What are the best flowering bushes I could plant that deer won’t eat

Maria Sass
by Maria Sass



  7 answers
  • Linda Wells Linda Wells on Apr 09, 2019

    Nandina, sage, rosemary, marigolds, lantana, bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, and orleanders are the only plants our Texas Hill Country deer will not eat.

  • Johnavallance82 Johnavallance82 on Apr 09, 2019

    Hi Maria, Anything that is spiky I should think would be a good idea.......Best wishes

    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 09, 2019

      When preferred types of food are in short supply & deer are hungry----deer will (and do) eat almost any kind of garden plant,trees,tree bark,and shrub. ... fuzzy spikey prickly or not

  • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 09, 2019

    where do you live? need to know to tell you right plants for your area

  • Pamela Pamela on Apr 09, 2019

    Azaleas work , also andromeda ... At least they are deer proof at my home...they eat almost everything else ... As for flowers they don't eat my daffodils or Lily of they valley ... Good luck !!!

    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 10, 2019

      Flower/Rhizome---- Lily of the Valley are toxic(smart deer)... Adult deer eat between 4 and 8 pounds of food a day. If there are other plants they prefer they won't eat Azaleas, however in a deer’s eye, that patch of Hosta and grouping of foundation Azaleas you just planted are a dinner salad buffet.Members/bulbs of the Amaryllis family, which includes Daffodils, Snowflakes and Snowdrops, are truly deerproof and rodent proof.They are all toxic too.

  • Maria Sass Maria Sass on Apr 10, 2019

    Thank you so much for your suggestion! I’ll try them.

    • Lynn Sorrell Lynn Sorrell on Apr 10, 2019

      The Andromeda/Bog Rosemary(not true Rosemary-just resembles it) will work, it is toxic more of wetland type soil but will tolerate the weather conditions

  • Melanie Melanie on Apr 10, 2019

    It's true deer are like sharks... they eat anything, they r worse then goats r. I have a recipe for deer repellent that works really well. See photo.. it also works for all those herbivores and omnivores too.

  • Jackie Weitzel Jackie Weitzel on Jun 21, 2021

    I’m in Pittsburgh, and Hardy hibiscus are great and don’t bloom until later in the summer when other plants are fading. They come in white, light and dark pink, red. Cut. Them back end of season and they come back next year. I have several and they are really easy. The only pest I’ve had a problem with is Japanese beetles, but spraying with Seven controls them.