Deer-Tolerant
Ornamental Plants
Gary L. Wade, Extension Horticulturist,
Department of Horticulture
Michael T. Mengak, Wildlife Specialist,
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
D
eer like nutrition-rich plants, especially in spring and
summer when does are pregnant or nursing, when
young deer are growing and when bucks are growing antlers.
Fertilized plants, such as those in home landscapes, provide
protein, energy-rich carbohydrates, minerals and salts. Deer
also get about one-third of their water from the moisture
in irrigated plants and young, succulent vegetation on
expanding leaves, buds and green stems.
Nuisance deer that feast on home gardens and bucks that
damage young trees by rubbing them with their antlers
during the rutting season are difficult and expensive to
control in residential communities. Although there are a
number of commercially available deer repellents on the
market, none of them are 100 percent effective. Most “home
remedy” repellents, such as soap, human hair and animal
dung, are unreliable. Shooting deer or using noise guns is
prohibited in most residential neighborhoods, and many
citizens are opposed to this method of control. Fencing
whole communities or individual properties is often not
practical, and may be against local ordinances or community
covenants. Trapping and relocating deer is costly and often
harmful or fatal to deer.
If deer are overabundant in your neighborhood, and deer
herd reduction or management is not feasible, a good way to
prevent deer browsing in landscapes is to plant ornamental
plants that deer do not like to eat.
There is no such thing as a deer-resistant plant, and when
deer populations are high and food becomes scarce, deer
may feed on plants that are thought to be deer-tolerant.
However, deer generally do not like plants with pungent
aromas. Some gardeners have reported success with planting
strong-scented plants like lantana, catmint, chives, mint,
sage or thyme adjacent to plants that deer frequently browse.
Deer also shy away from plants with prickly or rough leaves
and plants with a bitter taste. Sometimes, deer browse new
plantings or established plants with tender new growth, then
avoid those same plants when their leaves are mature.
Over the years, wildlife organizations, universities,
botanical gardens and garden writers have constructed
many lists of deer-tolerant and deer-susceptible ornamental
plants. Because most of these lists are constructed from
observational trial-and-error data instead of controlled
scientific studies, they are open for criticism. Furthermore,
many variables influence deer feeding preferences.
The list below is a compilation of ornamental plants for
Georgia hardiness zones that appear in published literature
(see References) as well as observations by the authors. It
is intended to be a guide for selecting ornamental plants
for landscapes where deer browsing is a problem. Plants
known to be invasive and a serious problem in natural areas,
regardless of their level of deer tolerance, were excluded
from the list.
Common Name
Plants Deer Occasionally or Frequently Browse
(Protection is recommended)
Botanical Name
American Arborvitae
American Beautyberry
American Elder
American Sycamore
Arrow-wood
Asiatic Lilies
Beech (low branches)
Bittersweet
Black-Eyed Susan
Blackgum
Blanket Flower
Buttonbush
Carolina Ash
Carolina Buckthorn
Carolina Yellow Jessamine
Chrysanthemum (fall mums)
Coleus
Cosmos
Crossvine
Daylily (prefer flowers and flower buds)
Eastern Redbud
Flowering Crabapple (small trees and low branches)
Flowering Dogwood
Fothergilla (flowers and new growth)
Fringetree
Gerbera Daisy
Grape Hyacinth
Green Ash (tender new growth)
Greenbriar
Hawthorn
Hibiscus
Some Hollies
(some, such as Lusterleaf, Mary Nell, Nellie R. Stevens, Blue)
Hollyhock
Honey Locust
Hop Hornbeam
Hosta
Hydrangea (bigleaf, oakleaf, climbing)
Impatiens
Indian Hawthorn
Japanese Maple (tender new growth)
Morning Glory
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Pansy
Petunia
Redbay
Red Maple
Rhododendron
Rose Balsam
Roses
Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
2
Thuja occidentalis
Callicarpa acmericana
Sambucus canadensis
Platanus occidentalis
Viburnum dentatum
Lilium spp.
Fagus spp.
Celastrus scandens
Rudbeckia spp.
Nyssa sylvatica
Gaillardia spp.
Cephalanthus occidentalis
Fraxinus caroliniana
Frangula caroliniana
Gelsemium sempervirens
Chrysanthemum spp.
Coleus spp.
Cosmos spp.
Bignonia capreolata
Hemerocallis spp.
Cercis canadensis
Malus spp.
Cornus florida
Fothergilla spp.
Chionanthus virginicus
Gerbera jamesonii
Muscari spp.
Fraxinus pennsylvanica
Smilax spp.
Crataegus spp.
Hibiscus spp.
Ilex spp.
Alcea spp.
Gleditsia triacanthos
Ostrya virginiana
Hosta spp.
Hydrangea spp.
Impatiens walleriana
Rhaphiolepis indica
Acer palmatum
Ipomea spp.
Lonicera sempervirens
Viola spp.
Petunia spp.
Persea borbonia
Acer ruburm
Rhododendron spp.
Impatiens balsamina
Rosa spp.
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension & Warnell Circular 985
Common Name
Plants Deer Occasionally or Frequently Browse
(Protection is recommended)
Botanical Name
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Serviceberry
Soloman’s Seal,
Sourwood (tender new growth)
Strawberry Bush
Summersweet Clethra
Swamp Cyrilla
Sweetbay Magnolia
Sweetshrub
Titi
Trumpet Creeper
Tulips
Violas
Virginia Sweetspire
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Amelanchier arborea
Polygonatum spp.
Oxydendron aroreum
Euonymus ameicanus
Cletra alnifolia
Cyrilla racemiflora
Magnolia virginiana
Calycanthus floridus
Cliftonia monophylla
Campsis radicans
Tulip spp.
Viola spp.
Itea virginica
Yew (English and Japanese)
Taxus spp.
Trees Deer Rarely Browse
Common Name
Botanical Name
Bald Cypress
Carolina Silverbell
Cherry Laurel
Crape Myrtle
Dawn Redwood
Deodar Cedar
Eastern Redcedar
Falsecypress
Fir
Ginkgo
Goldenraintree
Gordonia
Japanese Cedar
Katsura Tree
Kousa Dogwood
Pawpaw
Palm
Pine
Saucer Magnolia, Japanese Magnolia
Southern Magnolia
Smoketree
Spruce
Sugar Maple
Sweetgum
Tuliptree, Tulip Poplar
Taxodium distichum
Halesia carolina
Prunus laurocerasus
Lagerstroemia indica
Metasequoia glyptostroboides
Cedrus deodara
Juniperus virginiana L.
Chamaecyparis spp.
Abies spp.
Ginko biloba
Koelreuteria paniculata
Gordonia lasianthus
Cryptomeria japonica
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Cornus kousa
Asimina triloba
Many genera and species
Pinus spp.
Magnolia x soulangiana
Magnolia grandiflora
Cotinus obovatus
Picea spp.
Acer saccharum
Liquidambar styraciflua
Liriodendron tulipifera
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension & Warnell Circular 985
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Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
Common Name
Shrubs Deer Rarely Browse
Botanical Name
Michelia figo
Berberis spp.
Kolkwitzia amabilis
Aesculus parviflora
Buxus spp.
Buddleia spp.
Hamamelis virginiana
Cotoneaster spp.
Deutzia spp.
Leucothoe fontanesiana
Chamaerops humilis
Pyracantha coccinea
Chaenomeles speciosa
Gardenia spp.
Abelia spp.
Ilex spp.
Banana Shrub
Barberry
Beautybush
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Boxwood
Butterfly Bush
Common Witchhazel
Cotoneaster
Deutzia
Drooping Leucothoe
European Fan Palm
Firethorn (Pyracantha)
Flowering Quince
Gardenia
Glossy Abelia
Some Hollies (yaupon, inkberry, Chinese and Japanese)
See occasionally browsed list.
Japanese Andromeda
Japanese Plum Yew
Japanese Rose
Junipers
Needle Palm
Oleander
Osmanthus
Pineapple Guava
Pomegranate
Primrose Jasmine
Sotol
Spirea
Sweet Box
Viburnum
Wax Myrtle
Weigela
Winter Daphne
Yucca
Pieris japonica
Cephalotaxus harringtonia
Kerria japonica
Juniperus spp.
Rhapidophyllum hystrix
Nerium oleander
Osmanthus spp.
Feijoa sellowiana
Punica granatum
Jasminum mesnyi
Dasylirion wheeleri
Spiraea spp.
Sarcoccoca hookeriana
Viburnum spp.
Myrica cerifera
Weigela florida
Daphne odora
Yucca filimentosa
Ornamental Grasses Deer Rarely Browse
Common Name
Fountaingrass
Feather Reed Grass
Hakone Grass
Lemongrass
Little Bluestem
Northern Sea Oats
Pampas Grass
Pink Muhly Grass
Purple Moor Grass
Ravenna Grass
Sedge
Sweet Flag
Switch Grass
Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
Botanical Name
4
Pennisetum alopecuroides
Calamagrostis spp.
Hakonechloa macra
Cymbopogon citratus
Schizachyrium scoparium
Chasmanthium latifolium
Cortaderia selloana
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Molinia caerulea
Erianthus ravennae
Carex spp.
Acorus spp.
Panicum virgatum
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension & Warnell Circular 985
Common Name
Vines and Groundcovers Deer Rarely Browse
Botanical Name
Bugleweed (Ajuga)
Ajuga reptans
Columbine
Aquilegia spp.
Confederate Jasmine
Trachelospermum jasminoides
Creeping Raspberry
Rubus calycinoides
Creeping Lantana
Lantana montevidensis
Dwarf Mondograss
Ophiopogon japonicus
Japanese Pachysandra
Pachysandra terminalis
Junipers
Juniperus spp.
Liriope
Liriope spicata
Plumbago
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides
Prostrate Rosemary
Rosemarinus officinalis ‘Prostratus’
Sweet Woodruff
Galium odoratum (Asperula odorata)
Thyme
Thymus spp.
Common Name
Annuals Deer Rarely Browse
Botanical Name
Ageratum houstonianum
Lobularia spp.
Catharanthus spp.
Salvia spp.
Gypsophila spp.
Centaurea cyanus
Ocimum basilicum
Calendula officinalis
Eschscholzia californica
Celosia spp.
Centaurea cineraria
Nicotiana spp.
Lantana spp.
Tagetes spp.
Petroselinum crispum
Salvia coccinea
Plectranthus spp.
Antirrhinum majus
Cleome spp.
Bracteantha bracteata
Matthiola incana
Lathyrus odoratus
Verbena x hybrida
Ageratum
Alyssum
Annual Periwinkle
Annual Salvia
Baby’s Breath
Bachelor’s Buttons
Basil
Calendula, Pot Marigold
California Poppy
Cock’s Comb
Dusty Miller
Flowering Tobacco
Lantana
Marigold
Parsley
Scarlet Sage
Swedish Ivy
Snapdragon
Spiderflower
Strawflower
Stock
Sweet Pea
Verbena
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension & Warnell Circular 985
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Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
Herbaceous Perennials and Bulbs Deer Rarely Browse
Common Name
Botanical Name
Allium spp.
Agapanthus spp.
Hippeastrum spp.
Agastache spp.
Aster spp.
Astilbe spp.
Platycodon grandiflorus
Monarda didyma
Boltonia spp.
Potentilla fruticosa
Asclepias tuberosa
Iberis spp.
Lobelia spp.
Nepeta spp.
Polystichum arcostichoides
Osmunda cinnamomea
Aquilegia spp.
Crinum spp.
Croscosmia spp.
Crocus spp.
Narcissus spp.
Dahlia spp.
Delphinium spp.
Alocasia spp./ Colocasia spp.
Baptisia australis
Tiarella cordifolia
Myosotis spp.
Mirabilis jalapa
Digitalis spp.
Liatris spp.
Echinops spp.
Solidago spp.
Phlomis spp.
Sempervivum spp.
Iris spp.
Arisaema triphylum
Stachys byzantine
Lantana spp.
Consolida ambigua
Lavandula spp.
Santolina chamaecyparissus
Helleborus spp.
Agapanthus africanus
Lupinus spp.
Origanum marjorana
Podophyllum peltatum
Thalictrum aquilegifolium
Mentha spp.
Lunaria annua
Allium
African Lily
Amaryllis
Anise Hyssop
Aster
Astilbe
Balloon Flower
Beebalm
Boltonia
Bush Cinquefoil
Butterfly Weed
Candytuft
Cardinal Flower
Catmint
Christmas Fern
Cinnamon Fern
Columbine
Crinum Lily
Crocosmia
Crocus
Daffodils
Dahlia
Delphinium
Elephant Ears
False Indigo
Foamflower
Forget-Me-Not
Four O’Clock
Foxglove
Gay-feather (Liatris)
Globe Thistle
Goldenrod
Green Jerusalem Sage
Hens and Chickens
Iris
Jack-in-the-pulpit
Lamb’s Ear
Lantana
Larkspur
Lavender
Lavender-cotton
Lenten Rose
Lily-of-the-Nile
Lupine
Marjoram
May Apple
Meadow Rue
Mint
Money Plant
Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
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University of Georgia Cooperative Extension & Warnell Circular 985
Herbaceous Perennials and Bulbs Deer Rarely Browse
Common Name
Botanical Name
Oreganum vulgare
Paeonia spp.
Helianthus spp.
Dianthus spp.
Papaver spp.
Primula spp.
Echinacea purpurea
Lychnis coronaria
Rosmarinus officinalis
Osmunda regalis
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Galanthus nivalis
Tulbaghia violacea
Veronica spp.
Galium odoratum (Asperula odorata)
Limonium latifolium
Tanacetum vulgare
Artemisia dracunculus
Coreopsis verticillata
Tricyrtis hirta
Salvia greggii
Cheiranthus spp.
Baptisia spp.
Artemesia spp.
Achillea filipendulina
Oregano
Peony
Perennial Sunflower
Pinks
Poppy
Primrose
Purple Coneflower
Rose Campion
Rosemary
Royal Fern
Russian Sage
Snowdrop
Society Garlic
Speedwell
Sweet Woodruff
Statice
Tansy
Tarragon
Threadleaf Coreopsis
Toad Lily
Texas Sage
Wallflower
Wild Indigo
Wormwood
Yarrow
References
Adler, Bill Jr. 1999. Outwitting Deer. The Globe Pequot
Press, ISBN: 1-55821-629-4
Larson, Richard. 2001. Deer-Resistant Plants – Shrubs
and Trees for the Deer-Plagued Gardener. Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
www.bbg.org/gardening/article/deer-resistant/
Appleton, Forrest. 2008. Deer in the Urban Landscapes: Coping with the Deer by the Use of DeerResistant Plants.
aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/PLANTANSWERS/
publications/deerbest.html
Moreland, David. A Checklist of the Woody and Herbaceous Deer Food Plants of Louisiana. Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Halls, Lowell K. and Thomas H. Ripley. 1961. Deer
Browse Plants of Southern Forests. Published by
the Forest Game Research Committee of the Southeastern Section of the Wildlife Society.
Nuss, Robert J. 2001. Deer Resistant Plants. Penn State
Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet No. GH001. pike.
extension.psu.edu/Horticulture/DeerResistpl.html
Perry, Leonard. Choosing Deer-resistant Landscape
Plants. University of Vermont Department of Plant
and Soil Sciences.
www.uvm.edu/pss/ppp/articles/deerplants.html
Hart, Rhonda Massingham. 1997. Deer Proofing
Your Yard and Garden. Stipes Publishing Co.
ISBN:088266-988-5
Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance. Rutgers
University Cooperative Extension.
www.njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/
University of Georgia Cooperative Extension & Warnell Circular 985
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Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
Cover Photo by: David Cappaert, Michigan State University, Bugwood.org
Circular 985 / April 2010
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