Contact your local county Extension office through our County Office List.

Close Icon
   
Science-based gardening information for Colorado communities from CSU Extension, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Green Industries of Colorado.

2302 – Deer-Resistant Plants   arrow

Deer tend to avoid some plants and relish others. While no plant can be guaranteed to be “deer-proof,” some types of plants are less tasty. 

Try planting the following kinds of plants which are less attractive to deer:

pinyon pine

Trees

Tree suggestions include white fir, Colorado spruce, pinyon pine, common juniper, Rocky Mountain maple, hackberry and honeylocust.

Shrubs

Shrub possibilities are lead plant, potentilla, Austrian copper rose, quince, ‘Blue Mist’ spirea, winged euonymus, golden currant, lilacs, Oregon grape holly and pyracantha.

Purple Coneflower

Ground Covers

Ground covers to be tried are creeping mahonia, English ivy, thyme and snow-in-summer. Perennial flowers thatmay be of use are purple coneflower, peony, blazing star, Shasta daisy, Mexican hat coneflower, lily-of-the-valley and Russian sage. Deer-resistant herbs include marjoram and lavender.

Shasta Daisy

Bulbs

Bulbs that are less attractive to deer include daffodils and grape hyacinth.

Native Plants

Native plants growing in their native habitats may be less appealing to deer than highly fertilized and highly irrigated garden plants. Any plant may be attractive to hungry deer in some seasons. More extensive lists may be obtained from some municipalities or local Colorado State University Extension county offices.

For more information, see the following Colorado State University Extension fact sheet(s).

Tell us what you think!

Do you have a question? Try Ask an Expert!