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.
170 plants · page 3 of 3
Ornamental grass12
Large Blue June Grass
Rarely damagedKoeleria glauca
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–8
- Height
- 6–24 in
Little Bluestem
Rarely damagedSchizachyrium scoparium
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 24–48 in
Lyme Grass
Rarely damagedLeymus arenarius
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 24–48 in
Northern Sea Oats
Rarely damagedChasmanthium latifolium
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 24–60 in
Oriental Fountain Grass
Rarely damagedPennisetum orientale
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 24–36 in
Pampas Grass
Rarely damagedCortaderia selloana
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–10
- Height
- 72–144 in
Purple Moor Grass
Rarely damagedMolinia caerulea
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 24–48 in
Ravenna Grass
Rarely damagedErianthus ravennae
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 72–240 in
Switchgrass
Rarely damagedPanicum virgatum
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 36–84 in
Variegated Oat Grass
Rarely damagedArrhenatherum elatius
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
Variegated Purple Moor Grass
Rarely damagedMolinia caerulea 'Variegata'
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 24–48 in
Weeping Love Grass
Rarely damagedEragrostis curvula
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 24–60 in
Annual17
Ageratum
Rarely damagedAgeratum houstonianum
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–12 in
Angel's Trumpet
Rarely damagedBrugmansia sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Anise
Rarely damagedPimpinella anisum
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Annual Vinca
Rarely damagedCatharanthus roseus
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–18 in
Dusty Miller
Rarely damagedCentaurea cineraria
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–24 in
False Camomile
Rarely damagedMatricaria sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Flowering Tobacco
Rarely damagedNicotiana sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Heliotrope
Rarely damagedHeliotropium arborescens
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 12–30 in
Larkspur
Rarely damagedConsolida ambigua
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Poppy
Rarely damagedPapaver sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Pot Marigold
Rarely damagedCalendula sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Snapdragon
Rarely damagedAntirrhinum majus
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–36 in
Snow-on-the-Mountain
Rarely damagedEuphorbia marginata
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 12–36 in
Spider Flower
Rarely damagedCleome sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Strawflower
Rarely damagedHelichrysum sp.
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
Sweet Alyssum
Rarely damagedLobularia maritima
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 3–10 in
Wood Forget-Me-Not
Rarely damagedMyosotis sylvatica
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–12 in
Fern10
Christmas Fern
Rarely damagedPolystichum acrostichoides
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 12–36 in
Cinnamon Fern
Rarely damagedOsmunda cinnamomea
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 24–72 in
Hayscented Fern
Rarely damagedDennstaedtia punctilobula
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–24 in
Holly Fern
Rarely damagedCyrtomium falcatum
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–10
- Height
- 17–24 in
Japanese Painted Fern
Rarely damagedAthyrium niponicum
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 18–24 in
New York Fern
Rarely damagedThelypteris noveboracensis
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–24 in
Ostrich Fern
Rarely damagedMatteuccia struthiopteris
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 36–60 in
Royal Fern
Rarely damagedOsmunda regalis
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 60–72 in
Sensitive Fern
Rarely damagedOnoclea sensibilis
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–10
- Height
- 12–24 in
Wood Fern
Rarely damagedDryopteris marginalis
- Type
- Fern
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 18–36 in
Groundcover10
Allegheny Spurge
Rarely damagedPachysandra procumbens
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 6–12 in
Barrenwort
Rarely damagedEpimedium sp.
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Bearberry
Rarely damagedArctostaphylos uva-ursi
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 6–12 in
Bishop's Weed
Rarely damagedAegopodium podagraria
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 6–36 in
Bugleweed
Rarely damagedAjuga reptans
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 6–12 in
Lily of the Valley
Rarely damagedConvallaria majalis
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 6–10 in
Pachysandra
Rarely damagedPachysandra terminalis
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 6–12 in
Siberian Cypress
Rarely damagedMicrobiota decussata
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 12–18 in
Spotted Deadnettle
Rarely damagedLamium sp.
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Sweet Woodruff
Rarely damagedGalium odoratum
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 6–12 in
