Rutgers University has developed a handy on-line tool for gardeners with major deer issues. It is an extensive deer resistant plant list. It includes most commonly planted trees, shrubs, perennials and annuals. It further subdivides the listing by:
A. Rarely Damaged
B. Seldom Severely Damaged Plants
C. Occasionally Severely Damaged
D. Frequently Severely Damaged
Plants in Categories C and D are often preferred by deer and should only be planted with additional protection such as the use of fencing, repellents, etc. Success of any of these plants in the landscape will depend on local deer populations and weather conditions.
Here is a listing of popular perennials that grown in zones 6 and 7. I have combed the Rutgers listing for the most dependable. One Caveat: deer do not read or obey plant listings. It depends on their appetite.
- Peony (Paeonia spp.)
- Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp.)
- Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculus)
- Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
- Garden Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Russian Sage (Perovskia spp.)
- Penstemon, Beards tongue (Penstemon spp.)
- Meadow Rue (Thalictrum spp.)
- Catmint (Nepeta spp.)
- Yarrow (Achillea filipendula)
- Ornamental Onion (Allium spp.)
- Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina)
- Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata).
- Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia spp.)
- False Indigo (Baptisia australis)
- Arkansas Amsonia (Amsonia hubrichtii)
- Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia tritoma)
- Dusty Miller (Jacobaea maritima)
- Larkspur (Delphinium spp.)
- Artemisia, Silver Mound (Artemisia spp.)
- Thyme (Thymus spp.)
- Golden Sage (Salvia officinalis)
- Aster (Symphyotrichum spp.)
- Iris (Iris spp.)
- Siberian Bugloss (Brunnera macrophylla)
- Lenten Rose (Helleborus spp.)
- Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.)
- Helenium, Sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale)
- Sweet Flag (Acorus gramineus)
- Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
- Hardy Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
- Oriental Fountain Grass (Pennisetum orientalis)
- Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora)
- Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)
- Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
- Pampas Grass (Cortaderia selloana)
- Hardy Sedges (Carex spp.)
- Lady Fern (Athyrium filix-femina)
- Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum var. pictum)
- Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)
- Ostrich Fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris)
- Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
- Wood Fern (Dryopteris marginalis)
- Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis)
- Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
- Rattlesnake Master (Eryngium yuccifolium)
Plants in the Frequently Severely Damaged category are often preferred by deer and should only be planted with additional protection such as the use of fencing, repellents, etc. Success of any of these plants in the landscape will depend on local deer populations and weather conditions.
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