Bushes That Deer Won't Eat

Deciduous Bushes

• Among deciduous bushes -- those that shed their leaves in the fall -- are a number of deer-resistant options. Japanese barberry, butterfly bush and American beautyberry are seldom damaged by deer, as are blue mist shrub, winter jasmine and fothergilla. Also consider cotoneaster, elderberry and lilac.

Evergreen Bushes

• Evergreen bushes keep their foliage year-round and consist of both needle-leafed and broad-leafed varieties. Most evergreens have a bitter taste, which deer find disagreeable, so you can choose among a variety of deer-resistant evergreens. Some of the best options are wintergreen barberry, bottlebrush, plum yew and yaupon, along with Chinese juniper, oleander, wax myrtle and yucca.

Characteristics

• You can look for a number of characteristics in bushes that usually indicate resistance to deer. For example, deer tend to avoid plants with thorny, prickly or furry leaves and stems. Also, deer generally do not eat plants with pungent smells or bitter tastes and avoid plants that are poisonous or produce thick sap.

Considerations

• If you already have shrubs that are often damaged by deer, or if you would simply like to add something extra to further discourage hungry deer, there are a number of measures you can take. Fences are usually effective; chicken wire must be 8 feet high to be effective, but solid wood fences need only be 5 feet tall, because deer not jump a fence that they can't see through. A number of substances have been shown to be effective at repelling deer, including deodorant soap, human hair and a mixture of raw eggs and water.