Deer-Resistant Plants
Deer have preferences for feeding on certain plant species. Some plants, both native and ornamental, used for landscaping are preferred as forage by deer. Additionally, landscaped plants are often more attractive to deer because they are fertilized and irrigated. There are some species of plants that deer avoid feeding on because they are less palatable. Though no plants are totally resistant to deer browsing, some are less palatable to deer and are less likely to receive heavy damage.
The following is an incomplete list of “deer-resistant” plants or plants that deer don’t normally prefer to eat. People experiencing deer browse damage to their landscape plantings may consider planting some of the species on this list as alternatives to plants that deer prefer and often damage. When choosing “deer-resistant” plants, it is also important to avoid plants known to be invasive in Maryland such as barberry. For a list of plants to avoid, click here to learn about "Bad Plants Planted by Good People" or click here for the Plant Invaders of the Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas Guide. For deer-resistant plants for pollinators, check out our HabiChat article here
Trees
(Plants in BOLD font are native to Maryland)
- Allegheny Serviceberry (Amelanchier laevis)
- American Beach (Fagus grandifolia
- American Holly (Ilex opaca)
- Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum)
- Black Gum (Nyssa sylvatica)
- Chinese Paper Birch (Betula albo sinensis)
- Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens glauca)
- Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Downy Serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea)
- Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginica)
- Flowering Dogwood (Cornus florida)
- Gingko (Gingko biloba)
- Heritage Birch (Betula nigra "Heritage”)
- Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
- Japanese Cedar (Cryptomeria japonica)
- Japanese Falsecypress
- Kousa Dogwood (Cornus kousa)
- Paw-Paw (Asimina triloba)
- Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
- Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
- Sweetbay Magnolia (Magnolia virginica)
- Sweetgum (Liquidambar styriciflua)
- Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis)
Shrubs
(Plants in BOLD font are native to Maryland)
- American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
- American elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
- Andromeda (Pieris japonica)
- Arrowwood (Virburnum dentatum)
- Beautybush (Kolkwitzia amabilis)
- Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium)
- Bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis)
- Button Bush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
- Chinese Holly (Ilex cornuta)
- Chinese Juniper (Juniperus chinensis)
- Common Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
- Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis)
- Dwarf Sweet Box (Sarcoccoca hookeriana var. humilis)
- Fetterbush (Eubotrys racemosa)
- Fothergila (Fothergilla gardenia)
- Inkberry (Ilex glabra)
- Japanese Plum Yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia var. horeana)
- Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
- Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
- Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo)
- Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
- Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea)
- Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)
- Sweet Pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia}
- Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera)
- Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata)
Flowers And Ferns
(Plants in
BOLD font are native to Maryland
- Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)
- Astilbe (Astilbe sp)
- Black Cohosh (Actaea racemosa)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Bleeding Heart (Dicentra exemia) and the non-native (Dicentra spectabilis)
- Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrosticoides)
- Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)
- Common Dill (Anethum graveolens)
- Culver’s Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)
- Euphorbia (Euphorbia spp.); some species are native
- Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana spp.)
- Foam Flower (Tiarella cordifolia)
- Foxglove (Digitalis spp.)
- Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea)
- Hayscented Fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula)
- Hyacinth (Hyacinthus orientalis)
- Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema triphylum)
- Lady Fern (Athryrium felix-femina)
- Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
- Marigold (Tagetes spp.)
- Monkshood (Aconitum spp.); some native species
- Nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus)
- Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis)
- Rue Anemone (Thalictrum thalictroides)
- Sage (Salvia spp.)
- Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
- Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
- Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)
- Thyme (Thymus spp.)
- Toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)
- White Wood Aster (Eurybia divaricata)
- Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense)
- Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis)
- Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Yucca (Yucca spp.)
Grasses
(Plants in BOLD font are native to Maryland)
- Bluestems (Andropogon spp.)
- Canada Wildrye (Elymus canadensis)
- Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)
- Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
- Pennsylvania Sedge (Carex pennsylvanicum)
- Purple Lovegrass (Eragrostis spectabilis)
- Sea Oats (Chasmanthium latifolium)
- Soft Rush (Juncus effusus)
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
