Deer Resistant Shrubs

Buy Deer Resistant Shrubs Online, Direct From the Grower

If deer visit your yard, you already know what they can do. One night they strip a row of new shrubs down to bare stems. The surest fix isn’t sprays or fences. It’s planting shrubs deer don’t want to eat in the first place.

Every shrub in this collection is one deer tend to avoid. When you buy from TN Nursery, you’re buying from the farm that grew them. We’ve raised plants in McMinnville, Tennessee for three generations, and every shrub is dug fresh, inspected, and shipped during the planting season.

Why Deer Avoid Certain Shrubs

Deer are browsers, and they choose food by smell, taste and texture. They tend to skip shrubs with:

• Strong scents: Aromatic leaves, like those of spicebush and Carolina allspice, are unappealing to deer.
• Bitter or toxic leaves: Boxwood leaves contain compounds that are bitter and toxic to deer.
• Tough, leathery or fuzzy foliage: Leaves like these are hard to chew and unpleasant to eat.

Shrubs with tender, smooth, mild-tasting leaves are the ones deer go for first.

Are Any Shrubs Deer-Proof?

No shrub is completely deer-proof. A hungry deer will eat almost anything, especially in late winter when food is scarce, or during drought. “Deer resistant” means deer usually leave a plant alone when they have other choices. The shrubs below are among the most reliable, and planting several of them makes your whole yard less attractive to deer.

Deer Resistant Shrubs in This Collection

Boxwood (among the most deer resistant shrubs): Boxwood is one of the shrubs deer avoid most consistently. Choose from:

• Green Velvet Boxwood : rounded and compact
• Wintergreen Boxwood : very cold-hardy and stays green through winter
• Green Mountain Boxwood : upright and cone-shaped

All three are evergreen and work well for hedges, edging and formal gardens.

Aromatic native shrubs:

• The native Spice Bush has spicy-scented leaves deer avoid. It bears tiny yellow flowers in early spring and is the host plant for the spicebush swallowtail butterfly.
• Carolina Allspice has fragrant maroon flowers and aromatic leaves.
• Witch Hazel blooms with spidery yellow flowers in the cold months.

Deer resistant flowering shrubs:

• Lilac : intensely fragrant spring flowers
• Forsythia : bright yellow blooms in early spring
• Spirea : pink summer flower clusters
• Crepe myrtles: Purple Crepe Myrtle , Muskogee Crepe Myrtle and the Crepe Myrtle Tree , which bloom for months in summer

Viburnums and weigela: Deer usually leave these alone.

• Arrowwood Viburnum : white flowers and blue berries for birds
• Black Haw Viburnum : white spring flowers and red fall color
• Snowball Viburnum : big white snowball blooms
• Red Weigela and Pink Weigela : trumpet-shaped flowers in late spring
• The Weigela Shrub Collection : a ready-made weigela mix

Bold foliage:

• Burning Bush turns brilliant red in fall.
• The Bamboo Plant forms a tall green screen that deer rarely touch. Plant it where its spreading roots can be contained.

Deer Resistant Evergreen Shrubs

For year-round structure that deer leave alone, boxwood is the top choice. Green Velvet , Wintergreen and Green Mountain Boxwood stay green all winter. That’s exactly when deer do the most damage to other evergreens, like yews and American arborvitae.

Deer Resistant Shrubs for Shade

These shrubs handle partial shade and still resist deer:

• Spice Bush
• Carolina Allspice
• Witch Hazel
• Arrowwood Viburnum
• Black Haw Viburnum
• Boxwood

Deer Resistant Shrubs for Sun

These shrubs thrive in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct light a day:

• Lilac
• Forsythia
• Spirea
• Crepe Myrtle
• Weigela
• Burning Bush

Deer Resistant Shrubs for Zones 7 and 8

Most shrubs in this collection grow well in zones 7 and 8, including:

• Boxwood
• Crepe Myrtle
• Forsythia
• Spirea
• Witch Hazel
• Spice Bush
• Carolina Allspice
• Viburnums

Lilacs prefer colder winters, so in the hot, humid South they’re better suited to zone 7 than zone 8. Check the zone range on each product page before you order.

How to Protect New Shrubs From Deer

Even deer resistant shrubs are most at risk in their first year or two. Fresh, tender nursery growth is more tempting to deer than mature foliage. To give new plants the best start:

• Protect young shrubs for the first season. Use netting, wire cages or a deer repellent spray until the plants are established.
• Rotate repellents. Deer can get used to one product, so switch between two or three.
• Plant in groups. A bed full of deer resistant shrubs is less inviting than one resistant shrub surrounded by deer favorites.
• Fence high-pressure areas. Where deer are heavy, only a fence about 8 feet tall truly keeps them out.

Planting Deer Resistant Shrubs

Plant in fall or early spring, while shrubs are dormant. Dig a hole twice as wide as the roots and plant at the same depth the shrub grew. Water deeply once a week through the first growing season, and spread 2–3 inches of mulch around the base. See our full planting instructions .

Deer Resistant Shrub FAQs

What is the most deer resistant shrub?
Boxwood is one of the most reliably deer resistant shrubs because its leaves are bitter and toxic to deer. Aromatic shrubs like spicebush are also high on the list.

What plant do deer hate the most?
Deer most dislike plants with strong scents, bitter or toxic leaves, or fuzzy, prickly or leathery foliage. Among shrubs, boxwood and aromatic natives like spicebush and Carolina allspice are among the plants deer avoid most.

Are any shrubs completely deer-proof?
No. A hungry deer will eat almost anything, especially in late winter or during a drought. Deer resistant shrubs are the ones deer usually skip when other food is available. Protect new plantings for their first year, when they’re most vulnerable.

What are some deer resistant shrubs that grow in zone 7?
Boxwood, lilac, forsythia, spirea, crepe myrtle, witch hazel, spicebush, Carolina allspice and viburnums all grow well in zone 7.

What are some deer resistant shrubs that grow in zone 8?
Boxwood, crepe myrtle, forsythia, spirea, witch hazel, spicebush, Carolina allspice and viburnums all do well in zone 8.

What are the best deer resistant flowering shrubs?
Lilac, forsythia, spirea, crepe myrtle, weigela and viburnums all give you reliable blooms that deer usually leave alone. Witch hazel and Carolina allspice add fragrant flowers too.

When is the best time to plant deer resistant shrubs?
Plant while shrubs are dormant, from late fall through early spring. Our shrubs ship in mid-to-late November, during the fall planting window.

Where is the best place to buy deer resistant shrubs?
Buy from a grower that ships fresh plants at the right planting time and stands behind them. TN Nursery has grown plants in Tennessee since 1959, ships nationwide direct from the farm, and backs every order with our warranty . Need help choosing? Get free expert advice or call 931-692-4252.