Deer Resistant Plants for Pennsylvania

Downy Serviceberry

• Attractive gray bark, white spring flowers and fruit that attract birds are the major selling points for downy serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). This small tree or big shrub grows to 25 feet, with Pennsylvania in the center portion of its range in eastern North America. Downy serviceberry features yellow to orange fall foliage, with the leaves coming down early compared to most other trees. Deer rarely damage this plant, according to the West Virginia University Extension. Use it to highlight wet sites or plant downy serviceberry in rows to form a screen.

Creeping Wintergreen

• Creeping wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) performs poorly in extreme heat and humidity, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database. An evergreen species of the forest floor in Pennsylvania, this plant is appropriate as ground cover in naturalized areas. Creeping evergreen only grows to 6 inches, with the ability to form dense mats of dark green. The crushed foliage gives off a pleasant minty aroma. The tiny white flowers result in a plump reddish berry. Creeping wintergreen requires light shade to full shade in which to thrive. Deer focus their attention on other plants and leave this one alone.

Yarrow

• Able to grow in dry, sandy soil and withstand drought conditions, yarrow (Achillea millefolium) rarely appears on a deer's menu. Yarrow forms effective ground cover in remote portions of your property by spreading through its root system. Yarrow's fragrant, feathery foliage and dull white flowers make it an interesting species. Yarrow will bloom from June well into September in some parts of Pennsylvania. The plant works well in cottage and wildflower gardens, as well as in naturalized parts of your land where it can lure butterflies to its blooms.

Red-Osier Dogwood

• Bugs, including scales and bagworms, may chew on the foliage of the red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea), but deer usually stay clear of this Pennsylvania native. The Keystone State is at the southern end of red-osier dogwood's range in the East. Growing to 12 feet, the shrub blooms in May and June, producing white flowers in flat clusters. The bluish tinted white fruit has great ornamental value, a fact lost on the hungry birds that consume it readily. Red-osier dogwood is suitable for many landscaping jobs, including property line screens, shrub borders and lining retention ponds.