“Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links.”
As much as we love a deer sighting—especially when it’s cutely curled up in slumber under a big, shady tree—they are no friend to anyone with a garden or highly manicured landscaping. Technically, deer are omnivores, meaning they eat both meat and plants alike, but seeing as they’re not big on hunting, they eat mostly plants, so if you live in Texas, Alabama, or Mississippi (the three states with the largest deer populations), or any other area (like the Northeast), where deer are a common sighting, you may want to plant your garden with flora that repel Bambi and his friends.
So, in an effort to guide you in the right direction, we chatted with Dimitri Gatanas, owner of Urban Garden Center in New York, to get a sense of what to plant. In general, deer don’t like plants that are highly fragrant, fuzzy, or have an otherwise unpleasant texture. “The best way to keep deer from eating your plants is to create a sort of barrier around your favorable plants with a variety they may not like as much,” Gatanas explains. “For example, I have my hydrangeas planted behind a border of low boxwoods.” All good points. If you’re in the market for a garden upgrade, keep scrolling to find Gatanas-approved plants deer happen to hate.
1) Lamb’s Ear
If you’ve ever touched a lamb’s ear plant, you probably understand exactly how it got its name. If not, all you need to know is that these particular plants are extremely soft to the touch—kind of like velvet, but even smoother, if you can imagine it. In terms of their care, they require almost no attention, as they’re totally drought-tolerant. They do, however, need plenty of direct light.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shop Now
2) Pampas Grass
Ideal for adding both privacy and height to your garden, pampas grass won’t get gobbled up by pesky deer this spring and summer. It looks great as it dries out and dies back when the weather gets cold—just be sure to cut the dead stalks ahead of every new growing season.
Shop Now
Related: The Best Ornamental Grasses to Add to Your Garden
3) Garden Sage
Like many fragrant herbs, sage is a plant deer won’t go near. That makes it a great addition to any garden or vegetable patch. We recommend planting sage near other plants that deer love to try to deter them.
Shop Now
Related: The Best Indoor Herb Gardens to Try
4) Buttercups
Advertisement
Advertisement
Despite their alluring name, deer can’t stand buttercups. These are a great wildflower for natural and rewilding landscapes. Plant them in the fall for a gorgeous yellow wash come spring.
Shop Now
5) Forget-Me-Not
Dainty and sweet, forget-me-not flowers introduce a bold hue to your flower beds. In addition to being one of the only true blue flowers, these plants are among the first to bloom each spring, giving your garden some new life after winter. Luckily, deer don’t like the taste of the foliage, so they tend to leave these alone.
Shop Now
Related: 25 Flower Bed Ideas That Are Bursting With Color
6) Thyme
Homegrown herbs are one of the easiest ways to upgrade your cooking, but deer are often attracted to edible plants. However, fragrant thyme is an exception. Plant it in and around your vegetable patches to deter curious critters.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shop Now
7) Larkspur
Highly poisonous to all creatures (including humans), these flowers will keep deer far away from your beloved garden. Available in both light and dark hues ranging from sky blue to rich purple, plant larkspur in groups for an eye-catching landscape.
Shop Now
8) Meadow Rue
Advertisement
Advertisement
Tall and striking, meadow rue plants are a part of the buttercup family, so deer won’t snack on them either. These plants are great if your garden needs some height—plus, they offer a sweet, buttery yellow hue.
Shop Now
9) Monkshood
Also known as aconite or wolfsbane, monkshood is a highly toxic and poisonous plant to all humans and animals. What it lacks in friendliness, it makes up for with its vibrant purple coloring. Because it’s so harmful to animals, it should be used sparingly.
Shop Now
10) Blue Fescue
A beautiful ornamental grass, blue fescue is great for adding depth and visual interest to your ground cover. Its silvery blue fronds thrive best in full sun.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shop Now
Related Story:The Best Ornamental Grasses for Your Garden
11) American Holly
Often associated with Christmastime, holly bushes are evergreens with striking red berries (they’re harmful for humans, so don’t eat them) all winter long. The spiky leaves deter deer, which makes them ideal for landscaping and outdoor holiday decorating.
Shop Now
12) Anise
Advertisement
Advertisement
This flowering plant produces the captivating spice star anise. Anise flowers are small and quaint with bulbous heads, and they’re great for breaking up groups of larger flowers. Because of their spicy taste, deer don’t like snacking on them.
Shop Now
13) Bleeding Heart
This adorable perennial is not a favorite of deer, so it’s a great option for your shade garden. Its heart-shaped blooms appear in early to late spring.
Shop Now
14) Potentilla
This shrub has a somewhat fuzzy texture that doesn’t usually appeal to deer. It comes in white-, pink-, or yellow-flowered varieties and blooms all season long.
Shop Now
15) Catmint
This sturdy perennial has silvery-green leaves with a somewhat fuzzy texture. It also has a pungent spicy-minty fragrance that makes most deer avoid it.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shop Now
16) Boxwood
Advertisement
Advertisement
These evergreen shrubs make great foundation plantings, and they’re not particularly appealing to deer. You can leave them natural or shear them into shape.
Shop Now
17) Daphne
Daphne is a beautiful evergreen shrub with glossy green leaves that bloom lovely, fragrant pink flowers from mid-winter to late spring. Its strong scent and toxic berries tend to keep deer away.
Shop Now
18) Dusty Miller
This attractive, silvery annual makes a stunning accent for containers or beds. Deer don’t enjoy its velvety texture.
Shop Now
19) Japanese Forest Grass
This mounding ornamental grass looks amazing when planted in groups, and deer aren’t fans of its sharp texture.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Shop Now
20) Hellebore
Hellebore, or Lenten rose, is an outstanding perennial for a part-shade garden. With waxy, evergreen foliage and exquisite blooms during late winter into early spring (around the time of Lent), this is a must-have for any garden that deer visit.
Shop Now
21) Allium
Alliums, or ornamental onions, have pretty, round flowers atop long stems in late spring. (Plant the bulbs in fall for spring flowers.) Their onion-y scent keeps deer at bay.
Shop Now
22) Rosemary
Like many other pungent garden herbs, rosemary—which is grown as an annual but is a perennial in warm climates—is too strongly scented for deer to nibble. This is a great culinary herb, but it also has pretty purple blooms once the plant matures in warmer parts of the country.
Shop Now
Related: How to Grow and Care for Rosemary
23) Sweet Alyssum
This low-growing annual comes in white, pink, or purple, and its sweet scent is not appealing to deer. It blooms from spring to frost and looks great in mixed planters or as an edging plant.
Shop Now
24) Winter Aconite
If you’re tired of gloom in late winter, these cute little flowers are the answer. Winter aconite pops up when there’s still snow on the ground, and deer don’t like the bright yellow blooms. Plant the bulbs in fall for early spring flowers.
Shop Now
25) Snapdragon
The lovely spikes of these annuals come in every shade from pale pink to deep red. They’re amazing in planters and borders, and deer tend to avoid their ruffled blooms.
Shop Now
26) Calendula
This handsome annual is easy to grow from seed, and it blooms all season long until a hard frost. The bitter taste of these cheerful flowers keeps deer away.
Shop Now
27) Japanese Painted Fern
If you’re looking for a handsome shade garden option, this pretty fern unfurls in shades of purple and green. It’s a sturdy perennial plant that deer typically avoid due to its unpalatable texture.
Shop Now
28) Lily of the Valley
These bell-shaped white flowers are beautiful, but plant them somewhere they can be contained, such as up against a sidewalk. They can become invasive if given free rein. They’re also toxic, which deters deer.
Shop Now
29) Butterfly Bush
Butterfly bush blooms all season long, from early summer to fall. It attracts bees and butterflies, of course, but it doesn’t attract deer, and new hybrids are not invasive.
Shop Now
30) Aster
A great addition to the late fall garden, aster often blooms when everything else has already faded. Deer don’t like their texture, but beware that rabbits do!
Shop Now
31) Foxglove
These tall cottage garden favorites look smashing at the back of borders. They’re a short-lived perennial, but they’re well worth planting because deer avoid these toxic plants.
Shop Now
32) Heliotrope
This old-fashioned favorite is a delightful annual for containers, so you can enjoy the scent. Deer don’t enjoy the fragrance or the sandpaper-like texture of its foliage.
Shop Now
33) Daffodil
You know it’s spring when the daffodils appear! These cheerful flowers are toxic, so deer won’t touch them. Plant the bulbs in fall for spring flowers.
Shop Now
34) Lavender
Lavender is a beautiful perennial with silvery foliage and strongly-scented purple flower spikes. It makes a lovely cut or dried flower too, and deer steer clear of its potent scent.
Shop Now
35) Zinnia
These reliable annuals come in every color imaginable. Their sturdy blooms attract tons of pollinators, but deer don’t appreciate the texture of their leaves.
Shop Now
36) Peony
Peonies are gorgeous perennials that can live for decades. Their strong fragrance is a deterrent to munching deer.
Shop Now
37) Salvia
These handsome perennials have mounds of silvery-green foliage topped with beautiful purple spikes. Their strong scent keeps deer away.
Shop Now
38) Iris
Irises come in an array of colors and heights, and they’re truly low-maintenance perennials. Deer tend to leave them alone because of their texture and light scent.
Shop Now
39) Coneflower
Also called echinacea, coneflowers are sturdy perennials that thrive in a variety of garden soils. They come in an amazing array of colors, including pink, white, cream, orange, and every shade in between. Deer say “no thank you”to the texture.
Shop Now
40) Oriental Poppies
These perennial types of poppies have beautiful papery blooms atop long, graceful stems. Deer avoid them due to their toxicity.
Shop Now
You Might Also Like
Comments are closed.