July 2, 2023

Deer Resistant Trees & Shrubs

DEER & RABBIT RESISTANT

TREES & SHRUBS

As we grow and test new shrub and tree varieties at our farm facilities in Madison and Perry, Ohio, we learn very quickly which plants are the best performers, which are truly cold hardy, and which offer solid critter resistance. Here are our latest recommendations for trees and shrubs that offer outstanding resistance to animal damage without sacrificing amazing color and hardiness, based on our first-hand, grower experience. We’ll also share our tips for best protecting beloved trees and shrubs that are, perhaps, not so resistant.

Buxus spp.

Boxwood

One of the most popular landscape shrubs, boxwoods provide uniform shape and evergreen structure to whatever space they’re in. They maintain their lush green foliage color throughout the winter. Many hybrid varieties and pyramidal forms are available. Boxwood has excellent deer resistance and year round interest in the landscape and container gardens.

BERBERIS THUNBERGII

Barberry

A wide assortment of thorny, deciduous shrubs with excellent deer resistance and brightly colored foliage in shades of yellow, purple, red and variegated. Growth forms vary from low and mounded to vase shaped to columnar. They make a superb choice for adding three seasons of interest in landscape borders or foundation plantings.

Ginkgo biloba

Ginkgo

These slow-growing, deciduous trees grow best in full sun to part shade areas of the landscape. Their unique, fan-shaped leaves are vibrant green throughout the spring and summer and turn golden yellow each fall.

Juniper spp.

Juniper

This sun-loving, durable evergreen family offers trees and shrubs of various growth habits. Their small, sharp needles make them fantastic, deer-resistant options for landscapes and natural screens.

Buddleia spp.

Butterfly Bush

One of the top pollinator attractants for Northeast Ohio gardens, Buddleia also exhibits excellent deer resistance! They are large upright oval to vase shaped varieties down to compact 12″ tall dwarfs producing 4-12″ long panicles with fragrant florets that bloom in shades of pink, purple, blue and white from June until frost. Excellent in sunny mixed perennial beds, pollinator gardens and shrub borders.

Picea spp.

Spruce

This evergreen family produces an assortment of small to medium-sized shrubs up to large coniferous trees. The needles of this family are sharp, making them a fantastic deer-resistant option. Most plants in the spruce family are slow-growing, but also extremely cold-hardy. They can be used as a very effective natural screen, specimen, Christmas tree, or for smaller species, a foundation, container, or bank cover plant.

FORSYTHIA INTERMEDIA

Forsythia

The bright yellow flowers of Forsythia are one of the first signs that Spring is in fact on its way.  An excellent fast-growing shrub, this deer-resistant beauty is ideal for hedge planting, mixed borders, and a backdrop for flowering shrubs and perennials. Several newer varieties are available that grow more compact and are densely covered with flowers.

Viburnum spp.

Snowball Bush

Also known as snowball bush, Viburnum are beautiful, deciduous shrubs that produce showy (and sometimes fragrant) spring flowers. They also provide excellent fall color and their fall berry production supports the songbirds! What’s not to love? They make excellent tall screens or hedges, specimen trees and shrubs for a fragrance or cutting garden.

BETULA NIGRA

River Birch

A beautiful multiple or single trunk tree that produces exfoliating bark, providing year-round interest in the landscape. Foliage turns a brilliant golden color each fall. In addition to its fantastic deer resistance, this native tree is drought tolerant, salt tolerant, and tolerant of wet soil.

CHAMAECYPARIS SPP.

False Cypress

The Falsecypress family includes many attractive varieties of evergreen trees and shrubs in multiple colors. Some varieties are low and mounded, others are tall and pyramidal in varying shades of green to gold. They add stunning four seasons of color and texture to the landscape.

a quick note

are hydrangeas deer-resistant?

When it comes to Hydrangeas, most do have a tendency to be damaged by four-legged, furry pests. At our hydrangea farms in Lake County, we’re unable to physically separate plants from animals, as we cannot fence in the field rows. Instead, we rely heavily on Plantskydd® for hydrangea protection, a certified organic repellent with a long efficacy period and beneficial nitrogen.

more Deer Resistant Plants

A video guide to

deer-resistant shrubs

If you have a problem with deer browsing, it can be frustrating to see your foundational shrubs damaged time & again. Fortunately, we offer plenty of options that deer tend to pass by! Noelle gives a detailed guide to some out our favorite deer-resistant shrubs. She lists attributes that deer avoid, and introduces 25 deer-resistant shrubs to grow for specimen, hedge, and foundational plantings here in Northeast Ohio!

Angelo recommends

SPRING | It’s our experience in the spring that new growth and flower buds are rather tender and benefit from repellant or barrier protection from animals. For low growth emerging from the ground, try a granular form of repellant. For larger trees and shrubs with new growth, try a spray repellant and/or physical barriers such as fencing or netting.

FALL | It’s important to protect the trunks of young or newly-planted trees in the landscape. In the beginning of September, male bucks can cause severe landscape damage on saplings (trees 3”caliper or less) and young shrubs by rutting. This can be easily prevented with plastic tree guards, burlap, chicken wire, or mesh screening material.

Unfortunately, no plant is completely impervious to deer browsing. However, the more resistant species do possess distinctive traits that make them less palatable to deer. When shopping for deer-resistant plants to add to your garden, remember to look for plants with prickly or fuzzy foliage, or intensely fragrant flowers and foliage.

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