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Deer resistant plants are your best choices for gardening in areas that deer either live in or pass through. Read the title of the blog, and then reread it again. See that word resistant? That is key to remember when it comes to deer. We’ve said it before and will keep on saying it, “there is no such thing as a deer-proof plant”. However, choosing deer resistant plants from this list, not choosing plants deer find irresistible, and employing other tactics to repel deer, can have you on your way to enjoying the garden again; even when the deer come calling.

 

Deer Resistant Annuals

  • Allysum
  • Begonia
  • Bluebonnet
  • Caladiums
  • Cosmos
  • Cyclamen
  • Dahlberg Daisy
  • Fan Flower
  • Larkspurs
  • Marigolds
  • Moss Verbenas
  • Nasturtium
  • Periwinkle or Vinca
  • Verbena
  • Zinnia

Deer Resistant Cacti & Succulents

  • Agave
  • Aloes
  • Cactus Hen and Chicks
  • Prickly Pear Cactus
  • Red Yucca
  • Soft Leaf Yucca
  • Texas Sotol
  • Yucca

Deer Resistant Groundcovers

  • Ajuga
  • Asiatic Jasmine
  • Frog Fruit
  • Liriope
  • Mondo Grass
  • Pigeonberry
  • Santolina
  • Stonecrop
  • Strawberry Begonia
  • Thymes
  • Vinca (major and minor)
  • Wedelia
  • Wooly Stemodia
  • Zoysia hybrids

Deer Resistant Grasses (Ornamental)

  • Blue Oat Grass
  • Blue Eyed Grass
  • Blue Fescue
  • Bear Grass
  • Fountain Grass
  • Horsetail Rush
  • Inland Sea Oats
  • Japanese Silver Grass
  • Maiden Grass
  • Mexican Feather Grass
  • Muhly Grass
  • Pampas Grass
  • Sedges
  • Umbrella Grass

Deer Resistant Herbs

  • Basil
  • Borage
  • Catmint
  • Catnip
  • Chives (Garlic)
  • Dill
  • Fennel
  • Feverfew
  • Hyssop
  • Hoja Santos
  • Lavender (English)
  • Lemon Balm
  • Lemon grass
  • Lemon Verbena
  • Mexican Mint Marigold
  • Oregano
  • Rosemary
  • Savory
  • Spearmint
  • Sweet Marjoram
  • Sweet Woodruff
  • Thyme
  • Yarrow

Deer Resistant Perennials

  • Agastache
  • African Iris
  • Angel’s Trumpet
  • Artemesia
  • Balloon Flower
  • Bear’s Breech
  • Beebalm
  • Betony (Texas)
  • Black-Eyed Susan
  • Blanket Flower
  • Bulbine
  • California Poppy
  • Cape Mallow
  • Candytuft
  • Cape Honeysuckle
  • Cassia (Candlestick)
  • Cast Iron Plant
  • Chrysanthemum
  • Cleome
  • Coleus
  • Columbine
  • Coneflower (Purple)
  • Coral Bells
  • Coreopsis
  • Daisy (Blackfoot, Copper Canyon, Euryops, Fleabane, Four Nerve, Gazania, Marguerite, Oxeye, Shasta)
  • Dalea
  • Damianita
  • Daylily
  • Dusty Miller
  • Esperanza (Tecoma satãs)
  • Euphorbia
  • Fall Aster
  • Firebush
  • Flame Acanthus
  • Flowering Maple
  • Freesia
  • Foxglove
  • Gaura
  • Gayfeather
  • Gazania
  • Indian Blanket
  • Jerusalem Cherry
  • Lamb’s Ear
  • Lantana
  • Larkspur
  • Lion’s Tail
  • Lily of the Nile
  • Lily (Aztec, Blackberry, Candy, Calla)
  • Mexican Honeysuckle
  • Mexican Oregano
  • Mirror Plant
  • Mist Flowers
  • Obedient Plant
  • Penstemon
  • Plumbago (Dwarf, Standard)
  • Phlox (Fannick’s, Robert Poore, etc..)
  • Pride of Barbados
  • Red Hot Poker
  • Rock Rose
  • Sage (Autumn, Cedar, Jerusalem, Mealy Blues, Mexican Bush, Russian, Tropical)
  • Salvias (most known varieties)
  • Santolina
  • Skullcap (pink)
  • Society Garlic
  • Speedwell
  • Sundrops (Calylophus)
  • Thryallis
  • Turk’s Cap
  • Verbena
  • Wallflower
  • Wooly Ironweed
  • Yarrow
  • Zexmenia

Deer Resistant Bulbs, Tubers, Rhizomes, Ferns

  • Amaryllis
  • Bearded Iris
  • Daffodil
  • Daylily
  • Elephant Ears
  • Fern (Asparagus, Holly, Southern Shield, River, Sword
  • Gingers (most species)
  • Iris

Deer Resistant Shrubs

  • Abelia
  • Acuba
  • Agarita
  • Azaela
  • Barberry
  • Beauty berry (American)
  • Blackberry (thorny only)
  • Bottlebrush
  • Boxwood
  • Butterfly Bush (Dwf., Standard, Wooly)
  • Carolina Buckthorn
  • Cenizo (Texas Sage)
  • Cotoneaster (Coralberry, Gray)
  • Eleagnus
  • Esperanza (Tecoma stans)
  • Gardenia
  • Holly (Dwf. Chinese, Yaupon)
  • Japanese Aralia
  • Japanese Yew
  • Juniper
  • Mahonia
  • Mexican Silktassle
  • Mexican Bird of Paradise
  • Mimosa (Fragrant)
  • Myrtle (Southern Wax Leaf, True Greek)
  • Nandina
  • Oleander
  • Palm (Bush types, Sago)
  • Philodendron (Split leaf, Hope, Xanadu)
  • Pineapple Guava
  • Pomegranate
  • Pride of Barbados
  • Primrose Jasmine
  • Pyracantha
  • Quince (Flowering)
  • Scotch Broom
  • Senna (Flowering)
  • Southern Wax Myrtle
  • St. John’s Wort
  • Viburnum 

Deer Resistant Trees 

(Large trees require protection until they are taller than a deer standing on hind legs, and young trees can still suffer damage from bucks rubbing against branches and trucks to remove the velvet from their antlers.)

  • Aleppo Pine
  • Anacacho Orchid
  • Austrian Pine
  • Buckeye (Mexican, Texan)
  • Cedar Elm
  • Cherry Laurel
  • Chinese Pistache
  • Cypress (Arizona, Bald)
  • Desert Willow
  • Fig
  • Ginkgo
  • Golden Ball Lead
  • Magnolia
  • Maple (Big Tooth, Japanese)
  • Mexican Olive
  • Mexican Palo Verde
  • Mexican Plum
  • Mountain Laurel
  • Olive tree
  • Purple Leaf Plum
  • Redbud
  • Rough leaf Dogwood
  • Texas Persimmon
  • Texas Pistache
  • Vitex (Chaste Tree)

Deer Resistant Vines

  • Carolina Jessamine
  • Clematis (Sweet Autumn)
  • Confederate Jasmine (Star jasmine)
  • Cross Vine
  • Fig Ivy
  • Honeysuckle
  • Wisteria (Chinese, Texas)