30 Deer-Resistant Plants

While no plant is completely deer resistant, our four-legged friends tend to shy away from plants that feature such unpalatable characteristics as bitter flavor, thorny stems, strong scent or unappealing texture.

For example, deer find the fuzzy leaves of the perennial lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina, pictured above) unappetizing and generally will walk away from a dinner of perennial herbs. The extremely drought tolerant lamb's ears works in a rock garden and makes an attractive edging for beds.

These deer-resistant flowers and plants, placed along with other plantings, can add beauty and a bit of protection to your beloved beds.

French marigolds come in an array of bright colors over a long season and are a mainstay of gardeners everywhere. They are bushy and compact with small flowers and a neat overall appearance that feature multiple colors in a single flower head. Deer usually avoid marigolds because of their pungent scent, so marigolds planted with other ornamentals and shrubs may help protect them.

Foxglove plants are classified as biennial since their leaves form rosettes close to the ground in the first year, succeeded by spikes with blooms in the second year. Digitalis purpurea is tall and slender with numerous tubular flowers on spikes, ranging in color from purple to white. All parts of the plant are poisonous to people, pets and livestock. Foxglove is considered invasive along the West Coast and in some parts of New England. While deer don't prefer foxglove, the plants do attract hummingbirds.

Rosemary is an herb that makes a beautiful ornamental plant as well as a welcome culinary seasoning. It is most closely associated with Mediterranean cuisine. It is easy to grow; in fact, rosemary can suffer from too much attention. Rosemary's evergreen-like aroma is known to deter pests of all brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, and others), beans and carrots. Rosemary is commonly planted on the edge of a vegetable garden where it can serve as a companion plant without stealing resources (water and nutrients) from annual vegetables.