Plate No. 1
Wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Intensely aromatic foliage deer dislike. A top tier pollinator plant, and hummingbirds work it all summer.
The rating idea, in plain terms
Every plant on this list carries an R rating from our Deer-Proof Garden Playbook: rarely browsed. Deer skip these plants for a reason. Some have aromatic foliage, like the mints. Some carry bitter or toxic compounds deer learn to avoid, like the milkweeds. Some are simply tough and fibrous, like the grasses, sedges, and ferns.
Ratings load the dice. They do not promise immunity. In a hard February a hungry deer will sample almost anything, so protect every new plant its first year and expect R plants to hold up after that. Written for Northeast beds, including the fertile loam we garden in.
The 12 plants
Plate No. 2
Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum)
Mint oils in the leaves. Arguably the best pollinator plant in the Northeast. Give it room, a happy patch spreads.
Plate No. 3
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Milky sap with cardiac glycosides, and a monarch host plant. Needs soil that drains.
Plate No. 4
Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
The same protective sap as butterfly weed, in the milkweed that takes wet ground.
Plate No. 5
Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis)
Bitter foliage deer pass by. White spring flowers, tidy clumps.
Plate No. 6
Wild blue indigo (Baptisia australis)
Alkaloid rich foliage. It grows a deep taproot, so pick its spot once and do not move it.
Plate No. 7
Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
A fibrous warm season grass, and deer are browsers, not grazers. Copper fall color and winter structure.
Plate No. 8
Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
Big and tough. The straight species is tall, so it belongs at the back of the border.
Plate No. 9
Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)
The dry shade groundcover. Plant plugs about 8 inches apart and let it knit into a green carpet.
Plate No. 10
Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides)
Evergreen, leathery, and tolerant of dry shade. One of the hardest working shade plants we know.
Plate No. 11
Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)
Toxic red sap deer avoid. Gorgeous April flowers. Foliage lasts into summer in moist soil, then goes dormant.
Plate No. 12
Foamflower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Rarely browsed. It spreads by runners into a weed proof shade carpet, with spring flowers on top.
The fall sowing starter (20 minutes)
Several plants on this list need cold before their seed will sprout. Milkweed is the classic case: the seed wants about 60 days of cold and damp, the same winter it would get outdoors. Fall sowing hands that job to the season.
- Pick your spots now, while you can still see the beds clearly.
- Rake the surface bare in small patches, scatter seed, and press it into contact with the soil. Most native seed wants light or near surface sowing, so do not bury it deep.
- Mark each patch. Seed sown in late fall sits through winter and wakes on its own schedule in spring.
- Protect first year growth. Even R rated plants get a cage or a repellent pass while they establish.
Milkweed and Pennsylvania sedge already grow in our beds, so this is the routine we use here, not a theory.
Next steps
The full Deer-Proof Garden Playbook ($9) rates 36 Northeast natives and covers fencing and repellents that actually work.
The Northeast Native Garden Guide ($19) is the complete planting guide.
Planning a bed? Native Plant Picker is our free app for matching Northeast natives to your sun, soil, and space.
Plant ratings are researched ratings from the Playbook, presented as ratings. They describe what deer usually do, not a guarantee for any single garden.
Questions about this list
Will deer ever eat the plants on this list?
Sometimes. These ratings load the dice, but they do not promise immunity. In a hard February a hungry deer will sample almost anything. Protect every new plant its first year, and expect rarely browsed plants to hold up after that.
Why do deer skip these plants?
Three reasons cover most of the list. Some plants carry aromatic foliage deer dislike, like the mints. Some hold bitter or toxic compounds deer learn to avoid, like the milkweeds. Some are simply tough and fibrous, like the grasses, sedges, and ferns.
Why sow native seed in the fall?
Several plants on this list need cold before their seed will sprout. Milkweed is the classic case: the seed wants about 60 days of cold and damp, the same winter it would get outdoors. Fall sowing hands that job to the season.
Which plants on the list grow in shade?
Pennsylvania sedge, Christmas fern, bloodroot, and foamflower all take part to full shade. Mountain mint and foxglove beardtongue also handle part shade.