17 Beautiful Shade Plants That Deer Avoid

Deer can be a real nuisance in the garden, munching their way through many popular flowering plants and leaving unsightly damage behind. But don’t give up hope just yet! There are plenty of attractive shade-loving plants that deer tend to shun and leave alone. After years of trial and error in my own deer-prone garden, I’ve come up with this list of 17 beauties that brighten up shady spots without tempting Bambi.

Why Deer Love the Shade

Shady, woodland-like areas provide deer with cool spots to rest and hide from predators during the day Many shade plants also have tender new growth, juicy leaves, buds, and shoots that deer find absolutely delicious This makes shaded gardens, especially woodland-style gardens, prime targets for deer browsing. Protect your hard work by choosing plants they don’t prefer.

Deer-Resistant Perennials

These hardy shade perennials will flower reliably each year, adding color and interest to shady garden beds and borders. Deer tend to avoid them:

• Astilbe – Feathery, fern-like foliage and showy plumes of white, pink, red, or purple flowers on arching stems. Great for shady perennial borders.
• Bergenia – Large, leathery leaves that spread to form a lush groundcover. Clusters of pretty pink flowers pop up in spring.
• Brunnera – Heart-shaped silver-spotted leaves and forget-me-not-like blue blooms in spring. Spreads to form colonies.
• Columbine – Elegant nodding blooms in many colors atop filigree, fern-like leaves. Self-sows freely.
• Epimedium – Delicate, heart-shaped foliage and dangling bell-like blooms. Spreads by creeping rhizomes.
• Foamflower – Carpets shady areas with its spreading foliage and delicate sprays of white starry flowers.
• Hellebore – Gorgeous blooms late winter to early spring and handsome evergreen foliage.
• Lungwort – Lovely silver-spotted foliage with clusters of blue, pink, or white tubular blooms.
• Windflower – Dainty white anemone-like flowers dancing over ferny foliage in spring.

Shrubs That Deter Deer

These woody shrubs thrive in part to full shade and resist deer damage

• Bottlebrush Buckeye – Long, upright spikes smothered in white flowers loved by butterflies. Yellow fall color.
• Daphne – Fragrant pinkish-white flower clusters with red fruit on an compact bushy shrub.
• Lily-of-the-Valley Bush – Graceful arching branches covered in bell-shaped white or pink blooms.
• Oregon Grape Holly – Yellow flower clusters, holly-like leaves, and edible blue berries.
• Pachysandra – Thick glossy leaves spread to form a lush carpet, with white flowers.
• Skimmia – Sweetly fragrant white spring flowers and red berries on female plants.

Groundcovers That Spread

These tough spreading groundcovers thrive in shade and discourage nibbling deer:

• Deadnettle – Spreading carpet of soft, fuzzy foliage with purple, pink, or white flowers.
• Foamflower – See perennials. Spreading masses of delicate white blooms.
• Japanese Pachysandra – See shrubs. Quickly forms a dense mat of deep green leaves.
• Lamium – Soft, scalloped leaves in silver, green, or purple with tubular hooded flowers.
• Lilyturf – Grass-like clumps of slender foliage. Tiny lily flowers rise above the leaves.
• Sweet Woodruff – Whorls of shiny leaves topped with tiny white starry flowers. Fragrant when crushed.

Design and Care Tips

Here are some additional tips for keeping deer away from your shade plants:

• Group plants in drifts for visual impact and easier care.
• Include evergreens like bergenia, hellebores, and daphne for year-round appeal.
• Interplant with scented herbs like lavender, rosemary, and sage to deter deer.
• Add grasses for texture, motion, and vertical accents.
• Mulch beds to conserve moisture and discourage weeds.
• Water regularly, especially during dry spells.
• Consider fencing off plants or using repellents if deer pressure is extreme.
• Remove and replace any plants that deer damage repeatedly.

With the right selection of shade plants, you can still have a beautiful, deer-resistant garden, even in areas with a high deer population. It just takes a bit of planning and strategic plant choices. Don’t let Bambi win – try some of these beauties to spruce up shady spots in your landscape!

Deer resistant shade plants include a variety of perennials and shrubs that offer attractive foliage and flowers while being less appealing to deer.

For shaded areas, deer will readily browse on plants like clover, brassicas, and certain types of grasses.

While no hosta variety is entirely deer-proof, some are less appealing to deer due to their texture, thickness, or waxy coating.