Deer Resistant Plants

Buy Deer Resistant Plants Online From a TennesseeNursery

Deer will eat almost anything when they’re hungry enough, but they have strong preferences. They pass over plants with fuzzy or leathery leaves, strong scents, bitter sap or toxic foliage, and they head for tender, smooth-leaved plants instead. Fill your yard with the plants deer like least, and the damage drops dramatically. TN Nursery has grown and shipped plants from McMinnville, Tennessee, since 1959, so every plant you order comes from a family farm rather than a warehouse.

How to Choose Plants Deer Won’t Eat

• What’s your growing zone? Use the zone filter above. Our deer resistant plants cover zones 3 through 9.
• How heavy is your deer pressure? No plant is deer-proof. In a hard winter or a dry summer, hungry deer will sample almost anything. Where deer are heavy, lean on the most reliable choices: ferns and plants with toxic or bitter foliage.
• What are you planting? Use this page to plan the whole yard, then shop deer resistant perennials for flowers and deer resistant shrubs for borders and hedges.

Deer Resistant Plants for Shade

Shade is where deer browse most, and it’s also where the most reliable deer resistant plants grow. Native ferns top the list. Christmas Fern stays green all winter, and deer almost never touch its leathery fronds. Giant Ostrich Fern and Lady Fern fill shady beds with tall, lush texture. Black Cohosh adds white summer flower spikes on toxic foliage deer avoid. Browse all ferns .

Deer Resistant Flowers for Sun

For sunny beds, choose flowers with rough, hairy or bitter leaves. Black-Eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower bloom all summer on coarse foliage deer dislike. Butterfly Weed and Milkweed have bitter, milky sap that deer leave alone, and they feed monarchs too. See more in deer resistant perennials .

Deer Resistant Trees and Shrubs

Among trees, Pawpaw is one of the most reliably deer resistant natives; its leaves and bark taste bitter to deer. Witch Hazel is rarely browsed and blooms yellow in late fall or winter. For hedges and borders, shop our deer resistant shrubs .

One honest note: even deer resistant trees need protection while young. Bucks rub their antlers on young trunks every fall, which can kill a sapling no matter what species it is. Wrap new trees with a tree guard or a ring of fencing for their first three to five years.

How to Keep Deer Out of Your Garden

Plant the most deer resistant plants along the edges of your yard and near paths, where deer enter first. Mix in strongly scented plants among more tender ones. Protect new plantings with netting or repellent for their first few weeks, since freshly planted, well-watered leaves are the most tempting. Rotate repellents every few weeks so deer don’t get used to one smell.

When Deer Resistant Plants Ship

Perennials and ferns ship now. Trees and shrubs ship bare root during our fall planting window, November 15–29. See our planting instructions for step-by-step help.

FAQ  

What plants will deer not eat? Deer usually avoid ferns, plants with fuzzy or leathery leaves, strongly scented plants and plants with bitter or toxic sap. Reliable choices include Christmas fern, ostrich fern, black cohosh, black-eyed Susan, coneflower, milkweed and pawpaw.

What plant do deer hate the most? Ferns are among the most reliably avoided plants, especially Christmas fern. Plants with toxic foliage, like black cohosh, are close behind.

What are the best deer resistant plants for shade? Christmas fern, ostrich fern, lady fern and black cohosh. Shade is where deer browse most, so these are the safest picks for wooded yards.

Are coneflowers deer resistant? Yes, mostly. Coneflower’s rough, hairy leaves and stems discourage deer. Young plants may be nibbled in spring, but established clumps are rarely bothered.

Are there any plants that are deer-proof? No. “Deer resistant” means deer usually skip a plant, not that they never eat it. Young plants, hungry seasons and heavy deer populations raise the risk.

What flowers do deer and rabbits both avoid? Coneflower, black-eyed Susan and milkweed are usually left alone by both. Ferns are also rarely eaten by rabbits.

Do you ship deer resistant plants outside Tennessee? Yes. We grow in Tennessee and ship nationwide.

What if my plant doesn’t arrive alive? Every order comes with our live-arrival guarantee. See our warranty for details.