GROWING GUIDE: Deer Resistant Plants
Only poisonous plants are completely deer-proof. If hungry enough, deer will eat almost any plant. Usually, deer will avoid plants that are fragrant, aromatic, or have fuzzy leaves. A new item in the garden as well as new/soft growth on established plants are a tasty treat, so new plantings may be sampled, but not eaten to the ground. Also, take into account that every deer population has different tastes. What a deer eats in one area, another deer in another place will not. In all gardens, observation is best in keeping your plants safe from deer.
Trees
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Abies (Fir) |
Crataegus (Hawthorn) |
Myrica (Wax Myrtle) |
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Acer circinatum (Vine Maple) |
Cupressus (Cypress) |
Picea (Spruce) |
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Acer macrophyllum (Big Leaf Maple) |
Diospyros (Persimmon) |
Pinus (Pine) |
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Acer negundo (Box Elder) |
Elaeagnus (Olive) |
Platanus (Sycamore) |
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Acer palmatum (Japanese Maple) |
Eucalyptus |
Populus (Poplar) |
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Albizia julibrissin (Silk Tree) |
Fagus (Beech) |
Prunus (Cherry) |
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Araucaria (Monkey Puzzle Tree) |
Ficus (Fig) |
Pseudotsuga (Douglas Fir) |
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Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree) |
Fraxinus (Ash) |
Quercus (Oak) |
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Betula (Birch) |
Ginkgo (Maidenhair Tree) |
Robinia (Black Locust) |
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Calocedrus (Incense Cedar) |
Gleditsia (Honey Locust) |
Salix (Willow) |
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Catalpa |
Laburnum (Goldenchain Tree) |
Sequoia (Redwood) |
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Cedrus (Cedar) |
Larix (Larch) |
Sorbus (Mountain Ash) |
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Cercis (Redbud) |
Liquidambar (Sweet Gum) |
Trachycarpus (Windmill Palm) |
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Chamaecyparis (False Cypress) |
Magnolia |
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Shrubs
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Abelia |
Erica (Heath) |
Phyllostachys (Bamboo) |
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Berberis (Barberry) |
Escallonia |
Pieris (Lily-of-the-Valley Shrub) |
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Buxus (Boxwood) |
Euonymus |
Potentilla (Cinquefoil) |
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Calluna (Heather) |
Forsythia |
Pyracantha (Firethorn) |
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Callicarpa (Beautyberry) |
Gaultheria (Salal) |
Rhododendron |
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Caryopteris (Bluebeard) |
Hypericum (St. Johnswort) |
Rhus (Sumac) |
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Ceanothus (California Lilac) |
Ilex (Holly) |
Ribes (Currant) |
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Chaenomeles (Flowering Quince) |
Jasminum (Jasmine) |
Sambucus (Elderberry) |
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Choisya (Mexican Orange) |
Juniperus (Juniper) |
Sarcococca (Sweet Box) |
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Cistus (Rockrose) |
Kalmia (Mountain Laurel) |
Spiraea |
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Cornus (Redtwig Dogwood) |
Kerria |
Symphoricarpos (Snowberry) |
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Cotinus (Smoke Tree) |
Leucothoe |
Syringa (Lilac) |
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Cotoneaster |
Ligustrum (Privet) |
Teucrium (Germander) |
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Daphne |
Mahonia (Oregon Grape) |
Umbellularia (California Bay Laurel) |
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Enkianthus |
Nandina (Heavenly Bamboo) |
Viburnum |
Perennials
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Acanthus (Bears Breeches) |
Delphinium |
Papaver (Poppy) |
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Achillea (Yarrow) |
Digitalis (Foxglove) |
Penstemon |
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Aconitum (Monkshood) |
Echinacea (Coneflower) |
Perovskia (Russian Sage) |
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Aegopodium (Bishop's Weed) |
Echinops (Globe Thistle) |
Physostegia (Obedient Plant) |
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Agastache (Hummingbird Mint) |
Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed) |
Platycodon (Balloon Flower) |
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Agapanthus (Lily-of-the-Nile) |
Euphorbia (Spurge) |
Polemonium (Jacob's Ladder) |
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Ajuga (Carpet Bugle) |
Ferns (Outdoor varieties) |
Pulmonaria (Lungwort) |
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Alchemilla (Lady's Mantle) |
Filipendula (Meadowsweet) |
Rheum (Rhubarb) |
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Allium (Ornamental Onion) |
Geum (Grecian Rose) |
Rosmarinus (Rosemary) |
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Alcea (Hollyhock) |
Gunnera (Dinosaur Plant) |
Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan) |
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Amsonia (Bluestar) |
Gypsophila (Baby's Breath) |
Salvia (Sage) |
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Anthemis (Golden Marguerite) |
Helenium (Sneezeweed) |
Santolina (Lavender Cotton) |
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Aquilegia (Columbine) |
Helianthus (Sunflower) |
Saxifraga (Saxifrage) |
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Artemisia (Wormwood) |
Helleborus (Hellebores) |
Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower) |
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Asclepias (Butterfly Weed) |
Hemerocallis (Daylily) |
Solidago (Goldenrod) |
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Astilbe (False Spirea) |
Iberis (Candytuft) |
Stachys (Lamb's Ear) |
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Baptisia (False Indigo) |
Iris |
Tanacetum (Tansy) |
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Bergenia (Pigsqeek) |
Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) |
Teucrium (Germander) |
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Campanula (Bellflower) |
Lamium |
Thymus (Thyme) |
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Centaurea (Batchelor's Buttons) |
Lavendula (Lavender) |
Tiarella (Foam Flower) |
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Ceratostigma (Plumbago) |
Liatris |
Trillium (Wake Robin) |
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Chelone (Turtlehead) |
Lithodora |
Verbascum (Mullein) |
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Leucanthemum (Shasta Daisy) |
Lupinus (Lupine) |
Veronica (Speedwell) |
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Actaea (Bugbane) |
Monarda (Bee Balm) |
Vinca |
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Coreopsis (Tickseed) |
Nepeta (Catmint) |
Viola (Violet) |
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Crocosmia |
Oenothera (Evening Primrose) |
Yucca (Adam's Needle) |
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Dianthus (Sweet William) |
Origanum (Oregano) |
Zantedeschia (Calla Lilly) |
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Dicentra (Bleeding Heart) |
Paeonia (Peony) |
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Annuals
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Ageratum (Floss Flower) |
Dahlia |
Salvia (Sage) |
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Antirrhinum (Snapdragon) |
Heliotropium (Heliotrope) |
Senecio (Dusty Miller) |
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Begonia |
Herbs (Parsley, Basil, others) |
Tagetes (Marigold) |
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Calendula (Pot Marigold) |
Hypoestes (Polka-Dot Plant) |
Verbena |
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Cineraria |
Lobelia |
Vinca (Periwinkle) |
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Cleome (Spider Flower) |
Pelargonium (Geranium) |
Zinnia |
Bulbs
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Allium (Ornamental Onion) |
Eranthis (Winter Aconite) |
Narcissus (Daffodils) |
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Crocus |
Fritillaria (Frittilary) |
Scilla (Squill) |
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Dahlia |
Muscari (Grape Hyacinth) |
Galanthus (Snowdrops) |
Ornamental Grasses & Grass-Like Plants
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Carex (Sedge) |
Festuca (Fescue) |
Pennisetum (Fountain Grass) |
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Calamagrostis (Feather reed Grass) |
Lirope (Lilyturf) |
Phormium (New Zealand Flax) |
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Chasmanthium (Northern Sea Oats) |
Miscanthus |
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Cortaderia (Pampas Grass) |
Panicum (Switch Grass) |
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Ground Covers & Vines
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Ajuga (Carpet Bugle) |
Gallium (Sweet Woodruff) |
Wisteria |
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Arctostaphylos (Kinnikinnick) |
Lamium |
Vinca (Periwinkle) |
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Clematis |
Pachysandra (Spurge) |
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Convallaria (Lily-of-the-Valley) |
Rubus n(Creeping Raspberry) |
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Epimedium |
Thymus (Thyme) |
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