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Deer Resistant Plants

Deer control is one of the gardener’s biggest pest control challenges. White-tail deer are beautiful to look at, but they can do a lot of damage in a small amount of time. Fencing the deer out or using repellents is an option. However, deer are very likely to jump the fence and often repellents do not work after a period of time.
The most sensible approach to deer control is simply to plant what deer are least likely to eat. These plants are known as "deer-resistant plants." Remember that they are only deer resistant and not deer proof. Here is a short list of some deer resistant trees, shrubs, ground covers, grasses and perennials
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DEER RESISTANT PLANTS
Large Deciduous Trees: Acer rubrum - red maple Shade, street tree Red to yellow fall color, silver bark
Fagus grandifolia - American beech Stately specimen tree with golden yellow fall color, silver bark
Pyrus calleryana `Bradford' - Bradford pear Tough ornamental tree with white flowers and purple fruit
Quercus alba - white oak Large specimen tree Brandy red fall color Exfoliating bark
Quercus palustris - pin oak Pyramidal specimen tree Bronze fall color
Quercus coccinea - scarlet oak Rounded, upright tree with red fall color
Salix elegantissima - weeping willow Graceful weeping tree Tolerant of wet areas

Small Deciduous Trees & Large Shrubs:
Amelanchier canadensis - shadblow serviceberry Delicate understory tree with white flowers and red fruit
Betula papyrifera - white birch Specimen tree with white bark and yellow fall color
Crataegus phaenopyrum - Washington hawthorn Small ornamental tree with white flowers and orange fruit

Evergreen Trees:
Juniperis virginiana - Eastern red cedar Columnar, upright tree. Good for screenings, borders
Picea abies - Norway spruce Graceful tree with pendulous branches Good for screening
Picea glauca - white spruce Upright, pyramidal tree with light green needles
Picea omorika - Serbian spruce Narrow, pyramidal tree with dark green needles
Picea orientalis - Oriental spruce Slow growing, stately tree with dark green needles
Picea pungens - Colorado spruce Upright, pyramidal tree with blue to green needles. Good specimen
Pinus cembra - Swiss stone pine Handsome, slow growing tree. Good for accenting and backgrounds
Pseudotsuga menziesii - Douglas Fir Excellent tree for use as specimen or for groupings

Evergreen Shrubs:
Berberis julianae - Wintergreen barberry Low growing shrub with yellow flowers and purple fruit.
Ilex crenata - Japanese holly Compact growing shrub with fine texture and rounded habit.
Ilex glabra - Inkberry Good plant for massing and naturalizing. Forms dark green background I8noC@ke
Juniperis procumbens nana - Japanese garden juniper Great for edging, rock gardens, and ground cover
Leucothoe axillaris - drooping leucothoe Shade loving, massing shrub. Good for woodland settings
Picea abiesÿ`Nidiformis' -birds nest spruce Compact, slow growing shrub with consistent habit
Picea pungens `R. H. Montgomery'- Dwarf, strikingly blue shrub with compact habit
Pieris floribunda - mountain andromeda Low, rounded shrub with white flowers and attractive fruits
Pieris japonica - japanese andromeda Works good as a back drop for other shrubs White flowers and shiny green leaves
Pinus mugo - mugo pine Compact, dense growing shrub. Superb rock garden plant.

Deciduous Shrubs:
Berberis thunbergii atropurpurea - japanese barberry Compact growing shrub with reddish foliage and thorny twigs
Comptonia peregrina - sweet fern Great plant for waste areas. Can take poor conditions
Cotoneaster apiculata - cranberry cotoneaster All cotoneasters in general are fairly deer resistant and can
Cotoneaster horizontalis - rockspray cotoneaster form a dense groundcover or can be used in a rock garden
Cotoneaster dammeri - bearberry cotoneaster
Euonymus alatus compactus - burning bush Compact growing shrub with brilliant red to orange fall color
Lindera benzoin - spice bush Naturalizing plant with yellow flowers and yellow fall color
Myrica pensylvanica - bayberry Small shrub for massing in poor areas.
Picea glauca conica - Alberta spruce Dwarf, slow growing shrub with pronounced conical form.
Potentilla fruticosa - bush cinqufoil Low growing plant with yellow to orange flowers Very durable plant
Spiraea x bumaldaÿ `Anthony Waterer' - Anthony Waterer Spirea Low, rounded shrub with persistent purple flowers
Spiraea x vanhouttei - Vanhoutte spirea Large massing shrub with white flowers and deep red fall color

Ground Covers, Vines:
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi - bearberry Low, groundcover with white flowers and red fruit
Tagetes- marigold (Annual) Annual bedding plant with yellow, orange or mahogany flowers
Festuca ovina var. glauca - blue fescue Low growing ornamental grass with blue color.
Phalaris arundinacea var. picta - ribbon grass Variegated ornamental grass that spreads with rhizomes.

Perennials:
Iris sibirica - siberian iris Grasslike perennial with purple to pink flowers
Stachys byzantina - lambs ear Low growing perennial with silver foliage

Ornamental grasses:
Calamagrostis x acutiflora `Karl Foerster' - Feather Reed grass Upright growing with plumes of flowers in August.
Miscanthus sinensis - miscanthus There are many cultivars of Miscanthus. All have their own traits.
Pennisetum alopecuroides - fountain grass Fine textured grass with narrow blades. Very reliable plant.