Plants to Use
Achillea - Yarrow
Aromatic leaves protect big, flat flower clusters from hungry deer. Yarrow loves full sun and blooms most of the summer. Not fussy about soil. Several plants fill into a nice mass in just a few years.
Aconitum - Monkshood
Long, recemes of flowers from late summer into fall, spectacular height for the middle to back of the garden and eye-catching color in the shade garden or on the table as cut flowers.
Ajuga - Bugleweed
Colorful foliage adds visual interest all season. Useful as ground cover with flower spikes as a bonus.
Alchemilla - Lady's Mantle
Useful accent for edging even in partially shaded areas, with bounteous chartreuse flowers in June. Water droplets stay on the hexagonal leaves long into the day for an eye-catching, jeweled appearance.
Allium - Ornamental Chives
Globe-shaped flowers with gravity-defying structure. Even though they remain under a foot tall, they catch your eye. Foliage has enough onion smell to keep deer at bay.
Antirrhinum - Snapdragon
A kids' favorite - plant them once and enjoy for years.
Arabis - Rock Cress
Part of the wild mustard family that generally is too tangy for the deer palate. Valued for its small flowers and low-growing habit in rock gardens, in containers, and as edging, Arabis blooms from April to June.
Artemisia - Wormwood
The foliage not only saves this easy-to-grow perennial from the deer (it's aromatic) but provides a great garden contrast with its silver or gray-white coloring. Fast spreading.
Astilbe - Astilbe
Clumps of fern-like foliage topped with spires of bright color make this a favorite for the shade garden.
Aubrieta - Purple Rock Cress
Low, spreading mounds, perfect for rock gardens, path edging or borders.
Aurinna - Basket of Gold
Popular edging or rock garden plant.
Calamintha - Calamint
Aromatic foliage provides maintenance-free resistance to deer. Easy to grow.
Convallaria - Lily of the Valley
Old-fashioned garden favorite is great as a ground cover or for naturalizing. Spreads readily and can become invasive over time.
Dicentra - Bleeding Hearts
Grows easily. Sprouts in early spring.
Digitalis - Foxgloves
Long-blooming plant that is toxic if eaten. Favored for its height and long bloom time.
Echinacea - Coneflower
Long, long bloom period, easy to grow in ordinary soil and deer ignore it.
Echinops - Globe Thistle
Unusual globe-shaped flowers stand out in midsummer.
Ferns
Shade lovers with airy spikes of foliage.
Galium - Sweet Woodruff
Nice woodland ground cover.
Geranium - Hardy, Scented Geranium, Cranesbill
Spread slowly to form long-blooming mats of color.
Grasses - Ornamental Grasses
Very natural, dramatic texture that also provide winter interest.
Gypsophilia - Baby's Breath
Adds a delicate, billowing texture to any garden.
Iris - Siberian Iris
Beautiful, grassy foliage makes a good contrast in any garden. Drought resistant.
Lamium - Dead Nettles
Colorful leaves, popular ground cover.
Lychnis - Campion
Fuzzy leaves send deer browsing elsewhere. Self seeds freely.
Mentha - Mint
Definitely too smelly for the deer, but you'll love it.
Myrica - Northern Bayberry
Semi-evergreen shrub with glossy, aromatic foliage and waxy blue-gray berries.
Monarda - Bee Balm
Hummingbirds will fight each other for the air rights over your Monarda. Very aromatic foliage that spread rapidly.
Nepeta - Catnip
You'll enjoy the delightful fragrance.
Phlox Subulata - Moss Pinks
The evergreen, needlelike foliage and spring bloom time add visual interest to your garden during the winter and early spring.
Picea - Spruce
This evergreen has stiff needles and a bad flavor for protection.
Potentilla - Cinquefoil
Summer-long flowering quality that thrives in almost any soil.
Rheum - Ornamental Rhubarb
Cooks and deer know that rhubarb leaves are poisonous.
Rhus - Sumac
Low-spreading ground cover with glossy green foliage and superb orange-red fall color.
Salvia - Meadow Sage
Another fresh-smelling plant that deer cannot stand. Midsummer spikes of colorful blooms year after year.
Sempervivum - Hens & Chicks
Drought-tolerant, evergreen rosettes in exciting colors.
Solidago - Goldenrod
Fall color in the deer-resistant garden is in short supply so Solidago is a must.
Spiraea Joponica - Spiraea
Easy to grow and tolerant of average soils. Ample flowers that provide medium-height interest in deep gardens.
Stachys - Lamb's Ear
Fuzzy leaves protect this easy-to-grow foliage plant from deer. Excellent for edging and ground cover.
Symphytum - Comfrey
Multiple ivory-yellow bells borne over rich green foliage in spring.
Tanacetum - Tancy
Aromatic varieties contain volatile oils or insecticidal compounds that may cause unpleasant reactions if handled or consumed in excess.
Thymus - Thyme
Foliage, flowers, and fragrance. Use for edging walks.
Yucca - Adam's Needle
This evergreen becomes the focal point in your garden twice a year - once when the rest of the garden has died back for winter and again in early summer when it sends up showy stalks of white flowers.