Gardening Gardening By Region Gardening in the Pacific Northwest Top Deer-Resistant Plants of the Pacific Northwest By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on August 11, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Stop deer in their tracks with our top recommendations for deer-resistant plants in the Pacific Northwest. 01 of 14 Deer-Resistant Plants are not Deer-Proof Before you go through our list of deer-resistant plants for the Pacific Northwest, be aware that there are few, if any, plants that can be called truly deer proof. Deer are maddening, complicated critters. The deer in your yard may avoid a specific plant, but the deer down the street may find that a favorite. The plants you'll find here have proven deer resistant for many gardeners, and we hope they'll do the same for you. 02 of 14 Bellflower There are hundreds of types of bellflower--and each has its place in the garden. Most offer long bloom seasons with bell-shaped flowers in shades of blue, pink, or white. Some are great at the front of the border; others belong in the middle. Plant Name: Campanula selections Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: From 6 inches to 4 feet tall and to 2 feet wide, depending on type Zones: 3-9, depending on type Click here to learn more about growing campanula 03 of 14 Corydalis This perennial wins the prize for best bloomer; it starts bearing its clusters of golden-yellow flowers in early spring and continues nonstop all the way to frost. Its ferny, blue-green foliage is a delight, too—but the deer don't seem to think so. Plant Name: Corydalis lutea Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 18 inches tall and wide Zones: 5-8, but it often comes back from seed as an annual in colder zones Click here to learn more about corydalis 04 of 14 Bigroot Geranium One of our favorite deer-resistant ground covers for shady sites, bigroot geranium offers woodsy-scented foliage and clusters of magenta, pink, or white flowers in early summer. It spreads nicely, without becoming invasive, to create a carpet of low-care color even in dry, shady sites. Plant Name: Geranium macrorrhizum Growing Conditions: Part to full shade and well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-8 Learn more about perennial geraniums. 05 of 14 Foxglove You can usually count on foxglove to be deer resistant because it's poisonous. It is also beautiful with its tall spikes of pink, purple, cream, or white blooms in early summer. The most common foxgloves live for only two years, but if you let them drop seed, new plants will come back reliably for years to come. Plant Name: Digitalis selections Growing Conditions: Part shade to sun and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet tall and 2 feet wide Zones: 4-8, depending on type Click here to learn more about growing foxglove 06 of 14 Epimedium A favorite of just about every gardener who fights dry, shady conditions, epimedium is a knockout perennial with cute flowers (in shades of pink, red, orange, white, and yellow) and deer-resistant foliage. Many selections of this wonderfully easy ground cover are evergreen--giving it an extra level of interest. Plant Name: Epimedium selections Growing Conditions: Shade and well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-9, depending on type Click here to learn more about epimedium 07 of 14 Jerusalem Sage This Mediterranean native offers fuzzy silver or green foliage and spikes of soft yellow blooms in summer. If the plant is happy, it can rebloom through fall—so it's a great middle-of-the-border plant. Plant Name: Phlomis russeliana Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-9 08 of 14 Ligularia Ligularia is a top pick for deer-resistant plants. It's eye-catching in the middle or back of a shady border. We love it for its dramatic foliage; each leaf may be more than a foot across so they lend the garden gorgeous texture. They have pretty spikes of yellow flowers in summer, too. Here's a hint: Ligularia likes moist soil. In dry or windy spots, it may look wilted much of the day. Plant Name: Ligularia selections Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist soil Size: To 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 4-8 Learn more about ligularia. 09 of 14 Lupine This pea relative offers colorful spikes of flowers though the first half of summer. It's a longtime favorite of cottage gardeners and a top pick to grow as a cut flower. Plant Name: Lupinus selections Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide Zones: 4-8, depending on type Click here to learn more about growing lupines 10 of 14 Meadow Rue When you see the leaves, you may think meadow rue looks like a giant relative of its cousin, the columbine. Both are wonderfully deer resistant and offer attractive blue-green foliage. Meadow rue's blooms set it apart, though—clouds of fluffy pink, purple, yellow, or white flowers float above the plant. Plant Name: Thalictrum selections Growing Conditions: Sun to shade, depending on selection, and moist, well-drained soil Size: From 6 inches to 6 feet tall and 6 inches to 3 feet wide, depending on selection Zones: 5-9 Learn more about meadow rue. 11 of 14 Mullein Perfect cottage- or country-style garden plants, mulleins offer spikes of blooms in shades of pink, purple, white, and yellow throughout the summer. They're also pretty versatile; most do well in sun or shade and are deer resistant. Plant Name: Verbascum selections Growing Conditions: Sun or shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: Many common varieties grow to up 3 feet tall and 1 foot wide Zones: 4-9, depending on type Learn more about mullein. 12 of 14 Oregano You can count on oregano to add good looks to perennial borders. Be warned, though: As with many plants in the mint family, you can also count on it to quickly spread throughout the garden. Plant Name: Origanum selections Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and wide, depending on type Zones: 4-9, depending on type Click here to learn more about growing oregano 13 of 14 Pigsqueak This evergreen perennial earned its moniker from the sound it makes when you rub two of thick, rubbery leaves together. It's their texture that makes them a deer deterrent; we can't imagine eating them either. So instead, we enjoy their clusters of pink, red, or white springtime flowers. Plant Name: Bergenia selections Growing Conditions: Full sun or part shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall and wide Zones: 4-8 Learn more about pigsqueak. 14 of 14 Yellow Waxbells Use this plant to create wonderful texture in your shade garden. Yellow waxbells offers big, maple-like leaves and clusters of long-lasting yellow blooms in late summer and early fall. It's a nice way to add color to the garden when most other shade lovers have finished blooming. Plant Name: Kirengeshoma palmata Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide Zones: 5-8 Learn more about yellow waxbells. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit