Ten Deer Resistant Plants for Deer Country

We live in deer country. It's a rare day that deer don't wander through our landscaping sampling the vegetation. Just as with children who are developing preferences for specific foods, so are the deer making a memory list of their eating priorities. One of the most common questions asked of horticulture or nursery managers is "Can you recommend some deer-resistant plants?" While visiting relatives a few years ago, I stopped into Chuck Hafner's Farmer's Market in North Syracuse, NY and obtained a long list of plants and shrubs which were ranked in order of "deer resistance". Such lists are meant to be a guideline for "deer-resistance" and are not the Rosetta Stone of deer-resistant horticulture.

Note that the word used is "deer-resistant." The reason the term "resistant" is used in lieu of the term "deer-proof" is clear when you have purchased plants recommended by nurseries as "deer-resistant" and then discover they are nibbled to the ground. If the deer are hungry, they will eat "deer resistant" plants when other food choices are in short supply. People familiar with the outdoors know that hungry deer can make a meal even from the bark of trees. Holly is often on garden center "deer-resistance" lists, for example; yet, our blue boy hollies have been nibbled to the stem year after year.

I've developed my own list of "deer-resistant" favorites. I've listed ten plants which can adapt to the climate and soils of the U.S. Northeast. Included in this list are annuals, perennials, and ornamental trees and shrubs. Most of the ones we like best are the easy-care perennials, but we plant one or two early annuals for color.

1) One of the most reliable "deer-resistant" flowering plants is the Spiraea. At maturity, Spirea is a bushy flowering plant, with clusters of pink to reddish blooms.

2) Deer are not at all fond of coreopsis. Coreopsis comes in many foliage and color varieties but commonly in yellow tones. It fits in most anywhere, and will not dominate a garden like the larger bushy plants.

3) A good landscaping design includes shrubs as well as low flowering plants. Hibiscus is an excellent shrub which can be trained into both tree and bush form. It is commonly known as Rose of Sharon, does well in the country, and tolerates heat, drought and poor soils. It blooms late in the mid to late summer in the Northeast. This is a great deer-resistant shrub when it's mature, but keep in mind that deer will occasionally eat the buds of small, tender, young plants.

4) If you need a definite deer-resistant and very hardy annual, the Marigold is the best choice. Marigolds are the cockroaches of the plant world-they'll resist drought, cold, and heat. They come in a variety of colors and have an arresting foliage pattern. Marigold has the reputation, also, of being a rabbit repellent, and is often planted around vegetable gardens.

5) Some landscaping may require small ornamental trees. Deer won't even nibble the Norway Spruce. Norway Spruce keeps its original look and size for a long time; it is a slow-growing tree, nice to look at, evergreen in winter.

6) Weigela is a shrub with a reddish-purple bloom that makes its appearance in early or late spring. It's a good substitute for the popular red or white Azalea which, though pretty, is a primary deer food.

7) Forsythia is an easily grown deer-resistant shrub which grows to considerable size when mature. It's popularity is due to its appearance very early in the spring when the weather is still chill. Deer will nibble the plants when they're hungry but will not do significant damage to this hardy and fast-growing shrub.

8) Another deer-resistant plant is Monarda, sometimes called "bee balm." As the name implies, it attracts the bees, but the red variety also attracts hummingbirds. It grows tall so it requires some thought when deciding where to locate it.

9) Cotoneaster is a great deer-resistant shrub for rock gardens or accenting. It is a low growing shrub with forgettable tiny flowers. I like the Cotoneaster because it stands out and because it has an erratic, interesting growth pattern. The plant is so humble and tasteless that deer have no interest in it.

10) One of the most resilient deer-resistant plants in our landscape is the Lamb's Ear, named for its soft and lambent foliage. It's profuse blooms are burgundy, the color of red wine. It grows wild and, once established, propagates itself easily.

In addition to my top ten list of deer- resistant landscaping choices, there are several other truth tested varieties which I've not listed. Fox Glove is deer resistant, but is poisonous to pets. Nor have I included the variety of herbs which are unattractive to deer: parsley, thyme, lavender, basil, sage, tarragon and more. Peony is deer resistant but its sweet bloom attracts insects. I forgot to mention Daffodil, and also the shade-loving Bleeding Heart. Forget-Me-Not is almost a ground cover like Myrtle, and also has smallish blue flowers. Leatrice is another spiky, tall plant which, for some reason, is often known by its common name "Gay Feather." It was not on the list I obtained at the Farmer's Market but so far the deer haven't touched it.