Deer-resistant plants that bloom in spring
Spring is the hardest season to get right in deer country, and not because of the flowers. It is the hungry gap: winter browse is gone, new growth is the only soft green thing available, and deer will eat things in April that they would walk past in July. Bulbs are the reliable answer, and daffodils in particular, because lycorine makes them genuinely toxic rather than merely unpalatable.
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Rarely Damaged60
Allegheny Spurge
Rarely damagedPachysandra procumbens
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 6–12 in
American Holly
Rarely damagedIlex opaca
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 480–720 in
Arrowwood Viburnum
Rarely damagedViburnum dentatum
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–8
- Height
- 60–120 in
Barberry
Rarely damagedBerberis sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Barrenwort
Rarely damagedEpimedium sp.
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Basket of Gold
Rarely damagedAurinia saxatilis
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
Bayberry
Rarely damagedMyrica pensylvanica
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 72–96 in
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
Bleeding Heart
Rarely damagedLamprocapnos spectabilis
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 24–36 in
Bluebell
Rarely damagedEndymion sp.
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Boxwood
Rarely damagedBuxus sempervirens
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 60–240 in
Broom
Rarely damagedCytisus sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8, genus range
Bugleweed
Rarely damagedAjuga reptans
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–10
- Height
- 6–12 in
Buttercup
Rarely damagedRanunculus sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Catmint
Rarely damagedNepeta x faassenii
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–24 in
Chives
Rarely damagedAllium schoenoprasum
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 12–18 in
Crown Imperial
Rarely damagedFritillaria imperialis
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 36–48 in
Daffodil
Rarely damagedNarcissus spp.
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
- Height
- 8–18 in
Dame's Rocket
Rarely damagedHesperis matronalis
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–36 in
Daphne
Rarely damagedDaphne sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8, genus range
Drooping Leucothoe
Rarely damagedLeucothoe fontanesiana
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–6
- Height
- 24–72 in
Dusty Miller
Rarely damagedCentaurea cineraria
- Type
- Annual
- Hardiness
- Grown as an annual, any zone
- Height
- 6–24 in
Dwarf Alberta Spruce
Rarely damagedPicea glauca 'Conica'
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–6
- Height
- 480–720 in
European Ginger
Rarely damagedAsarum europaeum
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
False Indigo
Rarely damagedBaptisia australis
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 36–48 in
Forget-Me-Not
Rarely damagedMyosotis sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Foxglove
Rarely damagedDigitalis purpurea
- Type
- Biennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 24–60 in
Fragrant Sumac
Rarely damagedRhus aromatica
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 24–72 in
Fringed Bleeding Heart
Rarely damagedDicentra eximia
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
Germander
Rarely damagedTeucrium chamaedrys
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 6–18 in
Greek Jerusalem Sage
Rarely damagedPhlomis sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9, genus range
Heath
Rarely damagedErica sp.
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–7, genus range
Hellebore
Rarely damagedHelleborus orientalis
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 12–18 in
Horehound
Rarely damagedMarrubium vulgare
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9
- Height
- 12–24 in
Horseradish
Rarely damagedArmoracia rusticana
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 24–60 in
Iris
Rarely damagedIris sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–9, genus range
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Rarely damagedArisaema triphyllum
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 12–30 in
Japanese Barberry
Rarely damagedBerberis thunbergii
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 36–72 in
Japanese Black Pine
Rarely damagedPinus thunbergiana
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 240–720 in
Japanese Pieris
Rarely damagedPieris japonica
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 96–120 in
Japanese Silver Grass
Rarely damagedMiscanthus sinensis
- Type
- Ornamental grass
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 48–144 in
Japanese Skimmia
Rarely damagedSkimmia japonica
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–8
- Height
- 24–84 in
John T. Morris Holly
Rarely damagedIlex x 'John T. Morris'
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
Katsura Tree
Rarely damagedCercidiphyllum japonicum
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 480–720 in
Lavender-Cotton
Rarely damagedSantolina chamaecyparissus
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 12–24 in
Leatherleaf Mahonia
Rarely damagedMahonia bealei
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 7–9
- Height
- 48–120 in
Lily of the Valley
Rarely damagedConvallaria majalis
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 6–10 in
Lungwort
Rarely damagedPulmonaria officinalis
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 6–12 in
Lydia Morris Holly
Rarely damagedIlex x 'Lydia Morris'
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
May Apple
Rarely damagedPodophyllum peltatum
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8
- Height
- 12–18 in
Meadow Rue
Rarely damagedThalictrum sp.
- Type
- Perennial
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–8, genus range
Mimosa
Rarely damagedAlbizia julibrissin
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 6–9
- Height
- 240–480 in
Moonglow Juniper
Rarely damagedJuniperus scopulorum 'Moonglow'
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 3–7
- Height
- 360–480 in
Mountain Pieris
Rarely damagedPieris floribunda
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–6
- Height
- 48–72 in
Oregon Grape Holly
Rarely damagedMahonia aquifolium
- Type
- Shrub
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–8
- Height
- 36–72 in
Ornamental Onion
Rarely damagedAllium giganteum
- Type
- Bulb
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–8
- Height
- 12–72 in
Pachysandra
Rarely damagedPachysandra terminalis
- Type
- Groundcover
- Hardiness
- Zones 4–9
- Height
- 6–12 in
Paper Birch
Rarely damagedBetula papyrifera
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 2–7
- Height
- 600–840 in
Pawpaw
Rarely damagedAsimina triloba
- Type
- Tree
- Hardiness
- Zones 5–9
- Height
- 180–360 in