Deer Resistant Plants

DEER WILL EAT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING if conditions are harsh and they are very hungry or thirsty, as in a long, hot summer or during a severe winter. They will browse on garden flowers and foliage for the moisture content. It is sometimes helpful to keep a large bucket filled with fresh water in a location as far removed from treasured garden plants as possible. Some gardeners plant tasty greens such as alfalfa or clover around the bucket to help keep the deer satisfied.

Here are some plants that usually do not appeal to deer:

CONIFERS

Cypress, Juniper, Spruce, Pine, Taxus (Yew)

SHRUBS

Butterfly Bush, English Boxwood, Heather, Rhododendron, Pieris, Lavender, Rosemary, English Holly, St. John’s Wort (Hypericum), Daphne, California Lilac (Ceanothus), Mexican Orange Blossom (Choisya), Smoke Bush, Cotoneaster, Skimmia, Oregon Grape (Mahonia), Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina), Lavatera, Monkey Puzzle Tree (Araucaria), Eucalyptus, Yucca.

PERENNIALS

Aubrieta, Agastache, Artemesia, Arabis, Arctostaphylos urva ursi, Berginia, Bleeding Heart, Cyclamen, Helleborus, Coreopsis, English Ivy, Epimedium, Erigeron, Evening Primrose, Euphorbia, Foxglove, Ferns, Gunnera, Gallardia, Heather, Iris, Lithodora, Lupin, Lamb’s Ear, Pulmonaria, Lamium, Monkshood, Crocosmia, Oriental poppy and other poppies, Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) Penstemmon, Russian Sage (Perovskia), Red Hot Poker, Scabiosa, Shasta Daisy, Trillium, Wallflower, Yarrow (Achillea)

FLOWER BULBS AND ANNUALS

Alyssum, Begonia, Basil and most other herbs, Calendula, Cleome, Cosmos, Dahlia, Daffodil, Daisies, (most kinds) Datura, Dusty Miller, Forget-me-not, Gazania, Heliotrope, Iris, Lobelia, Morning Glory, Marigold, Osteospermum, Peony, Poppies, Blue Salvia, Verbena, Zonal Geranium, Zinnia.