Most of the time, these plants don’t seem to be deer favorites. However, if deer are hungry enough and other alternatives aren’t available, they will eat almost anything.

Trees

Abies spp. (fir)
Acer rubrum (red maple)
Betula nigra (river birch)
Cedrus deodara (deodar cedar)
Chamaecyparis spp. (false cypress)
Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo)
Gordonia lisianthu (gordonia)
Ilex spp. (most hollies)
Lagerstroemia indica (crape myrtle)
Liquidambar styraciflua (sweetgum)
Magnolia grandiflora (southern magnolia)
Picea spp. (spruce)
Pinus spp. (pines)
Prunus caroliniana (cherry laurel)
Taxodium distichum (bald cypress)

Shrubs

esculus parviflora (bottlebrush buckeye)
Berberis spp. (barberry)
Buxus spp. (boxwood)
Buddleia davidii (butterfly bush)
Calycanthus floridus (sweetshrub)
Cephalotaxus spp. (plum yew)
Cotoneaster spp. (cotoneaster)
Daphne spp. (winter daphne)
Forsythia spp. (forsythia)
Gardenia spp. (gardenia)
Ilex spp. (many holly species, including dwarf yaupon, Japanese holly, and inkberry)
Illicium spp. (anise)
Juniperus spp. (juniper)
Kerria japonica (Japanese rose)
Mahonia japonica ‘Bealei’ (leatherleaf mahonia)
Michelia fuscata (banana shrub)
Nandina spp. (heavenly bamboo)
Nerium oleander (oleander)
Pinus mugo (mugo pine)
Pyracantha spp. (firethorn)
Spiraea spp. (spirea)
Viburnum spp. (viburnum)

Herbaceous Perennials/Bulbs

chillea spp. (yarrow)
Artemisia ludoviciana ‘Silver King’ (‘Silver King’ white sage)
Baptisia spp. (wild indigo)
Boltonia asteroides (boltonia)
Chrysanthemum frutescens (golden marguerite)
Echinacea spp. (coneflower)
Crinum spp. (crinum lily)
Dahlia spp. (dahlia)
Dianthus spp. (pinks)
Gerbera jamesonii (gerbera daisy)
Gloriosa superba (gloriosa lily)
Helianthus spp. (perennial sunflower)
Helleborus spp. (hellebores)
Hibiscus moscheutos (mallow hibiscus)
Iberis sempervirens (candytuft)
Iris spp. (iris)
Lantana camara (lantana)
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta daisy)
Leucojum aestivum (summer snowflake)
Limonium latifolium (statice)
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower)
Monarda didyma (beebalm)
Narcissus spp. and hybrids (daffodils)
Nepeta catarina (catmint)
Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern)
Plumbago auriculata (blue plumbago)
Polystichum acrostichoides (Christmas fern)
Ratibida columnaris (Mexican hat)
Rosmarinum officinalis (rosemary)
Salvia farinacea (mealy cup sage)
Salvia greggii (autumn sage)
Salvia leucantha (Mexican bush sage)
Saponaria officinalis (bouncing bet, soapwort)
Tulbaghia violacea (society garlic)
Solidago spp. (goldenrod)

Annuals

geratum houstonianum (floss flower)
Alyssum spp.(alyssum)
Antirrhinum majus (snapdragon)
Begonia semperflorens (wax begonia)
Catharanthus alba rosea (annual periwinkle)
Centaurea cyanus (cornflower)
Cleome spp.(spider flower)
Coreopsis spp.(tickseed)
Delphinium consolida (larkspur)
Eschscholzia californica (California poppy)
Gaillardia pulchella (blanket flower)
Lobelia laxiflora (Mexican cardinal flower)
Mirabilis jalapa (four o’clocks)
Myosotis spp.(forget-me-not)
Nicotiana alata (flowering tobacco)
Nierembergia caerulea (cup flower)
Nigella damascena (love-in-a-mist)
Osteospermum spp. (African daisy)
Oxypetalum caeruleum (southern star)
Papaver spp.(poppy)
Pelargonium spp. (scented geranium)
Pennisetum spp. (annual fountain grass)
Pentas lanceolata and hybrids (pentas)
Plectranthus spp. (fuzzy leaf forms of plectrantus)
Salvia coccinea (scarlet sage)
Senecio cineraria (dusty miller)
Tagetes spp. and hybrids (marigold)
Verbena spp. (verbena)
Zinnia spp. and hybrids (zinnia)

Vines/Groundcovers

juga spp. (bugleweed)
Bignonia capreolata (trumpet flower, cross vine)
Gelsemim sempervirens (Carolina jessamine)
Lonicera sempervirens (honeysuckle)
Santolina chamaecyparissus (gray santolina, lavender cotton)
Santolina virens (green santolina)
Teucrium chamaedrys (germander)
Thymus spp. (thyme)

The following links may be helpful for more regional listings of deer resistant plants:

http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/deerdef/mohonk.html
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/treeshru/resistan.htm
http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/publications/deer.html
http://www.agnr.umd.edu/CES/Pubs/PDF/FS655.pdf
http://www.montana.edu/wwwpb/pubs/mt9521.html
http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/filelibrary/40/954.pdf

Home-made Deer Repellent
(adapted from the spring 2007 Potomac Valley Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society newsletter, edited by Donald W. Hyatt)

6 eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup hot sauce
1/8 tsp. liquid dish detergent

Whirl in blender until thoroughly mixed. Add enough water to make three gallons. Spray all over susceptible plants once a month during spring and summer. Make sure to reapply after rain. .