Deer Tolerant Plantings
Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
Jeff Jackson, Professor of Wildlife Management, Retired
Gary L. Wade, Extension Horticulturist
As shadows lengthen in the late afternoon, deer leave the shelter of the woods in search of food. They inspect your trees, shrubs and flowers as if they were a buffet table. Nibbling pansies for an appetizer, they progress to azaleas for the main entree. Then it's on to the daylilies for dessert.
All across America, this scene is repeated in countless locations where native areas are being replaced by managed grounds. Nuisance deer are difficult to control in residential communities. There are a number of commercially available repellents on the market, but they tend to wash off with rain and must be re-applied frequently to be effective. Unreliable results have also been obtained from other so-called "home remedy" repellents such as soap, human hair and animal dung. Shooting is often prohibited, and many citizens are opposed to this method of control. Fencing whole communities or individual properties is often not practical.
Planting ornamental plants that deer do not like to eat is a solution to deer browsing. Please remember, though, that very few plants are totally deer-resistant. When deer populations are high and food becomes scarce, deer are more likely to feed on ornamental plants. Deer prefer tender new foliage on newly-planted ornamentals and those fertilized to produce lush new growth. During dry weather, deer are attracted to irrigated plants. Buck deer may also cause considerable damage to young trees by rubbing them with their antlers. Repellents will not stop antler rubbing.
The following list may be helpful when selecting ornamental plants for your landscape. If your favorite plant is not on the list, information is lacking on its level of deer resistance.
| Plants Deer Love to Eat | |
| Aucuba | Hibiscus |
| Asiatic Lilies | Hosta |
| Candytuft (Iberis) | Hydrangea |
| Camellia | Indian Hawthorn |
| Crabapple | Pansies |
| Crocus | Rudbeckia (Black-Eyed Susan) |
| Daylilies (prefer flowers) | Roses |
| English Ivy | Sedum 'Autumn Joy' |
| Fatsia | Tulips |
| Grape Hyacinths | Violas |
| Plants Known to Have a High Degree of Deer Tolerance | |
| Trees: | |
| Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) | Most Hollies (except those above) |
| Cherry Laurel (Prunus caroliniana) | Palms (Windmill & Needle palms are hardy in N.Ga.) |
| Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) | Pines (Pinus spp.) |
| Deodar Cedar (Cedrus deodara) | Red Maple (Acer rubrum) |
| False Cypress (Chamaecyparis spp.) | River Birch (Betula nigra) |
| Fir (Abies spp.) | Southern Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) |
| Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba) | Spruce (Picea spp.) |
| Gordonia (Gordonia lisianthus) | Sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua) |
| Leyland Cypress (Cupressocyparis x leylandii) | |
| Shrubs: | |
| Anise (Illicium spp.) | Holly (many species, including Dwarf Yaupon, Japanese Holly, Rotunda, Schellings Dwarf and Inkberry [Ilex glabra]) |
| Banana Shrub (Michelia fuscata) | Japanese Rose (Kerria japonica) |
| Barberry (Berberis spp.) | Juniper (Juniperus spp.) |
| Bottlebrush Buckeye (Aesculus parviflora) | Leatherleaf Mahonia (Mahonia bealei) |
| Boxwood (Buxus spp.) | Oleander (Nerium oleander) |
| Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii) | Ornamental grasses (many spp.) |
| Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster spp.) | Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus) |
| Firethorn (Pyracantha spp.) | Spirea (Spiraea spp.) |
| Forsythia, yellowbells (Forsythia spp.) | Sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) |
| Gardenia (Gardenia spp.) | Viburnum (Viburnum spp.) |
| Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina spp.) | Winter Daphne (Daphne spp.) |
| Herbaceous Perennials/Bulbs: | |
| Allium | Goldenrod (Solidago spp.) |
| Amaryllis | Iris (Iris spp.) |
| Beebalm (Monarda didyma) | Lantana (Lantana camara) |
| Boltonia (Boltonia asteroides) | Lenten Rose (Helleborus orientalis) |
| Cardinal Flower (Lobelia spp.) | Perennial Sunflower (Helianthus spp.) |
| Catmint (Nepeta catarina) | Pinks (Dianthus spp.) |
| Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) | Rosemary (Rosmarinum officinalis) |
| Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea) | Shasta Daisy (Chrysanthemum spp.) |
| Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | Society Garlic (Tulbaghia violacea) |
| Crinum Lily | Statice (Limonium latifolium) |
| Daffodils | Summer Snowflake (Leucojum aestivum) |
| Dahlia (Dahlia spp.) | Wild Indigo (Baptisia spp.) |
| Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) | Wormwood (Artemesia spp.) |
| Gerbera Daisy (Gerbera jamesonii) | Yarrow (Achilea spp.) |
| Gloriosa Lily (Gloriosa superba) | |
| Annuals: | |
| Ageratum | Melampodium |
| Alyssum | Morning Glory (Ipomoea spp.) |
| Annual Periwinkle (Catharanthus alba rosea) | Parsley (Petroselinum spp.) |
| California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica) | Pentas |
| Cleome | Plectranthus spp. (Fuzzy leaf forms) |
| Coreopsis | Poppy (Papaver spp.) |
| Cornflower (Cenaurea cyanus) | Scarlet Sage (Salvia spp.) |
| Dusty Miller | Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus) |
| Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana alata) | Sweet Pea (Ipomoea spp.) |
| Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides) | Verbena |
| Gaillardia (Gaillardia pulchella) | Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens) |
| Lobelia (Lobelia laxiflora) | Zinnia (Zinnia elegans) |
| Marigold (Tagetes spp.) | |
| Vines/Groundcovers: | |
| Bugleweed (Ajuga spp.) | Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) |
| Carolina Jessamine (Gelsemim sempervirens) | Trumpetvine (Bignonia capreolata) |
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