Deer Resistant Plants for the Northwest

Trees & Evergreens

• Fortunately for gardeners, deer are not especially interested in several good-looking tree species that are commonly found in the Pacific Northwest. They dislike most birch species, flowering dogwood, serviceberries, gum trees, black locust and Japanese flowering cherry tree. As a general rule, deer tend to dislike like most evergreens species. They give a wide berth to pine, fir, spruce, cedar and cypresses trees. Deer also avoid broadleaf evergreen species, including hollies, myrtles, laurels and California laurel and madronas.

Shrubs

• Gardeners seeking to fend off deer have a wide range of choice with shrubbery. Several shrubs are poisonous to deer, such as rhododendron, daphne, mountain laurel and American bittersweet. Several flowering shrubs aren't toxic, but are generally sidestepped by deer in favor of better-tasting fare. These include lilac, jasmine, elderberry, cotoneaster, mahonia, forsythia, boxwood, witch hazel, sumac, barberry, abellia, quince, and huckleberry. Deer generally resist most types of viburnums, with the significant exception of the Viburnum tinus species, which thrives in the northwestern part of the country and is often devoured by deer.

Flowering Perennials

• Gardeners will be happy to learn that several kinds of perennial flowers are deer-resistant. Often the focal points of a garden, perennials are the most-prized and carefully-tended plants, and gardeners are invariably dismayed if perennials are reduced to deer snacks. Some of the best options include delphinium, poppies, astilbe, columbine, coral bells, echinacea, sunflower and yarrow. Deer also avoid foxglove, night-blooming jasmine, larkspur, lupine, daffodils, and some tulips because they are toxic. Good container plants that resist deer include geranium, asters and marigolds. Deer also generally stay away from kitchen garden herbs, including rosemary, thyme, lavender, oregano and sage.

Ornamental Grasses

• Deer usually shun a number of lovely or striking ornamental grasses that are well-suited to Pacific Northwest landscapes. The list includes fountain grasses, feather reed, and bamboo. Other deer-resistant options include Japanese sedges, pampas grass, Japanese maidenhair, mondo or monkey grass, switch grasses, and Japanese forest grass.