The 20 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs to Plant (Because Bambi Is Getting on Your Nerves)

Boxwood has been a favorite garden shrub for hundreds of years, thanks largely to its classic, uniform look. These shrubs can be left in their natural forms or sheared into shapes for hedges or topiaries.

Deer tend to leave junipers alone, and they’re available in many different forms, from ground cover types to more upright shapes. Junipers are super-hardy shrubs in sun, cold or drought conditions, so they work almost anywhere.

The bright yellow flowers or forsythia bloom in very early spring before the leaves have emerged, providing a little cheer in an otherwise gloomy landscape. (Spring is coming!) New types are more compact.

This perennial favorite attracts tons of pollinators all summer long. Look for new types, which are not invasive and are more compact and well-behaved in the garden, keeping a smaller profile.

Blooming from spring to frost, this hardy shrub needs little care. It can withstand the cold well and tolerates any type of soil.

Beautyberry is a real showstopper in the autumn landscape. This gorgeous shrub has white flowers and stunning pink or purple berries throughout that time of year.

Inkberry resembles boxwood, but it’s more disease-resistant. Even better? This compact little evergreen maintains its rounded form without you needing to prune it.

These reliable summer bloomers add late season color to your garden. New varieties are more cold-hardy and have lacy blooms that come in lovely shades of pale pink or blue.

This attractive shrub has bright red stems in winter, which contrast beautifully against a field of snow. Look for dwarf varieties, which are more manageable in small gardens.

This rugged dwarf evergreen has a charming, squat shape and interesting “candles” in the spring. Mugo pines have a great architectural form and make excellent foundation plantings or accent plants.

Pieris is also called lily of the valley shrub for the oodles of dangling pink or white bell-shaped flowers that appear in very early spring. It’s an eye-catching shrub that should be part of every garden for its charming appearance and welcome spring color.

This dramatic evergreen shrub has upright fern-like branches and sprays of yellow flowers in late fall to early winter. Plant it in mixed borders or as a foundation shrub.

Bees love caryopteris (particularly its brilliant blue flowers) in late summer to early fall, when many other garden plants are fading. This lesser-known shrub is a great addition to any garden.

This hardy native shrub has tons of white flower clusters in early summer, followed by pretty blue fruit in the fall. Arrowwood viburnum tops out around 5 feet tall, so it won’t overwhelm most gardens.

Barberry is a compact shrub that maintains a nice, rounded or pillar shape with no little or no pruning. Look for newer varieties that have gorgeous bright orange, red or chartreuse foliage all season long.

Weigela has beautiful burgundy, green or variegated leaves with stunning tubular flowers in spring. Some types rebloom later in the summer, too, so you get more bang for your buck.

This classic spring bloomer has the most amazing scent that works well in traditional or cottage gardens. New varieties of lilac also are more compact and less leggy, and some types rebloom in summer or fall.

This hardy shrub has tiny clusters of flowers that appear in late spring to early summer. Spirea comes in many different varieties, but look for dwarf types if you don’t have a lot of space. Reblooming types offer a second show later in the season.

This low-growing shrub makes a beautiful groundcover or foundation planting. Deutzia also has lovely arching branches and a profusion of lovely pink or white flowers in spring.

This compact evergreen hugs the ground and has feathery foliage that turns bronze in winter. It can take even the harshest climates (it is called “Siberian,” after all).