30 Deer-Resistant Plants

Hungry deer tend not to bother these deer-resistant flowers and plants.

By: Felicia Feaster

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Our Favorite 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.

Learn More: How to Grow Lamb's Ears, Nature's Most Touchable Plant

French Marigold

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.

Learn More: How to Plant and Grow Marigold Flowers

Foxglove

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.

Learn More: How to Grow Foxgloves

Rosemary

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.

Learn More: How to Grow and Harvest Rosemary

Mint

The qualties that make herbs tasty additions to our food also make them great plants to deter deer from the garden. Use mint's aromatic leaves — fresh or dried — to flavor water or tea. The flavor is best when leaves are harvested before the plant flowers.

Crape Myrtle

Crape myrtle is not typically bothered by deer in yards and gardens. Lagerstroemia indica comes in numerous cultivars and features flowers in lavender, pink, purple, red or white. Crape myrtles grow to 35 feet tall and wide, depending on the cultivar. Smaller crape myrtle varieties grow well in containers where they can be mixed with smaller plants.

Learn More: Choosing the Right Crape Myrtle for Your Landscape

African Lily

Agapanthus, or African lily, bears large drumstick heads of flowers from midsummer on. They can be grown in a pot or tub. African lily attracts butterflies and features flowers in a range of light and dark blue shades. All parts of agapanthus are toxic, in particular the roots, leaves and sticky sap, which can cause skin irritation upon contact. Its graceful form makes agapanthus popular with florists.

Learn More: How to Grow and Care for Agapanthus

Fountain Grass

Fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) is named for the way its flowers and seedheads erupt from the arching mound of leaves like water from a fountain. Fountain grass produces fluffy blooms from late summer to fall. While deer avoid fountain grass, birds are attracted to their seeds.

Learn More: 16 Ornamental Grasses You Should Grow

Hens and Chicks

Sempervivum tectorum, also known as hens and chicks, are ornamental succulents that will tolerate shade and sun. They are particularly popular choices for containers and rock gardens.

Learn More: Hen and Chicks: All About These Popular Succulents

'Dwarf Marine' Heliotrope

Heliotrope has a sweet, pungent scent that some liken to the smell of cherry pie. 'Dwarf Marine' features a royal purple color. It is large-flowered yet compact and has attractive, dark green foliage and a bushy habit.

Heather

Heathers planted in giant swathes are breathtaking to look at. Flowers appear at different times of the year depending on the species, so it is possible to get flowers for most of the year if different types are planted.

Yucca

This flowering plant is not a favorite item on the deer menu: its sharp, spiky fronds tend to keep deer from munching in many — though not all — cases. Prickly agave can also keep deer from making your yard an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Learn More: How to Grow Yucca

Zinnias

Zinnias come in a wide variety of colors with large, profuse blooms. They are truly an easy-to-grow annual flower and fairly drought-tolerant once established. Zinnias offer many colors and mixed blooms from which to choose. Tall cutting-type zinnias do best in planting beds while narrowleaf zinnias (Zinnia angustifolia) make a terrific edging in pots or planting beds.

Learn More: Planting and Growing Zinnia Flowers

Brunnera

'Dawson's White' brunnera has flowers appearing in spring that are bright blue. The "white" in the name refers to the leaf edges.

Wisteria

Plant Wisteria floribunda if you don't want deer to nibble. Japanese wisteria can grow to a height of 35 feet and are coveted for their fragrant, pendulous blooms in lavender, pink and white. Note: Japanese wisteria and Chinese wisteria are both considered invasive.

Learn More: How to Grow Wisteria

Asparagus

Asparagus is a long-lived perennial vegetable crop popular with many home gardeners. Asparagus can be grown from seed, but growing from one-year-old crowns is most popular. Asparagus spears emerge through the spring soil and are enjoyed until hot weather.

Learn More: How to Grow Asparagus

Sea Holly

Eryngium x tripartitum, or sea holly, has blue-green stems with masses of small metallic blue flower heads on tall four-foot stems. Sea holly is a delight to butterflies and flower arrangers alike and is a tough plant that is very drought-tolerant.

Verbena

Verbena is one of the easiest, low-maintenance plants to grow in the home garden as it's drought-tolerant and heat loving. This annual rewards with color from spring until frost.

Also See: Vivacious Verbena

Catmint

An excellent companion bloom, versatile catmint gets along famously with its neighbors. Catmint complements almost any garden style, whether you've got a formal parterre with hybrid tea roses or a wild swath of prairie perennials. It starts blooming lavender-blue late in spring and keeps going till frost — and the foliage smells heavenly when you brush past it.

Lily of the Valley

Lily of the Valley is an old-fashioned perennial that looks so delicate with its tiny bell-shaped flowers. It will grow in the deep shade of large trees and shrubs and makes a good choice for small, contained spaces.

Learn More: How to Grow Lily of the Valley

Bee Balm

This beautiful perennial attracts hummingbirds and butterflies but not deer. There are three common species of bee balm: Monarda didyma, Monarda fistulosa and Monarda punctate. Add bee balm to perennial borders, native gardens, pollinator gardens, meadows and cottage gardens. You can also use these edible flowers to garnish salads or steep for herbal teas.

Learn More: Growing Monarda: When to Plant and How to Grow Bee Balm

Lungwort

Lungwort 'Ocupol' is a semi-evergreen perennial with ovate leaves heavily blotched and speckled with silver; clear pale blue flowers open from pale pink buds in spring on tall stems. Strikingly patterned leaves develop in the summer.

Daffodils

Plant daffodils in your garden and you will let the deer know the buffet is closed in your yard. Daffodils (known botanically as Narcissus) are easy-to-grow, springtime-blooming perennial bulbs hardy in zones 3-8. Daffodils love a sunny location with well-draining soil, either on a hillside or in a raised bed.

Learn More: Planting and Growing Daffodils

Sweet Woodruff

This shade-friendly groundcover with fragrant white flowers is sweet but not sweet for deer.

Lavender

The scent of Lavandula stoechas is intoxicating to humans, but less so to deer. It's also a wonderful perennial to plant near your windows or doors to reap the rewards of that lovely scent every time you pass or open a window.

Ferns

Most ornamental grasses and most ferns are not appealing to deer, who tend to avoid them. However, they are a lovely addition to a shade garden.

Learn More: Fun Ways to Design with Ferns

From: J.R. Kramer

Dianthus

Most varieties of dianthus are disliked by deer who avoid fragrant and toxic plants. Shown here, Rockin’ Red dianthus (Dianthus barbatus) brings the blooms from late spring to fall. Let plants set seed, and they’ll self-sow to stage another performance the following spring. Plants are short-lived perennials in Zones 5 to 8.

Black-eyed Susan

Rudbeckia is not a deer favorite. But it is tough and reliable. Black-eyed Susan like the Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’ shown here fills summer with cheery blooms that look good in the garden or a vase. Plants are a snap to grow—just give them average soil in full sun. Clumps spread quickly when plants are happy. Remove edges of clumps in spring to keep plants in bounds. Black-eyed susan doesn’t usually need divided, but it’s a good idea to do so at the 4-year mark to rejuvenate clumps. Goldsturm is hardy in Zones 3 to 10.

Elephant Ear

Lush, tropical elephant ears make a bold garden statement. They are also known to be good at deterring deer. Some gardeners even use elephant ears to keep deer away, planting them near landscape plants to repel deer.

Aster

Deer dislike the texture of this perennial plant, so they are good plants for deer-prone gardens. New England aster (Aster novae-angliae) is a beloved native plant that’s an all-time fall favorite. ‘Purple Dome’ unfurls 1.5-inch blooms in shades of deep purple, but you can find asters in a host of other colors, too. Look for asters with blossoms in neon or pastel pink, white, lavender and violet. Flowers beckon late-season pollinators, including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Plants grow 18 to 24 inches tall and 24 to 36 inches wide. Hardy in Zones 5-8.

Ways to Keep Deer Out of Your Garden

When natural food is scarce — such as during a drought or early in the growing season — deer may be more tempted than usual to make a meal out of your garden.

Beyond not planting flowers that deer love, there are other ways to deter deer including an odor deterrent like moth balls, human hair, garlic, deodorant soap and fabric softener. Noise deterrents like wind chimes, flags or a radio can also keep deer away. Fences are an obvious way to deter deer, but you can also try floodlights, hanging shiny objects in trees or bushes or even sprinklers to frighten deer.