Short of enclosing one’s garden with a very tall fence, absolute deer- resistance is a myth. If they are hungry enough, deer will sample anything. If you live with and around deer populations, it’s better to think in relative terms and grow plants that have been observed to be toward the bottom of their hierarchy of taste. Some of these plants are toxic, others have offensive (to deer) pungent smells, and still others simply have unpalatable textures. The following list is not exhaustive but includes plants that we carry here at Mary’s.

Achillea (Yarrow)

Acorus (Sweet Flag)

Aegopodium (Bishop’s Weed)

Agapanthus (Lily of the Nile)

Agastache (Anise Hyssop)

Ageratum (annual)

Ajuga (Bugleweed)

Alchemilla (Lady’s Mantle)

Allium (Chives, Garlic Chives, Ornamental Onion)

Alocasia (Elephant Ear)

Alstroemeria (Inca Lily)

Alyssum (annual)

Amsonia (Blue-star)

Anchusa (Alkanet)

Antirrinum (Snapdragon)

Aquilegia (Columbine)

Arabis (Rockcress)

Armeria (Thrift)

Artemisia

Arundo (Giant Variegated Reed)

Asarum (Wild Ginger)

Asclepias (Butterfly Weed)

Asparagus springerii (Asparagus Fern)
Aster
Astilbe

Athyrium (various Ferns)

Aurinia (Basket of Gold)

Baptisia (False Indigo)

Bergenia (Pigsqueak)

Bignonia (Crossvine)

Brugmansia (Angel’s Trumpet)

Brunnera (Heartleaf Forget-Me-Not)

Buddleia (Butterfly Bush)

Calamagrostis (Feather Reed Grass)

Campsis (Trumpet Creeper)

Carex (various Sedges)

Caryopteris (Bluebeard)

Centaurea (Bachelor’s Buttons)

Centranthus (Red Valerian)

Cerastium (Snow in Summer)

Ceratostigma (False Plumbago)

Chasmanthium (Northern Sea Oats)

Chelone (Turtlehead)

Cimicifuga

Clematis (some)

Cleome

Colocasia (Elephant Ear)

Convallaria (Lily of the Valley)

Coreopsis

Cortaderia (Pampas Grass)

Corydalis

Crocosmia

Delosperma (Ice Plant)

Delphinium

Dianthus

Dicentra (Bleeding Heart)

Digitalis (Foxglove)

Dryopteris (various Ferns)

Echeveria

Echinacea (Purple Coneflower)

Erianthus (Plume Grass)

Erigeron (Fleabane)

Erysimum (Wallflower)

Eupatorium (Joe Pye Weed)

Euphorbia (Spurge)

Festuca (Blue Fescue Grass)

Fuchsia

Galium (Sweet Woodruff)

Gaura

Gazania

Geranium

Gypsophila (Baby’s Breath)

Hakonechloa (Japanese Forest Grass)

Helianthemum (Sunrose)

Helichrysum

Helleborus

Herniaria (Rupturewort)

Heuchera

Heucherella

Hibiscus (some)

Houttuynia

Hyacinthoides (Spanish Bluebells)

Hypericum

Iberis (Candytuft)

Iris

Juncus effusus (Soft Rush)

Knautia

Kniphofia (Red-hot Poker)

Lamiastrum

 Lamium

Lantana

Lathyrus (Sweet pea)

Lavandula (Lavender)

Leonotis (Lion’s Ear)

Leucanthemum (Shasta Daisy)

Liatris (Gayfeather)

Ligularia

Lilium  (Asian and Oriental Lily)

Liriope

Lobelia (Cardinal Flower)

Lonicera (Honeysuckle)

Lychnis (Rose Campion)

Lysimachia (Creeping Jenny)

Marigold

Marrubium (Horehound)

Matteuccia (Ostrich Fern)

Mazus

Melissa (Lemon Balm)

Mentha (Mint)

Miscanthus (various Grasses)

Monarda (Bee Balm)

Muehlenbeckia (Creeping Wire-Vine)

Narcissus (Daffodil)

Nasella (Mexican Feather Grass)

Nepeta (Catnip and Catmint)

Nicotiana (Flowering Tobacco)

Ocimum (Basil)

Oenothera (Evening Primrose)
Onoclea (Sensitive Fern)
Ophiopogon (Mondo Grass)

Opuntia (Prickly Pear)

Origanum (Oregano)

Osmunda (Royal Fern, Cinnamon Fern)

Oxalis (Shamrock)

Pachysandra

Paeonia (Peony)

Panicum (Switch Grass)

Papaver (Poppy)

Pennisetum (Fountain Grass)

Penstemon (Beardtongue)

Perovskia (Russian Sage)

Phalaris (Ribbon Grass)

Pleioblastus (Dwarf Bamboo)

Polemonium (Jacob’s Ladder)

Polygonatum (Variegated Solomon’s Seal)

Polystichum (various Ferns)

Primula (Primrose)

Pulmonaria (Lungwort)

Rheum (Rhubarb)

Rosmarinus (Rosemary)

Rubus (Creeping Raspberry)

Rudbeckia

Rumex (Red-veined Sorrel)

Rumohra (Leatherleaf Fern)

Ruta (Rue)

Sagina (Irish Moss, Scotch Moss)

Salvia

Santolina

Saponaria (Soapwort)

Saxifraga

Scabiosa (Pincushion Flower)

Schizachyrium (Little Bluestem)

Scrophularia (Red Birds in a Tree)

Sedum (several)

Sempervivum (Hens and Chicks)

Senecio (Dusty Miller)

Sisyrinchium (Blue-eyed Grass)

Snapdragon

Solidago (Goldenrod)

Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink)

Stachys (Lamb’s Ears)

Stokesia (Stoke’s Aster)

Teucrium (Germander)

Thelypteris (Southern Wood Fern)

Thymus (Thyme)

Tiarella (Foamflower)

Tradescantia (Spiderwort)

Verbena

Vernonia lettermannii ‘Iron Butterfly’

Veronica (Speedwell)

Vinca (annual)

Weigela

Wisteria

Yucca

Zantedeschia (Calla Lily)