25 of the Best Deer Resistant Shade Perennials

One of the most irritating challenges as a gardener is dealing with deer nibbling your favorite plants. If you have goats and they escape their fence, they too, will destroy so many plants.

They’re cute but so destructive! You wake up and find your blooms and leaves ravaged, leaving you to wonder what offense your plants committed!

Remember that hungry deer, will eat whatever is available; your best bet is to keep your garden fenced in, but when that isn’t a feasible option here are some great deer-resistant perennials.

Astilbe

This beautiful flowering plant thrives in shady spots and moist soil. It produces feathery flowers in pink, white, and red shades. Best zones to grow 3-9.

Bleeding Heart

This stunning plant blooms with heart-shaped flowers in shades of pink and white in spring. It prefers moist soil and partial shade. Best zones to grow 3-9.

Ferns

Various ferns, such as lady, Japanese-painted, and ostrich ferns, thrive in the shade. These ferns are easy to grow and add texture and depth to your garden. Best zone 4.

Coral Bells

Coral bells are a great addition to your garden and aren’t a favorite with deer. They have leaves in various shades of green, purple, and red and produce spikes of tiny pink and white flowers. They prefer moist soil and partial shade. Hardiness Zone: 4- 9.

Japanese Forest Grass

This ornamental grass has golden leaves that sway in the breeze, making it a beautiful addition to your shade garden. It is best in zones 5-9.

Toad Lily

This late-blooming plant produces unique flowers in shades of pink, white, and purple with dark speckles. It thrives in shade and moist soil and is a great deer-proof plant that makes a beautiful garden. It is best in zones 4-9.

Solomon’s Seal

This graceful deer-resistant flower has elegant arching stems, small bell-shaped flowers, and textured green leaves. It prefers shady areas with moist soil. Best zones 3-9.

Tickseed

You might have seen the vibrant tickseed flowers in your neighbor’s garden – they’re a real eye-catcher! These native plants come in all sorts of colors, making them a delight for any garden.

And hey, the good news is they’re not very appealing to deer, though a few nibbles might happen if deer are really hungry. If you’re looking for a cheery addition to your garden that’s also deer-resistant, tickseed might be your new best friend.

Lungwort

This perennial plant has spotted foliage that adds interest to your garden, and because of the course hairs on it, deer seem to leave it alone. It produces pink, purple or blue flowers in early spring to mid-spring. Best zones 3-9.

Columbine

These plants have beautiful bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple, blue, and white. They can grow in full sun and partial shade, and they thrive in moist soil. Best zones 3-9.

Hellebore

This evergreen perennial produces beautiful flowers in shades of white, pink, purple, and green. It prefers partial shade and moist soil. It is best in zones 5-9.

Golden Shrimp Plant

This beautiful plant blooms with bright yellow and orange flowers, and its bright green foliage adds a pop of color to your shade garden. Best zones 10-11.

It’s a fun house plant if you don’t like it in one of the zones.

Hummingbird Sage

This plant produces spikes of vibrant red flowers that attract hummingbirds. It thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil, best in zones 8-11.

Wild Ginger

This plant has attractive foliage that spreads to form a carpet-like ground cover. Its unique flowers bloom in the spring. It prefers shade and moist soil. It is best in zones 3-8.

Ajuga

This groundcover plant produces dark green foliage and spikes of blue, purple, and pink flowers, and it thrives in shady areas with well-drained soil. Best zones 3-9.

Spiderwort

This plant produces blue, purple, and pink flowers, and its bright green foliage adds interest to your garden. It prefers partial shade and well-drained soil. Best zones 4-11.

Foxglove

This stunning plant blooms with spires of flowers in shades of pink, purple, and white. It prefers moist soil and partial shade and is best in zones 4-9.

Snakeroot

This plant has dark green foliage and produces spikes of white or pink flowers. It thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil, best in zones 3-8.

Wintergreen

This evergreen ground cover produces white or pink flowers in the spring, and it prefers shade and moist soil. Best zones 5-9. This is a more expensive plant.

Brunnera

This plant has heart-shaped leaves covered in silver spots and produces spikes of blue, pink, or white flowers. It prefers partial shade and moist soil and is best in zones 3-8.

Lamium ( Dead Nettles)

This ground cover plant produces silver foliage and spikes of pink or purple flowers, and it thrives in partial shade and well-drained soil. Best zones 3-8. We have this all over our yard and it seems to take over pretty quickly.

Epimedium

This ground cover plant has heart-shaped leaves and produces small pink, red, or white flowers. It prefers partial shade and moist soil and is one of the best deer-resistant perennials. It is best in zones 4-8.

Deer-Loving Perennial Plants

While we all love to fill our gardens with beautiful plants, it’s important to ensure that we do so with a good understanding of what deer love and what they don’t.

Some plants that deer tend to love are:

1. Hosta: Yes, that’s right. Hosta may be a gardener’s delight, but it’s also a favorite of deer and goats!
2. Daylily: These flowers tend to be deer favorites, too.
3. Yew: This evergreen shrub brings structure and interest to your garden, and deer also find it quite tasty.
4. Rhododendron: These beautiful shrubs are also a deer favorite and often fall prey to their voracious appetites.
5. Tulips: These bright, colorful bulbs may be a gardener’s delight, but they’re like candy to deer.
6. Daffodils: Similarly, these sunshine-yellow blooms also tend to be a deer favorite.
7. Impatiens: While these are great for the summer garden, they’re also a favorite of deer.

So there you have it—25 of the best deer-resistant shade perennials! You need not sacrifice your garden’s aesthetics to keep deer at bay.

By incorporating some of these plants into your landscape, you’ll be able to enjoy a stunning garden without having to fend off hungry animals.

Remember to choose the varieties that are suitable for your zone for optimal growth and beauty. Happy planting!