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Deer-resistant ground covers are aesthetically pleasing choices for your yard.
Deer often find plants offensive that smell aromatic to us or have soft and fuzzy silvery, grayish leaves.
Common Deer-Resistant Ground Covers
Astilbe
Astilbes (Astilbespp.)
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are hardy, easy perennial plants with long-blooming spring and summer flowers on tall stalks.
The ground cover grows 6 to 24 inches tall and needs little to no maintenance.
Sedum
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Sedum(Sedumspp.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
), also called stonecrop, comes in many heights and colors.
Sedums are hardy succulents with thick, fleshy leaves that deer leave alone.
Tiny flowers bloom late in the summer into fall.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Small fragrant blooms show in late spring and summer.
It’s a popular deer-resistant plant because it grows in virtually any condition.
Deer are said to avoid the plant because it’s toxic to humans and animals.
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Lungwort
Lungwort (Pulmonariaspp.)
is a low-growing ground cover with fuzzy leaves and tiny bell-shaped flowers that turn pink to violet.
It’s an early spring bloomer but its foliage is the star though deer do not like its texture.
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Bee Balm
Bee balm (Monardaspp.)
has spikey red, purple, or lavender blooms with a strong minty scent that turns deer away.
It is an aggressive grower in some areas, but not considered invasive.
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Lavender
The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
Lavender (Lavendulaspp.)
is a popular and fragrant perennial herb with upright flower spikes.
It grows at a moderate rate to fill in the sunniest spots.
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Its aroma repels deer and other wildlife, making it an excellent companion plant for vegetables and even roses.
Lavender is toxic to animals.
Sweet Woodruff
Sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum)is an aromatic and aggressive perennial with white blooms.
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The plant grows 8 to 12 inches tall and wide.
It prefers shade and slightly acidic soil with good drainage.
A lower level of moisture makes it less invasive.
The Spruce / Ana Cadena
Hardy Geranium
Hardy geraniums (Geraniumspp.)
are low-growing carpet-like flowering perennials that grow between 6 and 36 inches tall.
Deer dislike the flower’s smell, texture, and the stem’s sap.
The Spruce / Phoebe Cheong
All geraniums are toxic to animals.
Catmint
Catmint (Nepeta) is a sprawling perennial herb with a deer-repelling minty scent.
Native Allegheny spurge grows 4 to 9 inches tall and spreads less quickly than Japanese pachysandra.
It takes a tough plant to grow under a tree. Sweet woodruff has the right stuff.Raimund Linke/Getty Images
Grow both plants in soil rich inorganic matter.
In full shade, pachysandra’s is darker green.
Allegheny spurge produces spiky, fragrant white or pink flowers and Japanese pachysandra has white flowers.
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This evergreen ground cover is also resistant to heavy foot trafficand deer traffic.
Wormwood has toxic compounds that may affect humans.
Though the leaves are soft, deer dislike the fuzzy texture.
Think of Little Titch catmint as 6 Hills Giant’s baby cousin.David Beaulieu
It stays shorter, about 6 inches tall with a similar spread.
Plant in soil with good drainage.
Columbine
Columbine (Aquilegiaspp.)
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It grows 1 to 3 feet tall for a good ground cover that deer find unpalatable.
Columbine is toxic to humans.
It reaches only about a foot high and has spiky white or lavender flowers that deer dislike.
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The plant prefers well-drained, rich soil.
Catnip is not particular about soil conditions as long as it’s well-draining and slightly alkaline.
It’s an aggressive grower, reaching 3 feet tall and wide.
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Surprisingly, catnip plants may be toxic to some cats.
Deer usually do not nibble on buffalo grass unless there is nothing else.
Its bicolored leaves are green and white.
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It requires moist, well-drained soil.
Emerald gaiety euonymus is toxic to people and pets.
This aggressive ground cover is a perennial wildflower that grows 1 to 2 feet tall when mature.
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It’s closely related to purple loosestrife(Lythrum salicaria), also considered deer-resistant.
It’s prized for its silvery foliage and does best in climates with dry heat.
It grows up to 2 feet tall with insignificant cream or yellow blooms.
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This plant is toxic to humans and animals.
Invasive Ground Covers to Avoid
Someground covers are invasivein parts of the United States.
Deer may hate many smells, such as mint, pepper, and garlic.
Penpak Ngamsathain / Getty Images
There is no scientific evidence that coffee grounds keep deer away.
Salvia lyrata.The University of Texas at Austin.
Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Thuone: Psychedelic, Potent Cancer Treatment, or Poison?Evergreen State College.
Asystasia gangetica.University of Florida Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants.
Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants.University of California.
The Spruce / Letícia Almeida
North Carolina State Extension.
Guide to Poisonous Plants.Colorado State University.
Lily of the Valley.ASPCA.
AlpamayoPhoto / Getty Images
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Carpet bugle.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Nate Abbott / Getty Images
Common periwinkle.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Spotted deadnettle.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Goutweed.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
Chameleon plant.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Showy evening-primrose.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Lysimachia vulgaris.Native Plant Trust.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Lily of the valley.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Yellow archangel.Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States.
Smart Gardening to Deter Deers.Michigan State University Extension.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
The Spruce / Leticia Almeida
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Reinhard Holzl / Getty Images
