There are many plants that deer don’t like to eat, but there are no deer proof plants that deer will not eat. There are a few generalizations that can be made about plants that deer do not like:

  • Plants with aromatic foliage
  • Plants with thorns or sharp foliage
  • Toxic plants
  • Fuzzy leafed plants

Meadows Farms does offer a deer proofing service through our Lawn Care division as well as carry many different products including organics at our Garden Centers to deter deer. All these are a humane solution to potential deer damage.

The following is a selection of plants that are rarely damaged or seldom severely damaged

Deer Resistant Trees

  • Arborvitae, Green Giant
  • Arborvitae, Zebrina
  • Amelanchier
  • Birch, River
  • Beech
  • Cedar, Blue Atlas & Weeping
  • Cherry, Flowering varieties
  • Cypress, Hinoki
  • Dogwood, varieties
  • Gum, Sweet
  • Gum, Black
  • Holly, American
  • Holly, Nellie Stevens
  • Honey Locust
  • Magnolias, Sweetbay
  • Magnolia, Royal Star
  • Magnolia, Saucer varieties
  • Oaks, varieties
  • Pine, Black
  • Pine, White
  • Redbud varieties
  • Spruce, Colorado
  • Spruce, Dwarf Alberta
  • Sycamore
  • Zelkova

Shrubs

  • Althea (Rose of Sharon)
  • Barberry varieties
  • Boxwood varieties
  • Butterfly Bush
  • Caryopteris
  • Clethra
  • Cotoneaster varieties
  • Cypress, Goldthread
  • Dogwood, Red Twig
  • Forsythia
  • Holly, Inkberry
  • Lilac varieties
  • Nandina varieties
  • Pieris Japonica
  • Spirea varieties
  • Vitex varieties

Perennials

  • Achillea
  • Agastache
  • Aquilegia
  • Baptisia
  • Coreopsis
  • Dianthus
  • Dicentra
  • Digitalis
  • Echinacea
  • Eupatorium
  • Euphorbia
  • Ferns
  • Gaillardia
  • Geum
  • Grasses
  • Helleborus
  • Heuchera
  • Iris
  • Lavender
  • Monarda
  • Nepeta
  • Peony
  • Pulmonaria
  • Stachys

Annuals

  • Ageratum
  • Cleome
  • Coleus
  • Dianthus
  • Dusty Miller
  • Gomphrena
  • Marigold
  • Nicotiana
  • Salvia
  • Snapdragon
  • Verbena
  • Vinca
  • Zinnia

This list is hardly comprehensive, and you might experience different results. Deer have a notorious reputation for being poor readers, therefore, plants that are not thorny, distasteful or smelly might be considered fair game for dinner!