Deer Resistant Plants

Although it is practically impossible to definitively say that any plant is completely deer proof, the following lists are collections of plants that are typically left alone (that we have or usually have in stock)...though a hungry deer will usually try just about anything. Deer are not given a book to read when they are babies about what not to eat...so you get the point?....Have you thought of a fence? Or a dog? These things have helped us at the nursery :)... You can also try deer repellent sprays. 

Usually they avoid very fragrant foliage or fuzzy leaves, or plants that have toxic properties. When it comes to shrubs or trees, they often love nibbling on the new growth. It helps to protect young plants with a small fence around said plant until they are large enough to not be affected by a nibble here or there. 

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 Please see our availability in regards to what is currently in stock (remember these lists are typically organized by botanical name).

Perennials

Full Sun

(at least 6 hours of sun per day)

Anemone

Black Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)

Blanket Flower (Gaillardia)

Candy Tuft (Iberis sempervirens)

Canna Lily

Catmint (Nepeta)

Columbine (Aquilegia)

Coneflower (Echinacea)

Cranesbill Geranium

Daffodil

Foxglove (Digitalis)

Hummingbird Mint (Agastache)

Lamb's Ear (Stachys)

Lavender (Lavandula) *under the "herbs" category on our inventory

Larkspur (Delphinium)

Lupine

Ornamental Sage (Salvia)

Peony (Paeonia)

Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa)

Poppies

Primrose (Primula)

Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia)

Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)

Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum)

Siberian Iris (Iris siberica)

Sneezeweed (Helenium)

Speedwell (Veronica)

Spurge (Euphorbia)

Tickseed (Coreopsis)

Wormwood (Artemisia)

Yarrow (Achillea)

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Part Sun/Part Shade

(3-6 hours of sun per day)

Anemone

Astilbe

Barrenwort (Epimedium)

Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra)

Brunnera

Caladium

Catmint (Nepeta)

Columbine (Aquilegia)

Cranesbill Geranium

Foxglove (Digitalis)

Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium)

Lilyturf (Liriope)

Lenton Rose (Helleborus)

Lungwort (Pulmonaria)

Primrose (Primula)

Siberian Iris (Iris siberica)

Wild Ginger (Asarum)

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Full Shade

(Less than 3 hours of sun a day)

Astilbe

Barrenwort (Epimedium)

Bleeding Hearts (Dicentra)

Brunnera

Lilyturf (Liriope)

Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

Lungwort (Pulmonaria)

Siberian Iris (Iris siberica)

Wild Ginger (Asarum)

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Other

Ornamental Grasses

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Annuals

Full Sun

(at least 6 hours of sun per day)

Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

African Daisies (Osteospermum)

Angelonia

Calendula

Dusty Miller (Senecio cineraria)

Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana)

Heliotrope

Lantana

Marigold

Nasturtium

Ornamental Sage (Salvia)

Snapdragons (Antirrhinum majus)

Strawflower (Bracteantha)

Verbena

Zinnias

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Part/ Full Shade

(Less than 6 hours of sun a day)

Bacopa

Begonias

Coleus

Ground covers

Bugleweed (Ajuga)

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)

Dead Nettle (Lamium)

Irish Moss (Sagina subulata)

Japanese Spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)

Lithodora

Periwinkle (Vinca)

Scotch Moss (Sagina subulata 'Aurea')

Thyme (Thymus)

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Shrubs

When deer bother shrubs it typically only causes cosmetic damage and won't actually kill the plant itself. Young shrubs suffer when all their new growth keeps getting chewed off (deer love the tender leaves). So either protect young shrubs or just opt for the ones deer typically leave alone...

Low Growing (under 5ft) - Evergreen

Andromeda, dwarf varieties (Pieris japonica)

Boxwood, Dwarf (Buxus) 

Cotoneaster

Daphne

Gardenias

Heath (Erica)

Heather (Calluna)

Juniper (Juniperus)

Mugo Pine, dwarf (Pinus mugo)

Rhododendron

Rockrose (Cistus)

Yucca

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Tall Growing (taller than 5ft) - Evergreen

Andromeda (Pieris japonica)

Bottlebrush (Callistemon)

Boxwood (Buxus) 

Cotoneaster

Gardenias

Juniper (Juniperus)

Mugo Pine

New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum)

Rhododendron

Rockrose (Cistus)

Viburnum

Waxleaf Privet (Ligustrum)

Yucca

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Low Growing (under 5ft) - Deciduous

Barberry (Berberis)

Spirea japonica

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Tall Growing (taller than 5ft) - Deciduous

Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)

Forsythia

​Lilac, Common (Syringa vulgaris)

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