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The 22 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs to Plant (Because Bambi Is Getting on Your Nerves)

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best deer resistant shrubs to plant cat

Bambi is adorable. Until she starts chewing on your roses or chowing down on your azaleas. The truth is that as suburbia has spread, deer have to go somewhere. And that could be your garden.

If you appreciate deer but want to have some greenery to enjoy, you can try planting deer-resistant shrubs. Nothing’s 100 percent foolproof for staving off hungry deer, but we’ve rounded up a few of the best types to plant and have a few tips for living peacefully with your neighborhood deer with advice from our expert, Michael Mengak, PhD, professor and wildlife specialist at Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. And, just to provide you with more options, we've included recommendations for deer-resistant plantings from several university extension coop services across the country.

Which Plants Do Deer Hate the Most?

You can plant shrubs deer don’t love. However, if they get hungry enough, if there’s a large deer population in the area or if it’s an especially harsh winter, deer will eat anything—even plants they usually don’t like. But you can at least give these plants, which they’re less likely to munch on, a try. 

The plants deer typically hate the most include boxwoods, junipers, forsythia, butterfly bush, beautyberry and inkberry holly, as well as most hollies in general, says Dr. Mengak.

You also can check with your local university coop extension service (find yours here), which often list deer-tolerant ornamental plants in your region, such as these lists by the University of GeorgiaPenn State, and Rutgers University, the University of Michigan and Oklahoma State University.

The bottom line: There’s no such thing as deer-proof plants, only (somewhat) deer-resistant ones.

The 22 Best Deer-Resistant Shrubs to Plant

best deer resistant shrubs to plant boxwood
beekeepx/Getty Images

1. Boxwood (Buxus species, or spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USD Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun (6+ hours of direct sunlight) to part shade
  • Size: 8 to 12 feet tall and wide, depending on type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant juniper
oxygen/Getty Images

2. Juniper (Juniperus spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 6 to 50 feet tall and 6 to 20 feet wide, depending on the species
best deer resistant shrubs to plant forsythia
Khanh Ngo Photography/Getty Images

3. Forsythia (Forsythia spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full to part shade
  • Size: 2.5 to 12 feet tall and 2.5 to 10 feet wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant butterfly bush
Jacky Parker Photography/Getty Images

4. Butterfly Bush (Buddleia spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs:  Full sun
  • Size: 2 to 10 feet tall and 2 to 10 feet wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant potentilla
Zen Rial/Getty Images

5. Potentilla (Potentilla fruticosa)

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

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 7
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
  • Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide
best deer resistant shrubs to plant beautyberry
DigiPub/Getty Images

6. Beautyberry (Callicarpa spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant inkberry holly
Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners

7. Inkberry Holly (Ilex glabra)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
  • Size: 3 feet tall and wide
best deer resistant shrubs to plant rose of sharon
Carmen Hauser/Getty Images

8. Rose Of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 10 to 15 feet tall and 2 to 10 feet wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant red osier dogwood
Photo Courtesy of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc.

9. Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus stolonefera)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 7
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
  • Size: 3 to 5 feet tall and wide
best deer resistant shrubs to plant mugo pine
Massimo Ravera/Getty Images

10. Dwarf Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 2 to 5 feet tall and wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant pieris
Getty Images

11. Pieris (Pieris japonica)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Part sun
  • Size: 2 to 8 feet tall and wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant mahonia
Getty Images

12. Mahonia (Mahonia eurybracteata ‘Soft Caress’)

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, and be sure to look out purchase this specific cultivar, 'Soft Caress,' for its finer, softer texture and petite size.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 7 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Part sun
  • Size: 2.5 to 3 feet tall and wide
best deer resistant shrubs to plant caryopteris
Federica Grassi/Getty Images

13. Caryopteris (Caryopteris spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and wide
best deer resistant shrubs to plant arrowwood viburnum
Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners

14. Arrowwood Viburnum (Arrowwood dentatum)

This hardy native shrub has tons of white flower clusters in early summer, followed by pretty blue fruit in the fall. Arrowwood viburnum needs a second viburnum, such as Chicago Luster, to help pollinate so that it will form fruit.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
  • Size: 5 to 7 tall and wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant barberry
Zen Rial/Getty Images

15. Barberry (Berberis spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 9
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 2 to 4 feet tall and wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant weigela
Feifei Cui-Paoluzzo/Getty Images

16. Weigela (Weigela florida)

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

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 1.5 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 5 feet wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant lilac
Chris Reddy/Getty Images

17. Lilac (Syringa spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 3 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 3 to 10 feet tall and 3 to 8 feet wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant spirea
Catherine McQueen/Getty Images

18. Spirea (Spirea spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 2 to 8 feet tall and wide, depending on the type
best deer resistant shrubs to plant deutzia
Jacky Parker Photography/Getty Images

19. Deutzia (Deutzia spp)

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.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 5 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 2 to 4 feet tall and wide
best deer resistant shrubs to plant siberian cypress
Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners

20. Siberian Cypress (Microbiota decussata)

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).

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 2 to 7
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun to part shade
  • Size: 3 to 6 feet tall and wide
pink flowers on crape myrtle, a deer-resistant shrub
Getty Images

21. Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Crape myrtle come in an array of beautiful colors, from pink to red to white. The frilly flowers appear for months, and it’s drought-tolerant once established.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 6 to 10
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full sun
  • Size: 10 to 15 tall and 4 to 5 feet wide, depending on the type
a small green false cypress, a deer-resistant shrub
Getty Images

22. False Cypress (Chamaecyparis spp)

This soft, graceful evergreen is a good alternative to arborvitae (a favorite of deer). It’s fairly slow-growing but has a lovely pyramidal form that doesn’t require pruning to maintain its shape.

Fast Facts

  • USDA Hardiness Zones: 4 to 8
  • How Much Sun It Needs: Full to part sun
  • Size: 3 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide, depending on the type

Your Biggest Questions About Dealing with Deer, Answered

How Do I Know Deer Are Damaging My Garden?

If you notice chewed-up plants and you’re not sure you have deer damage, look for ragged edges. Because deer have no upper incisors, they bite and tear plants from ground level up to about 6 feet off the ground. Some of your plants may get trampled, too, as they roam your yard.

Damage can occur year-round. Plus, even if you’ve never had deer browse issues before, it can start at any time—due to conditions such as drought, flood, overpopulation and competition with other browsing animals, such as rabbits. “Deer can travel a mile or two and a young deer dispersing for the first time can travel up to five miles,” says Dr. Mengak.

What Can I Do to Keep Deer from Eating My Plants?

Nothing is 100 percent foolproof. A fence that’s 4 to 6 tall is most effective for keeping them out of gardens, but it’s not always practical. Plus, “motivated deer can jump an 8-foot fence,” says Dr. Mengak.

You can try scare devices, or repellants such as capsaicin, putrescent egg (smelly, though the odor fades in a day) or products such as Milorganite, but research shows they only work some of the time. Plus, you usually need to rotate repellant types and reapply after rain. “You also need to get the repellants in the garden as early as possible in the season,” says Dr. Mengak. “Application before the deer start feeding on your plants is important.” Finally, read the label; some repellants should never be used on edibles such as vegetables and berries.

As for homemade repellants (bars of soap, hair, coyote urine), they just don’t work. Deer are incredibly adaptable and will learn to put up with a lot of things once they learn they’re not really in danger.

Your best bet is to combine methods: Use repellants, and rotate what you’re using every week or two. Be consistent, and reapply after heavy rains or about every 5 to 7 days.

What Are Some Flowering Shrubs That Are Deer-Resistant?

There are no guarantees about what deer will or won’t eat because deer have individual preferences, just like people! But you can try flowering shrubs that are strongly scented or that have fuzzy or rough leaves. That includes shrubs such as butterfly bush, deutzia, weigela, daphne and lilac.

Why Do Deer Avoid Boxwood?

It’s not really known why deer avoid boxwood, says Dr. Mengak. Lists of ornamental plants that are considered “deer resistant” have been compiled mostly from observations and trial-and-error, instead of from controlled scientific studies. Many different variables influence deer feeding preferences, including the number of deer in an area, weather and individual tastes.

There are theories as to why deer generally avoid boxwoods (though, remember, they may eat anything during lean times). Some say it’s because boxwoods contain alkaloids, which are toxic to animals such as cats, dogs, and horses and people. Others say the scent—which some people think smells faintly of cat urine—is a turn-off to deer.

But the truth is that we don’t know for sure. And because the deer aren’t talking, all we can do is plant boxwoods and rejoice in the fact that Bambi and friends will leave them alone, at least most of the time.


purewow author

Freelance Gardening Editor

Arricca Elin SanSone is a gardener with more than 15 years of experience. In addition to PureWow, she writes for Prevention, Country Living, Veranda, The Spruce and many other...