top of page
Search

🛑 Stop Feeding the Deer! (Plant THESE Natives Instead) 🦌 - Deer-Resistant Natives for the Garden

  • 2 hours ago
  • 4 min read

Deer can be quite the nuisance for us New Jersey gardeners, but did you know there's a whole host of native perennials you can plant to keep them at bay? Let Joe introduce you to some incredible deer-resistant natives so you can garden without worry!


Key Points:

  • You don't need a ten-foot fence to keep the deer away from your garden!

  • Mints like Monarda, Agastache & Mountain Mint keep the deer away with their scent, but are phenomenal for pollinators.

  • Goldenrod & Coreopsis thrive in full sun and are avoided by deer.

  • Milkweed thrives in wet, sunny conditions and deters deer with its latex sap.

  • We offer Swamp Milkweed, Common Milkweed, Whorled Milkweed & Butterfly Weed.

  • Culver's Root & Joe Pye Weed create vertical structure & deer-resistant blooms.

  • Lobelia is a hummingbird magnet, but deer walk right past it.

  • Allegheny Spurge & Hardy Geranium are lush native groundcovers that deer won't browse.

  • No plant is 100% deer-proof!

  • Use all-natural Deer Out once a month to protect your more vulnerable plants.

Colorful garden with red-orange heart-shaped Redbud leaves climbing wrought-iron trellises beside purple and pink blooms.
The front display at Bountiful Gardens, Hillsborough

Are you tired of waking up only to find that your expensive landscaping has been turned into a free, all-you-can-eat midnight salad bar for the neighborhood deer? 

Colorful Bountiful Gardens nursery garden with rows of flowers and plants, check-out booth, and stacked bags under a bright, busy sky
Bountiful Gardens, Hillsborough's ever-growing selection of flowering perennials.

It is incredibly frustrating to watch your hard work get munched down to the stems. But before you build a ten-foot fence, let's talk about a smarter strategy. 

Lush garden with orange and yellow flowers, white blooms, leafy plants, and a stone sculpture with a bowl fountain on the left
Helenium, Coreopsis & Heuchera in our front display.

Today, we're showing you the absolute best native perennials that deer naturally despise. Now, let’s go build your anti-deer fortress.

Purple wildflowers blooming in a lush green meadow, filling the frame with a calm, natural scene.
Hummingbird Mint (Agastache spp.)

If you want to keep deer away, you need to attack their sensitive noses. Enter…the Mint family. 

Green meadow with purple wildflowers and a bee hovering over blooms, lush foliage filling the background.
A hummingbird moth visits Beebalm (Monarda) flowers.

To us, natives like Monarda, Agastache  and Mountain Mint smell amazing, but to a deer, that strong, minty fragrance is a massive red flag. They’ll completely bypass these gorgeous, blooming plants, leaving the nectar wide open for the hummingbirds and butterflies who are completely unfazed by the smell. 

bumblebee on mountain mint flowers
A bumblebee feasts on Mountain Mint (Pycnanthemum) blooms.

This is literal olfactory warfare, and it works!

Goldenrod blooming in a sunlit garden
A glowing bed of Goldenrod (Solidago) in late Summer.

Got a dry, baked spot in the full sun? Stop planting delicate exotics that deer love to snack on and swap in Goldenrod and Coreopsis. 

Flowering Coreopsis varieties at Bountiful Gardens
Our Coreopsis selection is endless!

These native wildflowers are tough, rugged, and completely unappetizing to deer. But while the deer walk right past them, local pollinators will treat these golden blooms like a VIP lounge.

Common Milkweed in a native meadow
Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) blooming in a native meadow.

If you have a wetter area in full sun, it’s time to bring out the heavy artillery: Milkweed. Deer tend to steer totally clear of these tall beauties because their stems are filled with a thick, sticky sap that they absolutely hate. 

A bumblebee on Swamp Milkweed flowers
A bumblebee visits Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) flowers.
Flowering stalks of Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)

But the best part? Milkweed is the only host plant for Monarch butterflies. Whether you choose Common, Whorled, Butterfly Weed, or Swamp Milkweed, you are kicking the deer out and rolling out the red carpet for the Monarchs.

A tall flowering backdrop of Joe Pye Weed in a beautiful perennial garden
A towering backdrop of blooming Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium).

Need some giant companions to plant next to your Milkweed? Joe Pye Weed and Culver’s Root are your garden's towering bodyguards.

Culver's Root leaning over in the garden.
Culver's Root (Veronicastrum virginicum)

They thrive in moist soils and full sun, and despite looking lush and delicious, deer widely avoid browsing on them. They add massive vertical height to your yard without adding to the deer's menu.

Cardinal Flower in full bloom alongside Joe Pye Weed on the edge of a pond
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)

What about that wet, shady spot where everything gets trampled? Look to Lobelia. It provides unbelievable, vibrant red and blue blooms that practically glow in the shade.

Blue Cardinal flower in a native perennial garden
Blue Cardinal Flower (Lobelia siphilitica)

Hummingbirds will literally fight over these tubular flowers, but deer? They couldn't care less!

Allegheny Spurge
Allegheny Spurge (Pachysandra procumbens)

Finally, stop letting deer trample your bare dirt. Cover it up with native groundcovers like Allegheny Spurge for the deep shade, or Hardy Geranium for part-shade to full sun.

A lush flowering bed of Hardy Geraniums (Geranium maculatum)
Hardy Geranium (Geranium maculatum)

They spread out, choke out the weeds, and offer zero nutritional appeal to a passing herd.

A swallowtail butterfly on a blooming Joe Pye Weed stalk.
A tiger swallowtail visits Joe Pye Weed flowers.

Now, before you go, here is your gardening reality check: 'Deer-resistant' does not mean 'deer-proof.' 

A monarch butterfly visiting a Monarda flower
A monarch butterfly gathers nectar from Beebalm (Monarda)

If a deer is starving in the middle of winter, it will eat a plastic lawn flamingo! No plant is 100% safe. But by choosing these native species, you are giving your yard the absolute best chance at survival. 

A bottle of Deer Out, a natural deer repellant

If you want to protect the non-native plants you already have in the ground, grab a bottle of organic Deer Out repellent. 

Joe spraying Deer Out on hydrangeas to protect them from deer
Panicle Hydrangeas are a great candidate for Deer Out!

You just spray it on the leaves once a month, and guess what the main ingredient is? Peppermint oil! Nature’s very own deer deterrent. Get planting, get spraying, and take your yard back with deer-resistant natives! We’ll see you next time.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page