If you live out in the country – or even the suburbs – chances are you’ve had run-ins with hungry deer who love nothing more than to nibble away at your favorite landscape plants and garden vegetables.
No doubt you’ve tried fences and deer repellents with varying degrees of success, but there’s a simpler solution: invest in some plants that deer just don’t want to eat. While no plants can truly be called “deer-proof,” these varieties are far less likely to be damaged.
Landscape Trees
- American Holly
- Bottleneck Buckeye
- Japanese Black Pine
- Paper Birch
- Red Pine
Evergreen Shrubs
- Abelia
- Common Boxwood
- Sweet Box
- Wintergreen Barberry
- Wax Myrtle
Deciduous Shrubs
- Arrowwood Viburnum
- Bayberry
- Japanese Barberry
- Butterfly Bush
- Fragrant Sumac
Vines and Groundcovers
- Crossvine
- Coral Honeysuckle
- Star Jasmine
- Creeping Juniper
- Trumpet Vine
Annuals
- Forget-Me-Not
- False Camomile
- Larkspur
- Marigold
- Snapdragon
Perennials
- Bee Balm
- Angel’s Trumpet
- Yarrow
- Buttercup
- Iris
Vegetables and Herbs
- Onions
- Potatoes
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Mint
As a general rule, deer try to avoid plants that have a pungent smell or unpalatable taste, are difficult to digest, have a fuzzy or prickly texture or are toxic. Visit the United States Department of Agriculture’s Plant hardiness Zone Map to find landscape plants that are suitable for your climate.