A Guide to Deer-Resistant Landscaping
Coexistence with Local Wildlife
As white-tailed deer populations expand throughout suburban and rural Massachusetts, protecting prized landscape plants has become increasingly challenging. While selecting less palatable species can mitigate browsing damage, complete resistance is never guaranteed. A deer's diet is influenced by several factors, including their current health, previous experience, weather patterns, and the scarcity of preferred food sources.
Protect newly planted woody plants with sturdy, wire mesh barriers. If deer pressure is heavy, leave barriers in place until
plants are well established and able to tolerate some browsing. In late winter and early spring, if deer are hungry they will feed readily, with little discrimination, on young trees and shrubs.
In an effort to assist in the maintenance of a stunning landscape, we have developed this resource highlighting the most reliable deer-resistant woody varieties:
Recommended Flowering Varieties
Gardeners can enjoy vibrant blooms without attracting grazers by choosing forsythia, butterfly bush, or rose of Sharon Other reliable flowering options include cinquefoil (Potentilla), bluebeard, and Andromeda (Pieris japonica).
While few plants are entirely immune to grazing, certain varieties are highly successful at discouraging visitors. Deer frequently bypass fragrant shrubs such as juniper.
If you are looking to create a natural screen, red twig dogwood, Viburnum and boxwood stand out as some of the most reliable selections for hedging.Viburnum is highly regarded for its unappealing taste and scent, making the plant itself quite resilient. However, be aware that deer may still browse the blossoms, which could prevent the development of fruit. Deer find the potent fragrance of Russian Sage highly distasteful, which makes it a standout choice for gardens. While often treated as a woody perennial or subshrub, its resilience is well-documented. For additional robust planting ideas, you may also review this comprehensive collection of deer resistant perennials.
Herbaceous Plants to Try
Bulbs: autumn crocus, daffodil, Dutch iris, hyacinth, snowdrop, Siberian squill
Annuals: ageratum, larkspur, marigold, nasturtium, snapdragon, sweet alyssum
Perennials: bleeding heart, purple coneflower, daylily ('Stella de Oro'), coreopsis ('Moonbeam'), foxglove, lavender, lily of the valley, purple fountain grass, Russian sage.
Trees
- American Sycamore
- Beech
- Birch
- Catalpa
- Common Sassafras
- English Hawthorne
- Flowering Dogwood
- Honey Locust
- Hop Hornbeam
- Japanese Flowering Cherry
- Kousa Dogwood
- Sweetgum
- Austrian Pine
- Mugo Pine
- Pitch Pine
- Red Pine
- Scots Pine
- Colorado Blue Spruce
• Norway Spruce
- White Spruce
Shrubs
- Bayberry
- Beautybush
- Bottlebrush Buckeye
- Common Boxwood
- Common Lilac
- Corkscrew Willow
- Forsythia
- Mahonia
- Red Osier Dogwood
- Redvein Enkianthus
- Snowball Viburnum
- Inkberry
- Japanese Pieris
- Mountain Laurel
- Chinese Juniper
- Drooping Leucothoe
- False Cypress
- American Holly
Plants (including perennials, annuals, and bulbs)
- Ageratum
- Larkspur
- Marigold
- Nasturtium
- Snapdragon
- Sweet Alyssum
- Bleeding Heart
- Purple Coneflower
- Daylily ('Stella de Oro')
- Coreopsis ('Moonbeam')
- Foxglove
- Lavender
- Lily of the Valley
- Purple Fountain Grass
- Russian Sage
- Autumn Crocus
- Daffodil
- Dutch Iris
- Hyacinth
- Snowdrop
- Siberian Squill
- Climbing Hydrangea
- Japanese Wisteria
