Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants

Gary L. Wade, Extension Horticulturist,
Department of Horticulture
Michael T. Mengak, Wildlife Specialist,
Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

Deer like nutrition-rich plants, especially in spring and summer when does are pregnant or nursing, when young deer are growing and when bucks are growing antlers. Fertilized plants, such as those in home landscapes, provide protein, energy-rich carbohydrates, minerals and salts. Deer also get about one-third of their water from the moisture in irrigated plants and young, succulent vegetation on expanding leaves, buds and green stems.

Nuisance deer that feast on home gardens and bucks that damage young trees by rubbing them with their antlers during the rutting season are difficult and expensive to control in residential communities. Although there are a number of commercially available deer repellents on the market, none of them are 100 percent effective. Most “home remedy” repellents, such as soap, human hair and animal dung, are unreliable. Shooting deer or using noise guns is prohibited in most residential neighborhoods, and many citizens are opposed to this method of control. Fencing whole communities or individual properties is often not practical, and may be against local ordinances or community covenants. Trapping and relocating deer is costly and often harmful or fatal to deer.

If deer are overabundant in your neighborhood, and deer herd reduction or management is not feasible, a good way to prevent deer browsing in landscapes is to plant ornamental plants that deer do not like to eat.

There is no such thing as a deer-resistant plant, and when deer populations are high and food becomes scarce, deer may feed on plants that are thought to be deer-tolerant. However, deer generally do not like plants with pungent aromas. Some gardeners have reported success with planting strong-scented plants like lantana, catmint, chives, mint, sage or thyme adjacent to plants that deer frequently browse. Deer also shy away from plants with prickly or rough leaves and plants with a bitter taste. Sometimes, deer browse new plantings or established plants with tender new growth, then avoid those same plants when their leaves are mature.

Over the years, wildlife organizations, universities, botanical gardens and garden writers have constructed many lists of deer-tolerant and deer-susceptible ornamental plants. Because most of these lists are constructed from observational trial-and-error data instead of controlled scientific studies, they are open for criticism. Furthermore, many variables influence deer feeding preferences.

The list below is a compilation of ornamental plants for Georgia hardiness zones that appear in published literature (see References) as well as observations by the authors. It is intended to be a guide for selecting ornamental plants for landscapes where deer browsing is a problem. Plants known to be invasive and a serious problem in natural areas, regardless of their level of deer tolerance, were excluded from the list.

References

Adler, Bill Jr. 1999. Outwitting Deer. The Globe Pequot Press., ISBN: 1-55821-629-4

Appleton, Forrest. 2008. Deer in the Urban Landscapes: Coping with the Deer by the Use of Deer-Resistant Plants.

Halls, Lowell K. and Thomas H. Ripley. 1961. Deer Browse Plants of Southern Forests. Published by the Forest Game Research Committee of the Southeastern Section of the Wildlife Society.

Hart, Rhonda Massingham. 1997. Deer Proofing Your Yard and Garden. Stipes Publishing Co., ISBN:088266-988-5

Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance. Rutgers University Cooperative Extension.

Larson, Richard. 2001. Deer-Resistant Plants — Shrubs and Trees for the Deer-Plagued Gardener. Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Moreland, David. A Checklist of the Woody and Herbaceous Deer Food Plants of Louisiana. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

Nuss, Robert J. 2001. Deer Resistant Plants. Penn State Cooperative Extension Fact Sheet No. GH001.

Perry, Leonard. Choosing Deer-resistant Landscape Plants. University of Vermont Department of Plant and Soil Sciences.