Plants deer rarely damage
This is the tier to plant from if you are starting over after a bad year. Rutgers rates these as rarely damaged, which in practice means deer walk past them even when the pressure is high. Most earn it through scent, fuzzy or leathery leaves, or sap that tastes wrong. None of it is a guarantee: a deer that is hungry enough will test anything once, and a newly planted specimen is always more attractive than an established one.
169 plants · page 3 of 3
Ornamental grass11
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 24–48 in
Lyme Grass
Leymus arenarius
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 24–48 in
Northern Sea Oats
Chasmanthium latifolium
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 24–60 in
Oriental Fountain Grass
Pennisetum orientale
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 24–36 in
Pampas Grass
Cortaderia selloana
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–10
- Height
- 72–144 in
Purple Moor Grass
Molinia caerulea
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 24–48 in
Ravenna Grass
Erianthus ravennae
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 72–240 in
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 36–84 in
Variegated Oat Grass
Arrhenatherum elatius
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
Variegated Purple Moor Grass
Molinia caerulea 'Variegata'
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 24–48 in
Weeping Love Grass
Eragrostis curvula
Rarely damaged- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 24–60 in
Annual17
Ageratum
Ageratum houstonianum
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–12 in
Angel's Trumpet
Brugmansia sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Annual Vinca
Catharanthus roseus
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–18 in
Dusty Miller
Centaurea cineraria
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–24 in
False Camomile
Matricaria sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Flowering Tobacco
Nicotiana sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Heliotrope
Heliotropium arborescens
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 12–30 in
Larkspur
Consolida ambigua
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Poppy
Papaver sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Pot Marigold
Calendula sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Snapdragon
Antirrhinum majus
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–36 in
Snow-on-the-Mountain
Euphorbia marginata
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 12–36 in
Spider Flower
Cleome sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Strawflower
Helichrysum sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Sweet Alyssum
Lobularia maritima
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 3–10 in
Wood Forget-Me-Not
Myosotis sylvatica
Rarely damaged- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–12 in
Fern10
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
Groundcover10
Allegheny Spurge
Pachysandra procumbens
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 6–12 in
Barrenwort
Epimedium sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 6–12 in
Bishop's Weed
Aegopodium podagraria
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 6–36 in
Bugleweed
Ajuga reptans
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 6–12 in
Lily of the Valley
Convallaria majalis
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 6–10 in
Pachysandra
Pachysandra terminalis
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 6–12 in
Siberian Cypress
Microbiota decussata
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 12–18 in
Spotted Deadnettle
Lamium sp.
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Sweet Woodruff
Galium odoratum
Rarely damaged- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 6–12 in
