberry |
| Borage officinalis | Borage |
| Buddleia sp. | Butterfly Bush |
| Buxus sempervirens | Common Boxwood |
| Helleborus sp. | Lenten or Christmas Rose |
| Cactaceae sp. | Cactus |
| Calendula sp. | Pot Marigold |
| Caryopteris clandonensis | Blue Mist Shrub |
| Centaurea cineraria | Dusty Miller |
| Centaurea cyanus | Bachelor’s Buttons |
| Cleome sp. | Spider Flower |
| Colchicum sp. | Autumn Crocus |
| Consolida ambigua | Larkspur |
| Convallaris majalis | Lily of the Valley |
| Coreopsis verticillata | Threadleaf Coreopsis |
| Corydalis sp. | Corydalis |
| Cytisus sp. | Broom |
| Daphne sp. | Daphne |
| Dicentra spectabilis | Bleeding Heart |
| Digitalis purpurea | Common Foxglove |
| Dryopteris marginalis | Wood Fern |
| Echinacea purpurea | Purple Coneflower |
| Echinops ritro | Small Globe Thistle |
| Endymion sp. | Bluebell |
| Eranthus hyemalis | Winer Aconite |
| Euphorbia marginata | Snow-on-the-Mountain |
| Euphorbia sp. (except ‘Chameleon’) | Spurge |
| Festuca glauca | Blue Fescue |
| Fritilaria imperialis | Crown Imperial, Fritilia |
| Galanthus nivalis | Snowdrops |
| Gypsophila sp. | Baby’s Breath |
| Helichrysum | Strawflower |
| Heliorope arborescens | Heliotrope |
| Hyssopus officinalis | Hyssop |
| Ilex opaca | American Holly |
| Ilex verticillata | Winterberry Holly |
| Iris sp. | Iris |
| Juniperus | Juniper |
| Lantana sp. | Lantana |
| Lavandula sp. | Lavender |
| Limonium latifolium | Statice |
| Lobularia maritima | Sweet Alyssum |
| Marrubium vulgare | Horehound |
| Melissa officinalis | Lemon Balm |
| Mentha sp. | Mint |
| Monarda didyma | Beebalm |
| Myosotis sp. | Forget-Me-Not |
| Myrica pensylvanica | Bayberry |
| Narcissus sp. | Daffodil |
| Nepeta sp. | Catmint |
| Ocimum basilicum | Basil |
| Osmunda | Fern |
| Pachysandra terminalis | Pachysandra |
| Paeonia sp. | Peony |
| Papaver | Poppy |
| Perovskio atriplicifolia | Russian Sage |
| Picea glauca ‘Conica’ | Dwarf Alberta Spruce |
| Pimpinalla anisum | Anise |
| Pinus | Pine |
| Potentilla | Cinquefoil |
| Ranunculus sp. | Buttercup |
| Rhus aromatica | Fragrant Sumac |
| Rosmarinus officinalis | Rosemary |
| Rudbeckia sp. | Black-Eyed Susan |
| Ruta sp. | Rue |
| Salix | Willows |
| Salvia officinalis | Garden Sage |
| Stachys byzantina | Lamb’s Ear |
| Syringa vulgaris | Common Lilac |
| Tanacetum vulgare | Common Tansy |
| Teucrium chamaedrys | Germander |
| Thumus sp. | Thyme |
| Yucca | Yucca |
| Viburnum dentatum | Arrowwood Viburnum |
| Zinnia | Zinnia |
List courtesy of Outwitting Deer by Bill Adler Jr.
Top 10 Veggies.
Reader Comments
Leave a Comment
What deer "won't" eat?
All our lilac bushes that are our mule deer can access are trimmed of leaves as high as they can reach standing on their hind legs. I'd read several articles that deer won't eat potato plant leaves. We learned the hard way that this is not so. We had to put up an eight foot fence in a small area where we had planted potatoes outside the main garden.
Deer eat anything
Hosta, Holly, Hydranga, Rhodies, and Day Lillies are favorites for deer in Westchester County, NY. Arborvide is another of their favorites. Most unprotected arborvites here look like lolliepops because of deer browsing
They don't seem to like Boxwoods, Spiraea, or Inkberries and leave them alone.
But in a bad winter, unless it makes them physically sick, they'll eat anything
It would be nice if they developed a taste for poison ivy, as we have plenty of that
deer-resistant plants
Good choices. Common boxwood is rarely eaten by deer. Spirea and inkberry bushes are seldom eaten. All the other plants you mention should be avoided if deer are a problem. And hostas definitely qualify as the biggest deer lollypops on your list!
Deer resistant plants
So the point is to push the deer from their lands? same for the rest of the wildlife.. shame.
deer-resistant plants
Not at all. This list is only geared to protecting nursery plantings.
Deer
Don't push deer from their land, they have none. Eat them that will keep the herd down. Rabbits, tree rodents, fish and a lot can be kept under control by eating them.
NOT deer resistant
Hello gardening friends - I can safely say in the Hudson Valley of NY that your Black Eyed Susans are NOT safe from the deer even with a nice variety of other available plants to them. I have a 4 ft high fenced yard (can't be any higher due to local zoning), 2 dogs who are out in the yard daily so plenty of their scent around, and after recently clearing weeds, just overnight the deer have decimated my susies, every single plant, no matter where in the yard they were. I may try mixing some basil around them for next year, but there's not much else I can do for this season. Just wanted to share!!
Deer resistant planting
Nah, I'm not saying to push them away, merely to let others know what happened with plants in our yard is all. I deliberately don't use any chemicals in the yard, it's live & let live for any/all critters coming in/out, but just wanted to share what has happened for us.
deer-resistant perennials
It’s true that no plant is deer-resistant. There are just some plants that are deer candy and some plants deer would select before others. Black-eyed susans are rated a “B” by cooperative extensions, meaning “seldom severely damaged,” but there are other plants that are “rarely damaged” and would be rated an “A.” Perennial flowers aren’t as common as other landscape plants but some good choices of perennials include: Bleeding Hearts, Forget-me-nots, Irises, Lavender. and Lenten Rose. Of course, most herbs are rarely damaged, too, so it’s a good idea to mix in basil.
Deer Resistant Plants
I live in Northern Ontario in the country. The white tailed deer here eat my plants and shrubs.
Peonies before they bloom (tight buds), coneflowers, love hostas, garden flocks, lilies, tulips, any flowered shrub lilacs, hydrangea, geraniums, beabalm, and recently petunias. If the deer don't eat them the critters like chipmunks will! I have a small raised bed that I'm going to plant flowers in. Any suggestions? I'm thinking lavender and sage. To add more colour what could you suggest?
Deer in the Willamette Valley
I have to laugh--I live in the hills above Salem, Oregon where deer are rampant. My property is covered in every plant mentioned in the first paragraph of this article--arborvitae, fir, hostas, daylilies, and English ivy--and the deer don't eat them! Of course, we don't have white-tailed deer here, so maybe they enjoy a different diet.
Deer control.
We fenced our house, barn and garden areas, about 5 acers, specifically to keep the deer out. Damage to the plants was very heavy and nearly daily, the population of deer and rabbits was just out of hand. We live rurally in Montana and ticks were a continuous problem also, with the two main tick population boosters at bay the number of ticks we find is down over 90% in just a short time. The rabbits are eliminated by the hawks, our cat, with occasion help from S&W.
Plants the Deer eat in Ohio
I had a beautiful full huge Hydranga purple plant in the front yard. It was blooming. It wa very large. Once I planted it in ground, before I could get some fencing around it. The deer had eaten it down to the ground and left nothing but a few sticks.
Plants The Deer Eat
Every year, my tulips will pop out of the ground, and the deer will eat them before they can even form a bud. But I have a new trick! I have planted 6 dozen new tulip bulbs, and I get my husband to pee around them! So far, no deer!
pants deer love in Florida
I read deers do not like prickly plants..... ha ha ha I have an old rose with mighty thorns and deers have eaten a couple of stalks all the way to the ground. Another thing deers love is a young pear tree. Bought a sand pear tree for hubby, about 7 foot tall, they ate the whole tree all the way to the ground. Nothing left. Dogwoods, roses, but not my hydrangeas YET, they love the leaves of my purple potatoes vines and Indian Awthorn. Had to replace all my landscape in front of house. They love also the camelias, small azaleas, All bulb plants. especially agapanthers I am really sick of deers. So far they have left alone plumbago???? but I a sure they might be next.
They stop at my house, I guess I have the right kind of buffet for them. The houses down the street stay intact.
Deer
I guess the truth is they will eat anything if they are hungry. I am in Eastern Ontario (not far from Ottawa) and they love hostas, hydrangea, lilacs, fir, cedar and pine trees for sure. They will even eat my rose buds just before they bloom. Never seem to touch junipers (both skyrocket and ground cover types), purple coneflower, nine bark, blue spruce, daffodils, silver mound. We are in cottage country and unfortunately some people feed the deer which only encourages them to hang around populated areas when they would do fine staying in the bush.
deer
I've tried a variety of the plants on deer-resistant lists sometimes with success and then suddenly not. I mentioned the problem to the chief horticulturalist at Mt. Vernon Mansion and told him that this year the deer chomped down on my rhododendrons. I planted some rudbekias making sure they were the cultivar on the deer-resistant lists only to have them eaten. He laughed and said, "Deer don't read those lists." He explained that some years they seem to eat one plant and other years don't touch them.
YUCCA
The deer in my neighborhood eat my Yucca plants every winter.
I live in Burns, Oregon which is zon 5
I would like to know if there is list of flowers and shrubs that will grow in winters at 5 degrees and very hot summers and are also deer tolerant.
Hi Melissa,
Hi Melissa,
Go to the website below to see deer resistant plants for your region.
http://emswcd.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/OSU-Deer-Resistant-Plants.pdf
Hellebores are evergreen,
Hellebores are evergreen, bloom in winter and blooms last until May, drought-tolerant, survive 100+ degree summers, poisonous to deer. But they need some shade.
nematodes
how can I rid myself of nematodes naturally?
from Zone 6 near Buffalo, NY.
from Zone 6 near Buffalo, NY. We have dozens of deer, but they have never eaten the Yucca in my yard. Daylilies in the front, unfenced yard have not had the chance to bloom in many years. Buds are eaten as soon as they form. Hosta, save for the toughest leaved varieties, are eaten to the ground. Hibiscus on occasion get a bud or two eaten, but not much on them. Boxwood at present time (2015) is never touched. Spruce were never eaten until the winter of 2013 - 14. Bad winter, many trees on the street were eaten up as far as deer could reach.
Nowhere on that list did it
Nowhere on that list did it mention Hostas as deer resistant. As a matter of fact, deer LOVE them! It's a pretty well known fact!
I can say that in SW Ohio
I can say that in SW Ohio Rudbeckia, Ecchinacea, ANY variety of rose, Obedient plant, corkscrew willow & crabapple saplings, ruellia, hardy hibiscus, dahlias, clematis & Asiatic lilies are NOT deer resistant. Many of these are on your list. The deer have devoured my flowerbeds. Other than the lilies they've never bothered these plants before this year. They havent touched daylilies, hostas or asclepias, however. And daylilies & hostas are supposed to be their favorites.
I just had a straw flower
I just had a straw flower devoured. My yard in the California foothills is slowly turning to oleander. I've had good luck with star jasmine, rosemary, coreopsis, chives, lavender, euonymus, lupine, and oregano.
Just wondering if the deer
Just wondering if the deer need to make reservations for this delicacy served in Restaurants.
I went over the list above
I went over the list above and while I have not tried all these plants, most of the one's I have are eaten right up by the deer here in the Poconos. The one's I've had good luck with are Snapdragons,and Lamb's Ear. The one's I can't grow without fencing in are: Butterfly Bush, Common Boxwood, Bleeding Heart, American Holly, Iris, Lavender, DAFFAODIL (always eat flower as about to open), Fern, Peony, and Yucca. The only pine they basically leave alone is Blue Spruce.
If you have a t-post fence up
If you have a t-post fence up and it is not all enoght to keek the deer out use the t-post extenders from www.tpostextender.com to make your fence taller. The you can have any type of plants easy solve!!!
Hi Marcia, Deer eat almost
Hi Marcia,
Deer eat almost anything but some plants they leave alone if there are other food sources around. Yucca is included in most published lists for deer resistant plants because its leaves can be a bit prickly. Some varieties of yucca is more resistant than others. Our list comes from a book, Outwitting Deer, by Bill Adler Jr.
Hate to tell you but your
Hate to tell you but your list is wrong. We have Yucca plants in VA and the deer absolutely love them. They are a delicacy served in Restaurants so why they are on the list floors me. Sorry but you are wrong about this plant,
i have non-blooming Yuccas
i have non-blooming Yuccas here in North Carolina and have not had any nibbbles from deer. Hostas they love! They haven't bothered lantanas, camelias, gardenias, or hydrangas. We live near a nature park and have counted up to ten deer hanging out at times.
I've watched the deer and elk
I've watched the deer and elk chow down on hydrangas to the point where there's just a bunch of green stalks sticking out of the ground. We live in Oregon on the southern coast. They won't touch lemongrass though, one nibble and they're off that spot.