Plant List

The following plants are typically deer proof – but remember, there are no absolutes when it comes to deer. This list includes annuals, perennials, bulbs and flowering shrubs. I’ve also included a list of deer proof ferns, grasses and groundcovers.

Annuals

Common Name Latin Name
Ageratum Ageratum houstonianum
Angel’s Trumpet Brugmansia sp. (Datura)
Anise Pimpinalla anisum
Annual Vinca Catharanthus rosea
Dusty Miller Centaurea cineraria
False Camomile Matricaria sp.
Flowering Tobacco Nicotiana sp.
Forget-Me-Not Myosotis sylvatica
Heliotrope (questionable) Heliotropium arborescens
Larkspur Consolida ambigua
Poppy Papaver sp.
Pot Marigold Calendula sp.
Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis
Snapdragon (questionable) Antirrhinum majus
Snow-on-the-Mountain Euphorbia marginata
Spider Flower Cleome sp.
Strawflower Helichrysum
Sweet Alyssum (questionable) Lobularia maritima

Perennials

Common Name Latin Name
Anise Hyssop Agastache sp.
Basket of Gold Aurinia saxatilis
Bigleaf Goldenray Ligularia dentata
Bleeding Heart Dicentra spectabilis
Butter & Eggs Linaria vulgaris
Buttercup Ranunculus sp.
Cactus Cactaceae sp.
Catmint Nepeta sp.
Common Tansy Tanacetum vulgare
Corydalis Corydalis sp.
Dame’s Rocket Hesperis matronalis
European Ginger Asarum europaeum
False Indigo Baptisia australis
Forget-Me-Not Myosotis sp.
Fringed Bleeding Heart Dicentra eximia
Garden Sage Salvia officinalis
Germander Teucrium Chamaedrys
Greek Jerusalem Sage Phlomis sp.
Horehound Marrubium vulgare
Horseradish Armoracia rusticana
Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis
Iris Iris sp. (may eat buds)
Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphylum
Lamb’s Ear Stachys byzantina
Lavendar Lavandula sp.
Lavender-Cotton Santolina chamaecyparissus
Lemon Balm Melissa officinalis
Lenten or Christmas Rose Helleborus sp.
Lungwort Pulmonaria sp.
Marjoram Majorana
May Apple Podophyllum
Meadow Rue Thalictrum sp.
Mint Mentha sp.
Monkshood (questionable) Aconitum sp.
Oregano Oreganum sp.
Ornamental Onion Allium sp.
Peony (questionable) Paeonia sp. (may eat buds)
Potentilla, Cinquefoil Potentilla sp.
Purple Rock-Cress Aubretia deltoidea
Rock-Cress Arabis caucasica
Rocket Ligularia Ligularia ‘The Rocket’
Rodgers Flower Rodgersia sp.
Rose Campion Lychnis coronaria
Rue Ruta sp.
Russian Sage Perovskio atriplicifolia
Siberian Bugloss Bruneria macrophylla (Brunnera)
Silver Mound Artemisia sp.
Small Globe Thistle Echinops ritro
Spurge Euphorbia sp. (except ‘Chameleon’)
Statice Limonium latifolium
Tarragon Artemisia dracunculus
Threadleaf Coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata
Thyme Thymus sp.
Wild Ginger Asarum canadense
Yucca Yucca filimentosa
Foxglove (technically, a biennial) Digitalis purpurea

Bulbs

Common Name Latin Name
Autumn Crocus Colchicum sp.
Bluebell (questionable) Endymion sp.
Crown Imperial, Fritilia Fritilaria imperialis
Daffodil Narcissus sp.
Ornamental Onion Allium sp.
Siberian Squill Scilla siberica
Snowdrops Galanthus nivalis
Winter Aconite Eranthus hyemalis

Ferns

Common Name Latin Name
Christmas Fern Polystichum arcostichoides
Cinnamon Fern Osmunda cinnamomea
Hayscented Fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula
Holly Fern Cyrtomium falcatum
Japanese Painted Fern Athyrium goeringianum (nipponicum)
New York Fern Thelyptens noveboracensis
Ostrich Fern Matteuccia struthiopteris
Royal Fern Osmunda regalis
Sensitive Fern Onoclea sensibilis
Wood Fern Dryopteris marginalis

Ground Covers

Allegheny Spurge Pachysandra procumbens
Barrenwort Epimediurn sp.
Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Bishop’s Weed (very invasive) Aegopodium podagaria
Bugleweed Ajuga reptans
Lily of the Valley Convallaria majalis
Pachysandra Pachysandra terminalis
Spotted Deadnettle Lamium sp.
Sweet Woodruff Galium odoratum (Asperula odorata)

Shrubs

Common Name Latin Name
Arrowwood Viburnum Viburnum dentatum
Barberry Berberis sp.
Bayberry Myrica pensylvanica
Blue Mist Shrub Caryopteris clandonensis
Broom Cytisus sp.
Bush Cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa
Butterfly Bush (questionable) Buddleia sp.
Common Boxwood Buxus sempervirens
Daphne Daphne sp.
Devil’s Walking Stick Aralia spinosa
Drooping Leucothoe (questionable) Leucothoe fontanesiana
Fragrant Sumac Rhus aromatica
Heath Erica sp.
Heather (questionable) Calliuna sp.
Japanese Pieris, Andromeda Pieris japonica
Japanese Plum Yew Cephalotaxus harringtonia
Japanese Skimmia Skimmia japonica
John T. Morris Holly Ilex x ‘John T. Morris’
Leatherleaf Mahonia (questionable) Mahonia bealei
Lydia Morris Holly Ilex x ‘Lydia Morris’
Moonglow Juniper Juniperus scopulorum ‘Moonglow’
Mountain Pieris Pieris floribunda
Oregon Grape Holly (questionable) Mahonia aquifolium
Prince of Wales Juniper Juniperus horizontalis ‘Prince of Wales’
Red Elderberry Sambucus racemosa
Russian Cypress Microbiota decussata
Russian Olive Elaeagnus angustifolia
Sweet Box Sarcoccoca hookeriana

Ornamental Grasses

Common Name Latin Name
Big Bluestem Andropogon sp.
Blue Fescue Festuca glauca
Blue Oat Grass Helictotrichon sempervirens
Clump Bamboo Fargesia sp.
Feather Reed Grass Calamagrostis sp.
Fountain Grass Pennisetum alopecuroides
Giant Japanese Silver Grass Miscanthus floridulis
Giant Reed Arundo donax
Golden Bamboo Phyllostachys aurea
Hakonechloa Hakonechloa macra
Hard Rush Juncus Effusus
Indian Grass Sorghastrum nutans
Japanese Blood Grass Imperata cylindrica
Japanese Sedge Carex sp.
Japanese Silver Grass Miscanthus sinensis
Japanese Sweet Flag Acorus sp.
Large Blue June Grass Koeleria glauca
Little Bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium
Lyme Grass Leymus arenarius glaucous
Northern Sea Oats Chasmanthium latifolium
Oriental Fountain Grass Pennisetum orientale
Pampus Grass Cortaderia selloana
Purple Moor Grass Molinia caerulea
Ravenna Grass Erianthus ravennae
Switch Grass Panicum virgatum
Variegated Purple Moor Grass Molinia caerulea ‘Variegata’
Varigated Oat Grass Arrhenatherum elatius
Weeping Love Grass Eragrostus curvula

Vines

None (unfortunately)

Trees

American Holly (questionable) Ilex opaca
Bottlebrush Buckeye Aesculus parviflora
Dwarf Alberta Spruce Picea glauca ‘Conica’
Japanese Black Pine Pinus thunbergiana
Katsura Tree (questionable) Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Mimosa Albizia julibrissin
Paper Birch Betula papyrifera
Pawpaw Asimina triloba
Pitch Pine Pinus rigida
Red Pine Pinus resinosa
River Birch Betula nigra

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Linda D'Amico September 4, 2009 at 7:19 pm

Holly??? The deer strip my holly to the ground every winter; even those used as foundation plantings very close to the house. They love holly!

peter meisels November 26, 2009 at 5:52 am

I have had the same experience with holly. Does the variety make a difference?

Barbra November 27, 2009 at 9:30 pm

Hi Peter, in my experience the thing that makes a difference with holly is the tenderness of the leaf. In other words, new growth will tend to get eaten.

Earl Jenkins March 20, 2010 at 11:04 am

On Bowen Island, there are some holly bushes that are easily 10 feet tall, growing wild and right out along known deer paths. I don’t know the exact kind, but the leaves are dark and glossy, and the berries are a medium red — very much the kind you associate with Christmas. Given that Bowen has deer like other places have rats, with no natural predators, I would say that there’s at least one type of holly that is pretty much deer-proof.

Karen Knopes June 10, 2010 at 3:03 pm

I’ve had good luck with St. John’s Wort. As for Monkshood – they wait for the bloom and then (carefully, I assume) eat the blue blossoms!

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