Deer-resistant plants for full sun
Full sun is where the deer-resistant palette is strongest, and it is not a coincidence. The plants that shrug off browsing are disproportionately aromatic Mediterranean subshrubs, and those evolved in hot dry open ground: lavender, rosemary, catmint, Russian sage, thyme, santolina. Their defense is the volatile oil that also needs sun to develop properly, so a lavender grown in part shade is both floppier and, in a small way, less unpalatable. The other reliable group here is the ornamental grasses, which deer ignore almost universally.
325 plants · page 3 of 6
Seldom Severely Damaged60
Butterfly Weed
Seldom damagedAsclepias tuberosa
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 12–24 in
California Poppy
Seldom damagedEschscholzia californica
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 12–24 in
Camassia
Seldom damagedCamassia leichtlinii
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
Canna Lily
Seldom damagedCanna sp.
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 8–11, genus range
Carnation
Seldom damagedDianthus sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9, genus range
Celosia
Seldom damagedCelosia argentea
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 9–18 in
Chinese Fringe Tree
Seldom damagedChionanthus retusus
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 120–360 in
Chinese Holly
Seldom damagedIlex cornuta
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–9
- Height
- 96–180 in
Chinese Juniper
Seldom damagedJuniperus chinensis
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 600–720 in
Chinese Paper Birch
Seldom damagedBetula albosinensis
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–7
Cock's Comb
Seldom damagedCelosia sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Colorado Blue Spruce
Seldom damagedPicea pungens
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–7
- Height
- 360–720 in
Common Flowering Quince
Seldom damagedChaenomeles speciosa
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 72–144 in
Common Lilac
Seldom damagedSyringa vulgaris
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 96–192 in
Common Sassafras
Seldom damagedSassafras albidum
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 360–720 in
Corkscrew Willow
Seldom damagedSalix matsudana 'Tortuosa'
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–8
- Height
- 360–480 in
Cranberry Cotoneaster
Seldom damagedCotoneaster apiculatus
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–7
- Height
- 24–36 in
Crape Myrtle
Seldom damagedLagerstroemia indica
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 72–360 in
Creeping Juniper
Seldom damagedJuniperus horizontalis
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 6–18 in
Crocosmia
Seldom damagedCrocosmia sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9, genus range
Crocus
Seldom damagedCrocus sp.
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Dawn Redwood
Seldom damagedMetasequoia glyptostroboides
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 744–1200 in
Delphinium
Seldom damagedDelphinium sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7, genus range
Dense Blazing Star
Seldom damagedLiatris spicata
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 72–72 in
Desert Princesplume
Seldom damagedStanleya pinnata
- Type
- Perennial
- Height
- 72–72 in
Deutzia
Seldom damagedDeutzia sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8, genus range
Dianthus
Seldom damagedDianthus spp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9, genus range
- Height
- 4–36 in
Dill
Seldom damagedAnethum graveolens
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 30–60 in
Dotted Blazing Star
Seldom damagedLiatris punctata
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 36–36 in
Doublefile Viburnum
Seldom damagedViburnum plicatum tomentosum
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 96–180 in
Douglas Fir
Seldom damagedPseudotsuga menziesii
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–6
- Height
- 480–960 in
Eastern Red Cedar
Seldom damagedJuniperus virginiana
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–9
- Height
- 360–480 in
Eastern White Pine
Seldom damagedPinus strobus
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 600–960 in
English Hawthorn
Seldom damagedCrataegus laevigata
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
European Ash
Seldom damagedFraxinus excelsior
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
European White Birch
Seldom damagedBetula pendula
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–7
- Height
- 360–600 in
Fernleaf Yarrow
Seldom damagedAchillea filipendulina
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 36–48 in
Feverfew
Seldom damagedTanacetum parthenium
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 12–36 in
Firethorn
Seldom damagedPyracantha coccinea
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 72–216 in
Forsythia
Seldom damagedForsythia x intermedia
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
Gas Plant
Seldom damagedDictamnus albus
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 24–36 in
Gaura
Seldom damagedOenothera lindheimeri
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 36–60 in
Gladiolus
Seldom damagedGladiolus sp.
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–10, genus range
Glory Lily
Seldom damagedGloriosa superba
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 8–12
- Height
- 60–72 in
Glossy Abelia
Seldom damagedAbelia sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9, genus range
Goldenrain Tree
Seldom damagedKoelreuteria paniculata
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 360–480 in
Goldenrod
Seldom damagedSolidago sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9, genus range
Green Ash
Seldom damagedFraxinus pennsylvanica
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 600–840 in
Harlequin Glorybower
Seldom damagedClerodendrum trichotomum
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–10
- Height
- 120–240 in
Hazelnut
Seldom damagedCorylus sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Hens and Chickens
Seldom damagedSempervivum sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Himalayan Birch
Seldom damagedBetula jacquemontii
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–7
- Height
- 360–600 in
Honey Locust
Seldom damagedGleditsia triacanthos
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 720–960 in
Hyacinth
Seldom damagedHyacinthus sp.
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Japanese Cedar
Seldom damagedCryptomeria japonica
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 600–840 in
Japanese Falsecypress
Seldom damagedChamaecyparis pisifera
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 600–840 in
Japanese Flowering Cherry
Seldom damagedPrunus serrulata
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 180–300 in
Japanese Flowering Quince
Seldom damagedChaenomeles japonica
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 24–36 in
Japanese Garden Juniper
Seldom damagedJuniperus procumbens 'Nana'
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 6–18 in
Japanese Red Pine
Seldom damagedPinus densiflora
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 480–720 in