Deer Resistant Plants for a Colorful Deer-Proof Garden Landscape

Deer will eat just about anything if they are hungry enough, including thorny plants, stems and tree bark. For most gardeners in areas of large deer populations, there are a few plants that are more resistant to the destructive nibbling of deer than others. These plants will be ones to consider for a deer resistant garden!

Deer-Resistant Bulbs

Some spring flowering bulbs are like an invitation for winter-hungry deer to come and feast, ruining a garden’s spring blooms. But these bulbs are deer resistant and are usually avoided.

• Daffodils – Daffodils are a favorite spring flowering bulb but they taste bitter and unpleasant to deer. As a result, these bright yellow flowers are generally avoided by deer, who would rather eat something that tastes a bit more pleasant – like a rose bush.
• Allium – A wide-spread spring or summer blooming bulb, the ornamental onion has a strong flavor that can help to repel a deer’s foraging.
• Iris – Irises are a deer resistant bulb, especially Siberian irises. But with so many iris bulbs to choose from, gardeners with almost any kind of landscape will find a deer-resistant bulb for their garden.

Deer Resistant Herbs

Many herbs are deer resistant because of their fragrant foliage or leaves. But these herbs, both culinary and ornamental, tend to be especially useful in a deer-proof garden.

• Sage (Salvia) – Both the culinary varieties of sage and the ornamental, flowering salvias, tend to be one of the last plants deer will try to nibble.
• Lavender – A cottage garden favorite, lavender is a popular perennial plant with many uses for home and kitchen. Deer tend to find the fragrant flowers and foliage distasteful, making lavender a useful deer-resistant plant.
• Thyme – A popular culinary herb that can also be grown as a ground-cover in a perennial or mixed garden. Thyme is another fragrant and pungent herb that deer will tend to avoid when given other food options.

Deer-Resistant Shrubs and Perennials

While some shrubs and perennials are practically an invitation to deer, others are plants that tend to be avoided. For a deer resistant garden landscape, try some of these noxious plants deer dislike.

• Boxwood – A popular evergreen hedge bush, the boxwood is a shrub that deer dislike. Cultivars are available as far north as zone 4, making them a good choice for hedges and greenery.
• Juniper – Another evergreen shrub that is available zones 2-11, the juniper’s spiky foliage and strong scent are a deterrent to deer.
• Hellebore – The so-called Christmas Rose, the hellebore is actually toxic to deer and is usually avoided. In a very harsh winter gardeners may still find this winter-blooming evergreen perennial has been nibbled, but deer won’t usually eat more than a couple bites.
• Artemisia or Wormwood – A bitter tasting perennial with fuzzy foliage, the wormwood is doubly distasteful to deer. Many cultivars have pleasant silvery colored foliage that adds interest to a deer-resistant garden.

Gardeners should remember that deer will nibble on almost any plant from time to time, especially during periods of drought or prolonged winter. Also, gardeners are encouraged to take into consideration that deer populations have different tastes and preferences in different community areas. When in doubt, check with a neighbor to see what was hit in his garden last year, and what the deer left alone.