12 Deer-Resistant Perennials

Also a member of the Daisy, or Composite, plant family, Coneflowers are wonderful deer-resistant additions to the landscape. They are also exemplary butterfly magnets when planted in sunny conditions and, when left on the plant to dry, their seed heads support the birds throughout the fall months.

Want to learn more about growing Coneflowers? Check out our Spotlight Video

Pro Tip: Single flowering, seed-cone producing coneflowers do tend to be slightly more resistant than double flowering types.

A member of the Daisy, or Composite, plant family Coreopsis is a great choice when it comes to deer-resistant perennials. This repeat-flowering native performs well in the garden and provides support for pollinators.

Want to learn more about growing Coreopsis? Check out our Spotlight Video

Blanket flowers are bold, native daisies that bloom in a mixture of hot colors including scarlet red, burnt orange to golden yellow. These profuse bloomers are attractive to all pollinators and they possess excellent deer resistance. Their heat tolerance makes them an excellent option for dry, sunny spaces in the landscape.

Want to learn more about growing Blanket Flowers? Check out our Spotlight Video

The ever-cheerful Shasta Daisies are one of the easiest perennials to grow, cut, divide, and share. Another benefit? You don’t have to worry about pest damage. These reliable bloomers are deer and rabbit resistant and their large, bright, yellow centers make them great pollinator attractors.

Want to learn more about growing Shasta Daisies? Check out our Spotlight Video

An early spring favorite, Hellebores (Lenten Roses) bloom before just about anything else in the garden. These beauties form low mounds of leathery, dark, evergreen foliage, which makes them an excellent deer-resistant option in the shade garden. They sport large, single to double flowers that bloom early spring, at the time of Lent.

Want to learn more about growing Hellebores? Check out our Spotlight Video

When it comes to deer resistance, the more fragrant the better! Scented Dianthus, like Sweet William, are more resistant to deer browsing than other varieties. With its sun and heat tolerance, makes it a beautiful edging plant or perfect for dry spots.

Known as much for its fragrant foliage as for its beautiful blooms, Lavender is a gorgeous, deer-resistant grower. Also cold hardy, Lavender forms dense, clumps of silvery, grey-green, aromatic leaves. This beautiful bloomer thrives in sunny spaces in garden beds and produces rich violet-blue flower spikes that are excellent for cutting and dried arrangements.

Want to learn more about growing Shasta Daisies? Check out our Spotlight Video

This spring bloomer produces dozens of spikes full of fragrant, spicy, sweet pea like blossoms the first year it’s planted. It’s this powerful fragrance that makes Lupine an excellent deer-resistant option. The unique flowers come in almost every color of the rainbow with many eye-catching bicolor varieties sure to stand out in the early spring months.

Want to learn more about growing Lupine? Check out our Spotlight Video

One of the most reliable perennials in the garden Russian Sage sports silvery white stems and grey-green, dissected foliage. The strong aroma this hardy plant produces makes it extremely deer resistant. Flower spikes develop in mid-summer and will continue to show color late into fall making this an excellent late summer pollinator magnet.

A popular member of the mint family, the fresh, minty smell of Catmint (Nepeta) makes this floriferous perennial a great deer-resistant option for sun to part shade areas in the landscape.

Pro Tip: Most members of the mint family, including Bee Balm, Agastache, and Salvia, possess qualities that make them excellent deer-resistant options

Typically periwinkle blue or white, the cup/bell-like flowers of Campanula look gorgeous at the edges of flower beds, in the middle garden border, or in patio containers. These long summer bloomers are a great deer-resistant option for full sun to part sun spaces and will repeat bloom if cut back and fertilized.

Most ornamental grasses are recognized for strong defense against animals, and so it’s always recommended to mix grasses in with your perennial plantings.