Gardeners across the Pacific Northwest know the frustration all too well—lush landscapes and abundant rainfall make for ideal growing conditions, but they also attract hungry wildlife eager to feast on tender new growth.
To minimize the damage voracious deer, elk, and rabbits do to your landscape, try these easy strategies for smart, deer-resistant gardening:
- Thoughtful plant selection: Less appetizing plant choices (no plant is 100% deer-resistant)
- Companion planting: Deterrent plants used in combination with more desirable options
- Physical barriers: Fencing or other structures that block animals from reaching plants
The good news is that it's entirely possible to create a landscape that's still beautiful and engaging year-round using deer-resistant plants. These animals may sample anything at least once, especially when other food sources are scarce, but choosing varieties they find less appealing means that even if they visit, they're likely to move through without causing serious harm. Here are some helpful tips for selecting plants for deer, elk, and rabbit resistance in your garden!
Characteristics of Deer-Resistant Plants
Deer and rabbit-resistant plants usually possess at least one, if not more, of the following traits that allow them to stand up against regular visits from hungry visitors without being eaten.
Aromatic & Fragrant Leaves
Aromatic foliage is a real win in the fight against herbivores (and even pests like mosquitos—more on that below!). These leaves smell fragrant to humans and pests alike and are the result of oil-producing glands in the leaves, which means they produce scent even when then aren’t in bloom. Many of these selections are drought-tolerant and thrive even in low-maintenance landscapes.
Catmint
Rosemary
Euphorbia
Fuzzy or Hairy Leaves
Leaves that have fuzz or hair on the surface are extremely well-adapted to withstanding predation (and even drought!). That’s because the hairs that help trap escaping moisture from the leaves also makes them less appetizing to pests like rabbits, deer, and elk. These fuzzy plants often have a grey-blue appearance on their leaves, making them great additions to gardens that introduce new textures and tones through foliage.
Foxglove
Geum
Woolly Thyme
Spiny or Deeply Serrated Leaves
Leaves with spines protruding from their surface are a very obvious and effective way to keep all sorts of predators away. Sharp and pokey spines help keep any animal with a chewing mouth from eating their leaves, and the same principle applies to deeply serrated leaves as well.
Yarrow
Hellebore
Elderberry
Waxy & Glossy Leaves
Plants with waxy leaves that shine in the sunlight are great at withstanding a multitude of environmental stressors including herbivores like deer, elk, and rabbits. Their thick, glossy coatings mean these leaves are tough to penetrate and digest, which is a defense against being eaten as well as a protection against pollution and other fluctuations in the external environment.
Lilac
Daphne
Ajuga
Deer-Resistant Plant List
Deer-Resistant Perennials:
- Agastache
- Artemisia
- Bee Balm
- Bleeding Heart
- Brunnera
- Catmint
- Coreopsis
- Daylily
- Echinacea
- Euphorbia
- Foxglove
- Geranium
- Geum
- Heather
- Hellebore
- Hyacinth
- Lavender
- Lemon Verbena
- Narcissus
- Oriental Poppy
- Pulmonaria
- Rudbeckia
- Russian Sage
- Sage
- Salvia
- Senecio
- Stachys
- Upright Phlox
- Yarrow
Deer-Resistant Shrubs:
- Barberry
- Boxwood
- Buddleia
- Caryopteris
- Daphne
- Elderberry
- Escallonia
- Ilex
- Lilac
- Mock Orange
- Myrtle
- Physocarpus
- Pieris
- Rose of Sharon
- Rosemary
- Smokebush
- Spirea
- Twig Dogwood
- Weigela
Deer-Resistant Trees:
- Flowering Cherry
- Juniper
- Oak
- Spruce
- Vine Maple
Deer-Resistant Vines:
- Honeysuckle
Deer-Resistant Ornamental Grasses:
- Bluestem Grass
- Blue Oat Grass
- Feather Reed Grass
- Fountain Grass
- Japanese Forest Grass
- Switch Grass
Deer-Resistant Groundcover:
- Ajuga
- Creeping Phlox
- Lamb’s Ear
- Oregono
- Santolina
- Sedum
- Sweet Woodruff
- Thyme
- Vinca
- Woolly Thyme
Coreopsis
Honeysuckle
Fountain Grass
Mosquito-Repellent Plants
Many of the deer-resistant plants with aromatic foliage are also excellent at repelling mosquitos! Coincidentally, these aromatic plants often thrive in dry, well-draining soils that mosquitos hate. But planted around your patio or entertaining spaces, these arid, fragrant plants can help ward off pesky mosquitos. Some excellent mosquito-repellent plants for Pacific Northwest gardens include Agastache, Lavender, Marigolds, Scented Geranium, Lemon Verbena, Bee Balm, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme.
Agastache
Marigold
Lavender
Visit us in store to shop our vast selection of deer-resistant, elk-resistant, and rabbit-resistant plants. You can talk with our gardening experts and get in-person advice on the best plants for your garden and situation!