10 Ultimate Deer-Proof Plants for Your Garden
One benefit of living in a deer filled area is I have been able to experiment.
There are plenty of websites out there claiming that plants like marigolds are completely deer resistant; well our deer seem to find them quite delectable.
Here is a list of 10 deer-resistant plants that I have never had to use deer repellent on and have never had a deer take a sample.
Butterfly Bush
Buddleia davidii
This would be my number one favorite. Super low maintenance long bloom time and it attracts butterflies as well as other interesting insects.
All you have to do is cut it back in February or March. That's really it. If you'd like to you can cut off spent blooms, but you don't have to.
Full Sun
Zones 5-10
Ornamental Grass
The great thing about ornamental grass is it provides you with some winter interest.
Leave it up until early spring, then cut it to the ground and it will flush our with new growth.
Full Sun to Part Shade
Zones vary depending on variety
Lambs Ear
Stachys byzantina
This is a great ground cover. It self-sows readily, but its seedlings are easy to pull out if you don't want them.
It should be cut back two or three times a year or it smothers itself. But if that happens it's no biggie. Just let some of those self-sown seedlings grow and they will be adults in no time.
Full Sun to Shade
Zones 4-9
Russian Sage
Salvia yangii
If you want it to have an upright habit and bush out nicely, I recommend cutting it back twice. Once in early spring and then again in late spring. You could also choose a cultivar that has more of an upright habit.
Full Sun
Zones 4-9
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
If you like fennel tea, you should grow this herb.
This can be an aggressive re-seeder. When cutting back spent blooms I recommend not putting them in the compost pile. I bag them for the town to take away and compost.
Full to part sun
Zones 4-9
Bee Balm
Monarda
You have two choices with Bee Balm. Plant the classic variety and get a ton of gorgeous blooms and tall stature, along with the eventual powdery mildew, or you can get a cultivar that is powdery mildew resistant with way less bloom time. I choose the latter because the powdery mildew is not something I look forward to.
Full Sun
Zones 3-9
Allium
There are two basic kinds of allium for the flower bed. There are the bulbs you plant in the fall that bloom in late spring or early summer, and then there are the clumping allium that bloom in Midsummer. I have them both and I love them.
Lavender
Lavandula
Who doesn't love lavender? It smells amazing, repels moths and other pests, has medicinal qualities, and you can even put it in your lemonade and cookies.
A cut-back after blooming encourages the next set of flowers. I like to give mine a hard prune in early spring when I start seeing new growth coming in to avoid it getting too woody.
Full Sun
Thyme
Thymus vulgaris
This is a great one for the edge of a sidewalk or in between pavers. I like to grow it close to the door so I can cut off a clump for cooking conveniently. Cut it back hard in early spring.
Full Sun
Zones 5-9
Hardy Salvia
Salvia officinalis
These need to cut back a couple of times a year. One hard cut back in early spring, and then after its first flush of blooms has petered out, you can cut it back for another set of blooms.
Full Sun
Zones 4-8
This is a good starting point for a deer-resistant garden. There are quite a few more plants to choose from but these are all easy to find.
When a plant claims to be deer resistant I give it a try. That's really the only way to learn for sure, because everyone's deer seem to have different tastes!
