Deer-resistant ferns
Ferns solve the hardest problem in deer gardening. Shade plus deer rules out most of the palette, and the obvious shade plant, the hosta, is the most browsed thing in North American gardens. Ferns are reliably ignored and thrive exactly where hostas fail you.
10 plants
Rarely Damaged10
Christmas Fern
Polystichum acrostichoides
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 12–36 in
Cinnamon Fern
Osmunda cinnamomea
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 24–72 in
Hayscented Fern
Dennstaedtia punctilobula
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–24 in
Holly Fern
Cyrtomium falcatum
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–10
- Height
- 17–24 in
Japanese Painted Fern
Athyrium niponicum
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 18–24 in
New York Fern
Thelypteris noveboracensis
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–24 in
Ostrich Fern
Matteuccia struthiopteris
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 36–60 in
Royal Fern
Osmunda regalis
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 60–72 in
Sensitive Fern
Onoclea sensibilis
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–10
- Height
- 12–24 in
Wood Fern
Dryopteris marginalis
Rarely damaged- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 18–36 in