Sometimes gardeners plant a beautiful array of flowers expecting to enjoy the colorful blooms, but instead, they feed the resident deer a very gourmet (and costly) feast! If you live in an area with browsing deer, you may wonder what are some of the best plants you can grow that won’t be eaten by wildlife.
No plant is 100% guaranteed “deer proof.” If deer are in the area, they may nibble on various plants, even if they aren’t deer favorites. Deer may also use plants to rub their heads and bodies, and deer may lay down in clusters of vegetation, flattening them into a bedding area.
But there are plenty of native plants you can grow that won’t generally be bothered by deer. Native plants are often easy to grow and low-maintenance because they are already well-adapted to the local environmental conditions. Native plants also offer tremendous benefits to insect pollinators and songbirds that feed on pollen, nectar, and seeds.
In general, however, there are certain types of plants that deer tend to avoid. So, what sorts of plants do deer not like? The following plant characteristics will help deter deer.
- Aromatic – Deer often avoid plants with very aromatic leaves and stems, such as herbs, mints, and others with strong or pungent scents.
- Prickly – Prickly leaves and stems are very effective at deterring browsing deer.
- Leathery – Plants with tough, thick, or leathery leaves are generally left in peace.
- Hairy – Leaves that have stiff hairs are not favored by deer.
How else can you keep deer out of your garden? Don’t invite the deer by offering them special food. Deer are wild animals and can find plenty of food on their own. If you invite them with a salt lick or special treats, they will want to spend more time in your yard. Use a fence at least 8 feet tall around the garden. Deer repellants can work but need to be reapplied frequently.
The following list includes 17 fantastic native plants you can easily grow in your home landscape. You will find an assortment of perennial wildflowers, grasses, ferns, vines, and shrubs that deer tend to avoid.
Bee Balm
| BOTANICAL NAME | Monarda didyma |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun to part shade |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 4 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 4 to 9 |
Bee balm is a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds and would make an excellent addition to a pollinator garden or for anyone who wants to attract hummingbirds.
The dense flowerheads feature clusters of bright red, tubular blossoms that last throughout the summer months. The leaves have a minty fragrance which helps protect this plant from browsing deer and rabbits.
Bee balm prefers full sun but will tolerate partial shade. Plants grown in full sun will generally have more compact growth and more robust flowering than those grown in the shade.
Soil should be rich and moist, and well-draining. Plants are easily grown from seed and will spread readily in ideal conditions by both self-seeding and underground rhizomes. When clusters of plants become too dense, thin them to improve air circulation and reduce fungal diseases like powdery mildew.
Butterfly Weed
| BOTANICAL NAME | Asclepias tuberosa |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 1 to 2.5 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 9 |
Butterfly weed, also called butterfly milkweed, is a beautiful perennial wildflower that is easy to grow in the home garden. This plant grows best in full sun with dry to medium-moisture, well-drained soil. Butterfly weed develops a long taproot that plunges deep into the soil below. Once established, this native plant is drought tolerant. Plants can be easily started from seed but, depending on the variety, may only start to flower in their second year.
Butterfly weed flowers are very showy and appreciated by humans and a wide variety of insects. Butterflies love the deep orange flowers that bloom throughout the summer months. It’s the perfect plant for creating a butterfly garden.
Milkweeds are host plants for the monarch butterfly caterpillar, so anyone wanting to attract butterflies to their yard should have at least one variety of milkweed. After flowering, distinctive elongated seed pods form, which later open to reveal a mass of fluffy seeds, ready to fly away and grow more butterfly weed plants!
Cinnamon Fern
| BOTANICAL NAME | Osmundastrum cinnamomea |
| PLANT TYPE | Fern |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Part shade to full shade |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 3 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 9 |
Ferns are an excellent addition to any shade garden. The cinnamon fern is a fairly large clump-forming fern with rich, full foliage. In early spring, unusual-looking upright, golden-brown, spore-bearing fronds emerge, adding some colorful visual appeal. These spore fronds are short-lived and fade away by summer. Ferns are not bothered by browsing deer or rabbits.
Cinnamon fern adds some nice variety to the more typical leafy garden vegetation. The fronds are showy and very appealing, adding vegetative contrast to any other shade-loving plant.
The cinnamon fern grows best in a shaded location with rich, moist soil. This fern tolerates fairly wet soil conditions and would be a good choice for a lower, wetter area of your yard.
Columbine
| BOTANICAL NAME | Aquilegia canadensis |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun to part shade |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 3 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 8 |
There are many very showy and colorful columbine cultivars. The native columbine is red with a yellow center. It is commonly found in moist woodlands of eastern North America and is a beautiful late-spring wildflower. The flowers are very showy, uniquely shaped, and favored by early-season hummingbirds.
Deer may nibble on young columbine plants, but once the plants get a little larger, they are generally left alone and will bloom freely. Columbine grows very well in full sun or partial shade. It prefers medium-moisture soil but will also tolerate occasional drought.
Foliage looks best in early spring. The foliage will brown and die back for the summer after flowering, especially in warmer climates and sunny habitats. Keep plants well-spaced to improve air circulation and reduce the growth of powdery mildew.
Coral Honeysuckle
| BOTANICAL NAME | Lonicera sempervirens |
| PLANT TYPE | Vine |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun to part shade |
| HEIGHT | 8 to 15 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 4 to 9 |
Coral honeysuckle should not be confused with the native trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) or the invasive Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica). The coral honeysuckle is native to the southeastern United States. It grows best in full sun but is quite tolerant of partial shade, though it may not bloom as well in the shade. Soil should be average-quality, medium-moisture, and well-drained.
Coral honeysuckle is a vigorous climbing vine that should be grown with a sturdy support. Plant it near a large trellis, or arbor, or along a fence where it can grow freely without being disturbed. Vines may be evergreen or semi-evergreen in warmer climates.
The long narrow trumpet-shaped flowers are bright red and very showy. The flowers are very attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and other insect pollinators. Coral honeysuckle is also the host plant for a few species of butterflies and moths.
Green and Gold
| BOTANICAL NAME | Chrysogonum virginianum |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Part shade to full shade |
| HEIGHT | 0.5 to 1 foot |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 5 to 9 |
Green and gold, also called golden knee, is a low-growing perennial wildflower. This little plant makes an excellent ground cover for small areas but isn’t generally aggressive enough to colonize large areas. It grows best in a shade garden, out of direct sunlight. Give it medium-moisture, well-drained soil.
Green and gold has a long bloom time. It blooms first in the spring and produces beautiful, low-growing, bright yellow flowers. In ideal conditions, plants will then continue to bloom sporadically throughout the summer and into fall.
Late-season blooms tend not to be as prolific as early-season blooms. Plants will slowly form loose colonies by creeping slowly and self-seeding in ideal conditions.
Little Bluestem
| BOTANICAL NAME | Schizachyrium scoparium |
| PLANT TYPE | Ornamental grass |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 4 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 9 |
Little bluestem is an attractive ornamental grass that is native throughout eastern North America. It thrives in full sun with dry to medium-moisture soil. Once established, little bluestem tolerates drought and other harsh growing conditions. It can be grown from seed or by dividing larger established clusters.
Little bluestem is bluish-green throughout the growing season. In late summer, reddish flowers bloom on taller stems. By fall, seedheads turn white and fluffy, and plants turn reddish-bronze and look quite striking as part of the fall landscape.
Grow plants together in masses for an impressive visual effect. In late winter or early spring, before fresh growth appears, trim the vegetation to the ground to allow space for fresh growth.
Maidenhair Fern
| BOTANICAL NAME | Adiantum pedatum |
| PLANT TYPE | Fern |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Part shade to full shade |
| HEIGHT | 1 to 2.5 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 8 |
Maidenhair fern, also known as northern maidenhair fern, is a beautiful fern that would be welcome in the home landscape. It is hardy and easy to grow. This fern will naturalize and slowly spread by underground rhizomes to form colonies. Maidenhair fern grows best in the shade with medium-moisture well-drained soil.
Maidenhair fern generates a series of thin, dark, erect stems. A C-shaped portion is lined with delicate leafy fronds at the tops of the stems.
Maidenhair fern looks beautiful in large masses and, while taller than a typical ground cover, is still small enough to make a good plant for borders and edges. This plant is not bothered by deer or rabbits; once established, it is quite tolerant of dryer soil conditions.
Narrowleaf Mountain Mint
| BOTANICAL NAME | Pycnanthemum tenuifolium |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 3 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 4 to 8 |
Narrowleaf mountain mint is native to prairies, roadsides, and open woodlands of eastern North America. It grows best in full sun but will tolerate some light partial shade. It prefers dry to medium moisture, well-drained soil. Like many mints, mountain mint is a vigorous grower who can grow aggressively. Control unwanted spread by growing mint in a container or regularly thinning dense clusters.
The narrowleaf mountain mint is a very attractive plant. It grows a series of upright stems lined with thin leaves. The leaves and stems have a very pleasant minty aroma when crushed, which makes them unappealing to browsing herbivores.
Clusters of tiny white flowers bloom throughout the summer, attracting numerous pollinators. Deadheading spent flower heads can help prevent self-seeding.
New England Aster
| BOTANICAL NAME | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 3 to 6 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 4 to 8 |
Despite its regional name, the New England aster is native to prairies and grasslands throughout central and eastern North America. This plant is hardy and easy to grow in the home landscape. It grows vigorously, provides a beautiful display of flowers, and attracts many late-season pollinators!
The purple flowers with golden-yellow centers are abundant and showy. They bloom in profusion each fall and provide late-season color until the first frost.
New England Aster grows best in full sun with dry to medium-moisture, well-drained soil. Plants can grow quite tall and may benefit from staking or caging to keep stems upright. Foliage can be cut to the ground after the plant dies back, as it will completely regrow the following spring.
Nodding Onion
| BOTANICAL NAME | Allium cernuum |
| PLANT TYPE | Bulb |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun to part shade |
| HEIGHT | 1 to 1.5 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 4 to 8 |
The nodding onion is a fairly diminutive plant with beautiful nodding purple flowers. Thin, sparse, grass-like leaves have a mild oniony aroma when crushed, which deters deer and rabbits from bothering them. The showy flowers bloom in mid-summer and attract butterflies and bees.
Grow nodding onion in full sun for best flowering, although it will also tolerate some light shade. Give it average-quality, dry to medium-moisture soil. It’s important that the soil is well-drained because wet soil will cause bulbs to rot. Nodding onion will slowly spread by bulb offsets and self-seeding. Larger clusters during peak bloom look especially striking.
Prickly Pear
| BOTANICAL NAME | Opuntia macrorhiza |
| PLANT TYPE | Cactus |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 0.5 to 1 foot |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 9 |
Prickly pear, also known as plains prickly pear, is a cactus native to rocky, grassy, and sandy areas of central North America. This plant is well-adapted to full sun and poor soil conditions. In the home garden, grow prickly pear cactus in dry, gritty soil with excellent drainage.
Plains prickly pear tends to stay quite low, unlike other prickly pears in the Opuntia genus. Its thick pads grow upwards until they topple to the ground, reroot, and keep growing. Each pad is sparsely covered with long, prominent spines and clusters of tiny spines, which makes this plant unpalatable to deer and rabbits for obvious reasons. Beautiful, large, showy yellow flowers bloom from late spring into mid-summer, followed by bright red, showy fruits.
Purple Coneflower
| BOTANICAL NAME | Echinacea purpurea |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 4 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 8 |
Purple coneflower is a classic wildflower native to tallgrass prairie regions of eastern and central North America. This plant is hardy and easy to grow. It is also beautiful, long-lasting, and a valuable resource for pollinators. The large, showy, pinkish-purple flowers bloom throughout summer and attract many butterflies and bees. After flowering, seed-eating birds enjoy the seed heads.
Purple coneflower is easily grown from seeds. It may take a year or two for a seed to mature into a flower-producing plant, but it is well worth the wait.
Grow these coneflowers in full sun, although they tolerate light afternoon shade. Soil should be average-quality to rich, dry to medium-moisture, and well-drained. Deer may nibble young, tender plants during the early spring months, but as the plants mature, they develop stiff hairs, deterring further deer nibbling.
Rose Mallow Hibiscus
| BOTANICAL NAME | Hibiscus moscheutos |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 3 to 7 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 5 to 9 |
The rose mallow hibiscus is a perennial wildflower with shrub-like growth. This plant can grow quite large and bushy and does especially well in areas with medium to wet soil. It is well-adapted to average-quality medium-moisture soil as long as the soil stays consistently moist. This plant is not tolerant of drought and should be watered during extended dry periods. It is, however, tolerant of deer and rabbits.
Rose mallow hibiscus is a beautiful plant. From mid to late summer, it produces very large, showy flowers. The flowers are typically shades of pink with darker pink centers and prominent anthers and pistils. The flowers also attract butterflies and many other pollinators.
For best growth and flowering, this plant would benefit from organically rich soil or occasional applications of organic compost to add extra nutrition.
Threadleaf Coreopsis
| BOTANICAL NAME | Coreopsis verticillata |
| PLANT TYPE | Herbaceous perennial |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun |
| HEIGHT | 2 to 3 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 9 |
Threadleaf coreopsis is a dainty-looking plant with very thin feathery leaves. It blooms freely during the summer months with a multitute of showy, bright yellow flowers. The flowers attract butterflies and other pollinators. They are also commonly used as cut flowers. This plant is easily grown from seed and will readily spread by self-seeding.
Threadleaf coreopsis is native to the eastern United States. It grows best in locations with full sun. It prefers dry to medium-moisture, well-drained soil. This plant is quite versatile and tolerates drought, poor soil, and browsing mammals. Grow threadleaf coreopsis along a sunny border to enjoy its beauty all season.
Winterberry
| BOTANICAL NAME | Ilex verticillata |
| PLANT TYPE | Deciduous shrub |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun to part shade |
| HEIGHT | 6 to 12 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 9 |
Winterberry is a holly that is native to central and eastern North America. It is primarily found in swampy forested areas and is well-adapted to medium to wet soils. Grow it in full sun or partial shade. This plant would make a good hedge or border planting in a moist location. Unlike many hollies, this plant goes dormant in the winter and does not have tough, prickly leaves.
Winterberry holly has slightly leathery leaves that stay green throughout the growing season. In mid-summer, clusters of small white flowers bloom along the stems, attracting bees and other pollinators. Winterberry has separate male and female plants.
Pollinated female flowers will develop into bright red berries. After winterberry loses its leaves for the winter, the colorful berries persist, attracting birds and adding interest to the winter landscape.
Witch Hazel
| BOTANICAL NAME | Hamamelis virginiana |
| PLANT TYPE | Deciduous shrub |
| SUN REQUIREMENTS | Full sun to part shade |
| HEIGHT | 15 to 20 feet |
| HARDINESS ZONES | 3 to 8 |
Witch hazel is an interesting shrub that adds late-season color to the home landscape. In autumn, the leaves turn from green to yellow as days get cooler. From mid to late fall, as the leaves turn brown and fall off, long-petaled thin yellowish flowers bloom along the woody stems of this plant. After leaf fall, the entire plant seems to be lined with yellow, followed by small greenish-brownish seed capsules, which add continued interest into the winter months.
Witch hazel is native to open woodlands of eastern North America. Grow it in full sun to partial shade with medium-moisture, well-drained soil. Each spring, prune root suckers to prevent plants from forming dense thickets. Witch hazel attracts birds, but it is unpalatable to browsing deer.
Final Thoughts
Growing native plants can be rewarding because they are beautiful and tend to be low-maintenance and beneficial to wildlife. If you don’t want to provide free food for browsing deer, it’s good to know there are plenty of showy deer-resistant plants you can grow around your home.
Choose the best plants for your particular environmental conditions, and you will soon have a thriving landscape. Be sure to choose plants that will grow within your climate zone so they will grow back year after year.
