Deer and rabbits are lovely animals to gaze at from afar but not so lovely as they graze at your garden buffet. The following are lists of plants they are less likely to eat. Plant them around your vegetable garden and other areas where you’d like to help protect the plants they DO love to eat!
Annuals
- Ageratum
- Alyssum
- Calendula
- Cleome
- Cornflower
- Cosmos
- Dahlia
- Dianthus
- Dusty Miller
- Four O'clock
- Geranium
- Grape Hyacinth
- Herbs: basil, rosemary, cilantro
- Impatiens
- Lantana
- Lobelia
- Marigold
- Morning Glory
- Nicotiana
- Persian Shield
- Salvia
- Snapdragon
- Sweet Alyssum (zone 5)
- Sweet Peas
- Verbena
- Zinnia
Cleome photo by ncsu.edu (annual)
Perennials
- Allium
- Anemone
- Artemisia
- Aster
- Astilbe
- Balloon Flower
- Barrenwort (Epimedium)
- Bee Balm (Monarda)
- Bellflower (Campanula)
- Bergenia
- Betony
- Black-eyed Susan
- Blanket Flower (Gaillardia grandiflora)
- Bleeding Heart
- Bugbane
- Butterfly Weed
- Catmint
- Columbine
- Dianthus
- Delphinium
- Ferns (most)
- Foxglove
- Hardy Geranium
- Hens & Chicks
- Hollyhock
- Iris
- Lady’s Mantle
- Lambs Ear
- Lamium
- Lenten Rose
- Lupine
- Monkshood
- Nepeta (Catmint)
- Ostrich Fern
- Peony
- Poppy
- Pulmonaria (Lungwort)
- Purple Coneflower
- Salvia
- Sedum
- Shasta Daisy
- Wild Ginger
- Yarrow
- Yucca
Gaillardia grandiflora ‘Fanfare Blaze’ (perennial)
Shrubs
- Azalea
- Barberry
- Cotoneaster
- Forsythia
- Honeysuckle
- Juniper
- Lilac
- Mockorange
- Nannyberry Viburnum
- Potentilla
- Rhodendron
- Snowberry
- Spirea
- Spruce
- Viburnum
Barberry ‘Sunjoy Tangelo’
Trees
- Alder
- Birch
- Catalpa
- Chestnut
- Gingko
- Hemlock
- Honeylocust
- Larch
- Magnolia
- Mountain Ash
- Oak
- Pines - Austrian
- Redbud
For trees available for online purchase click here
For added effectiveness, pair these plants with a repellant
The experts at Gertens are always available to answer your questions!
