Deer Resistant Plants

No matter how endearing they may seem, deer are at the top of the list when it comes to garden problems. They’re most likely to eat garden shrubs and plants when there is deep snow cover, as well as toward the end of Winter and into Spring when there is very little left to eat. Only one or two plants can be considered deer proof but there are many which are deer resistant, although deer will eat almost anything if they are hungry enough. The less good food there is available, the more deer will start to feed on plants they would normally ignore, so occasionally even hellebores and daffodils are eaten. But choosing deer resistant plants will go a long way to ensuring that your garden looks wonderful – in spite of the deer.

Deer are drawn to

• Juicy foliage
• Bland plants that taste of nothing
• Soft young shoots tips

Deer avoid

• Plants with strongly aromatic leaves
• Plants with spines or hairy leaves
• Poisonous plants
• Andromeda bush (Pieris species) White, pink or red spring bells on evergreen shrubs.
• Native ferns: Hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) and New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis) Two rather similar ground covering ferns with attractive, upright, lacy fronds to 2ft long.

Try these deer resistant plants:

Large trees

• Green ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica) Stately, tolerant and adaptable Pennsylvania native for all soils.
• Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) Tough and adaptable, thriving where other trees fail.
• Hop hornbeam (Ostrya virginiana) Graceful Pennsylvania native, with good fall color and attractive bark.
• Katsura (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) Three seasons of leaf colour (purple, blue-green, yellow) with shaggy winter bark.
• Pin oak (Quercus palustris) Easy to grow and transplant when large; indispensable Pennsylvania native arching low to the ground.

Garden trees

• Birch (Betula species) Elegant, quick growing, with spring catkins, fall color and attractive bark.
• Dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') Slow-growing conical evergreen with pale green needles.*
• Indian bean tree (Catalpa bignonioides) Beautiful flowers like foxgloves, bold leaves, and long bean-like fruits.
• Pawpaw (Asimina triloba) Impressive for its long foliage which turns yellow in Fall, its purple Spring flowers and black fruits.
• Smooth serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis) White flowers, fine fall color, shade tolerant Pennsylvania native.

Evergreen trees

• American holly (Ilex opaca) Glossy leaves, red fruits. Rare Pennsylvania native, slow growing but attractive while still small.
• Arborvitae (Thuja 'Green Giant') Superb specimen, effective screen or can also be clipped as a dense, head-height hedge.
• Colorado spruce (Picea pungens Glauca Group) Bristly, silver-blue needles on dense growth.*
• Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergiana) A striking specimen, never becoming huge, with a distinctive offbeat look.
• Japanese false cypress (Chamaecyparis pisifera) Dense with many intriguing varieties, including some with gold leaves.

Evergreen shrubs

• Andromeda bush (Pieris species) The most dependably deer proof shrub with white, pink or red spring bells.
• Boxwood (Buxus varieties) Tolerant, dense-growing and pest free and in an unexpected range of sizes and leaf forms.
• Grape holly (Mahonia aquifolium) Low, spreading plant with bronze-tinted winter foliage, clusters of yellow spring flowers and blue berries.
• Yew (Taxus x media) Rich green foliage, often with an attractive upright habit. Drought tolerant, and makes a good hedge.
• Sweet box (Sarcococca species) Small, highly scented spring flowers, with black berries. Drought tolerant.*

Deciduous shrubs

• Barberry (Berberis koreana, B. wilsoniae) Non-invasive barberries with yellow flowers and spectacular fall color. Avoid the invasive B. thunbergii.
• Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis) Neat, blue flowers for many months, some feature golden foliage.*
• Bottlebrush buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) Masses of creamy candles in sun or shade and yellow fall color.
• Daphne (Daphne species) Clusters of Spring flowers in pink or white, mainly highly scented and modest in size.
• Rugosa rose (Rosa rugosa) Robust rose with red, pink or white flowers and scarlet edible berries.

Vines

• American bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) Vigorous twiner with small yellowish flowers followed by orange fruits.
• Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala subsp. petiolaris) Clings to tree trunks and walls like ivy, showers of white lacecap flowers.
• Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) Slender, yellow-throated, orange flowers, followed by orange berries.
• Japanese wisteria (Wisteria floribunda) Spectacular fragrant flowers in blues, purples, pinks or white.
• Virginia creeper (Pathenocissus quinquefolia) Self clinging, glossy green foliage turns red and orange in the Fall. Very vigorous.*

Shade perennials

• Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea varieties) Tall spires with spotted flowers in purples, pinks and white and even primrose yellow.
• Hellebore (Helleborus species) The first perennials of the season, in an increasing range of attractive colors and forms.
• Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) Dainty white spring bells with an intoxicating fragrance.*
• Monkshood (Aconitum species) Hooded blue flowers on tall spikes from mid Summer into Fall.
• Siberian bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla) Forget-me-not flowers above heart-shaped foliage in green, silver or a combination of the two.

Sun perennials

• Bee balm (Monarda varieties) Dark, minty flavoured leaves and Summer flowers in reds, purples, pinks and white.
• Jerusalem sage (Phlomis species) Aromatic and slightly hairy plants with handsome foliage and tall spikes of yellow, pink or burgundy flowers.
• Lamb's ear (Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet') Low carpet of very hairy, brightly silvery leaves which stays low and rarely erupts with its poor flowers.
• Russian sage (Perovskia varieties) Grayish, prettily divided, aromatic leaves and plumes of pale blue flowers.*
• Yarrow (Achillea species) Finely-cut foliage, with flat heads of Summer flowers in a wide variety of shades.

Ornamental grasses

• Blue fescue (Festuca glauca) Neat, silvery blue tussocks of stiff, very slender leaves with upright bluish flowers turning golden brown.
• Maiden grass (Miscanthus species) Tall and elegant, with red or white plumes and sometimes with striped leaves.
• Reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster') Elegant, with arching bluish plumes which become sandy for the Winter.
• Sedges (Carex species) Slender, evergreen leaves in shades of green and also in intriguing coffee and caramel shades.
• Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) Attractive, upright plants with blue-green foliage and flowers. Not for soggy soils.*

Herbs

• Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) Easy-to-grow perennial with green, yellow or two-tone foliage which is strongly lemon scented.*
• Marjoram (Origanum marjorana) Aromatic slightly grayish foliage on low, steadily spreading perennial plants and with small pink or white flowers.
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) Dark, almost needle-like leaves and pretty blue flowers. Best in a container and moved inside for the winter.
• Sage (Salvia officinalis varieties) Attractive purple, grey and multicolored foliage forms, all with spikes of blue flowers in Summer.
• Thyme (Thymus species) Twiggy and bushy, or low and creeping, in a variety of flavors, foliage colors and flower colors.

Ground covers

• Barrenwort (Epimedium species) Dainty Spring flowers in many colors followed by attractive, rather leathery, steadily spreading foliage.*
• Bishop's weed (Aegopodium podagraria 'Variegata') Vigorous, smothering spreader with cream-edged green leaves.
• Bugleweed (Ajuga repens varieties) Low creeper with short spires of usually blue flowers over foliage in a range of colors and patterns.
• Deadnettle (Lamium maculatum varieties) Silver splashed foliage below short spikes of pink or white flowers.
• Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum) Clusters of tiny white flowers over bright green foliage, spreading well.

Bulbs

• Autumn crocus (Colchicum species) Large pink, purplish or white crocus-like flowers in late Summer and Fall.
• Crown imperial (Fritillaria imperialis) Impressive clusters of yellow or red flowers make an impressive clump.
• Daffodils (Narcissus varieties) Vast variety of kinds, both large and small, including even pinks and doubles.
• Ornamental onion (Allium species) From 6in to 4ft, in a perhaps unexpected range of colors and flower forms.
• Snowdrops (Galanthus varieties) The first bulb to flower in Spring, dainty white single or double flowers with neat green markings.*

Summer annuals

• Flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata) Upright plants carry white flowers with a heavy evening fragrance.
• Licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolare varieties) Spreading plants with downy foliage in grey, yellow or with variegations.
• Poppies (Papaver species) Easy and quick, singles and doubles, in a wide range of bright and pastel colors.
• Pot marigold (Calendula) Orange, yellow or gold flowers on aromatic plants in a range of heights. Tall varieties are good for cutting.
• Spider flower (Cleome) Tall, striking plants with heads of unusual spidery flowers in purples, pinks and white. *

* May be eaten before the others in the group if food is in short supply, depending on what else is available.

Did you know Deer have such a good sense of smell that they detect odors twenty times better than we can.

Written by Graham Rice

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