Deer-Resistant Plants | Keep Deer Out of Your Garden
If you live in and around Lake Wildwood some of these deer no- no’s may not apply. For example, the deer love my peonies and they chewed my salvia down to the root!
Deer love narrow-leaf evergreens, especially arborvitae and fir, and show a preference for hostas, daylilies, and English ivy, according to researchers in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Rhode Island in Kingston. They report heaviest grazing from October through February.
Which plants do deer dislike?
- Not surpisingly, deer stay away from poisonous plants! Daffodils, foxgloves, and poppies are common flowers that have a toxicity that deer avoid. Although the deer in Lake Wildwood still take a liking to poppies.
- Deer also turn their noses up at fragrant plants with strong scents. Herbs such as sages, ornamental salvias, lavenders, peonies, and bearded irises are just “stinky” to deer.
- Would you want to eat something prickly? Neither do deer (unless they’re desperate). Plants such as lamb’s ear are not on their preferred menu.
- Our favorite deer-resistant perennials are bleeding hearts (Dicentra spectabilis). They are popular with us, but not deer!
The first rule in deer proofing is that there really are no deer-proof plants, here is a chart with some plants that deer rarely or seldom severely damage:
Top Deer-Resistant Plants
Botanical name | Common name |
Achillea filipendulina | Yarrow |
Aconitum sp. | Monkshood |
Ageratum houstonianum | Ageratum |
Allium sp. | Onion |
Amelanchier laevis | Allegheny Serviceberry |
Antirrhinum majus | Snapdragon |
Armoracia rusticana | Horseradish |
Artemisia dracunculus | Tarragon |
Artemisia sp. | Silver Mound |
Arisaema triphylum | Jack-in-the-pulpit |
Asarum canadense | Wild Ginger |
Asparagus officinalis | Asparagus |
Aster sp. | Aster |
Astilbe sp. | Astilbe |
Berberis sp. | Barberry |
Borage officinalis | Borage |
Buddleia sp. | Butterfly Bush |
Buxus sempervirens | Common Boxwood |
Helleborus sp. | Lenten or Christmas Rose |
Cactaceae sp. | Cactus |
Calendula sp. | Pot Marigold |
Caryopteris clandonensis | Blue Mist Shrub |
Centaurea cineraria | Dusty Miller |
Centaurea cyanus | Bacherlor’s Buttons |
Cleome sp. | Spider Flower |
Colchicum sp. | Autumn Crocus |
Consolida ambigua | Larkspur |
Convallaris majalis | Lily of the Valley |
Coreopsis verticillata | Threadleaf Coreopsis |
Corydalis sp. | Corydalis |
Cytisus sp. | Broom |
Daphne sp. | Daphne |
Dicentra spectabilis | Bleeding Heart |
Digitalis purpurea | Common Foxglove |
Dryopteris marginalis | Wood Fern |
Echinacea purpurea | Purple Coneflower |
Echinops ritro | Small Globe Thistle |
Endymion sp. | Bluebell |
Eranthus hyemalis | Winer Aconite |
Euphorbia marginata | Snow-on-the-Mountain |
Euphorbia sp. (except ‘Chameleon’) | Spurge |
Festuca glauca | Blue Fescue |
Fritilaria imperialis | Crown Imperial, Fritilia |
Galanthus nivalis | Snowdrops |
Gypsophila sp. | Baby’s Breath |
Helichrysum | Strawflower |
Heliorope arborescens | Heliotrope |
Hyssopus officinalis | Hyssop |
Ilex opaca | American Holly |
Ilex verticillata | Winterberry Holly |
Iris sp. | Iris |
Juniperus | Juniper |
Lantana sp. | Lantana |
Lavandula sp. | Lavender |
Limonium latifolium | Statice |
Lobularia maritima | Sweet Alyssum |
Marrubium vulgare | Horehound |
Melissa officinalis | Lemon Balm |
Mentha sp. | Mint |
Monarda didyma | Beebalm |
Myosotis sp. | Forget-Me-Not |
Myrica pensylvanica | Bayberry |
Narcissus sp. | Daffodil |
Nepeta sp. | Catmint |
Ocimum basilicum | Basil |
Osmunda | Fern |
Pachysandra terminalis | Pachysandra |
Paeonia sp. | Peony |
Papaver | Poppy |
Perovskio atriplicifolia | Russian Sage |
Picea glauca ‘Conica’ | Dwarf Alberta Spruce |
Pimpinalla anisum | Anise |
Pinus | Pine |
Potentilla | Cinquefoil |
Ranunculus sp. | Buttercup |
Rhus aromatica | Fragrant Sumac |
Rosmarinus officinalis | Rosemary |
Rudbeckia sp. | Black-Eyed Susan |
Ruta sp. | Rue |
Salix | Willows |
Salvia officinalis | Garden Sage |
Stachys byzantina | Lamb’s Ear |
Syringa vulgaris | Common Lilac |
Tanacetum vulgare | Common Tansy |
Teucrium chamaedrys | Germander |
Thumus sp. | Thyme |
Yucca | Yucca |
Viburnum dentatum | Arrowwood Viburnum |
Zinnia | Zinnia |
List courtesy of Outwitting Deer by Bill Adler Jr.
Here’s a link to the Lake Wildwood Website where you can explore all the various clubs and organizations and
see what the garden club is up to. Currently they have 1700 Daffodil bulbs going in the ground next week in
several locations in the community. Deer resistant daffodils provide a wealth of color just at the right time!
http://www.lakewildwood.net