With its delicate ferny foliage and pretty heart-shaped flowers that dangle from graceful, arching stems, bleeding hearts (Lamprocapnos spectabilis) might look like a menu item for deer.
Is there anything this versatile plant cannot do? Coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea) attract butterflies, nourish bees and wild birds, self-seed non-aggressively, and grow in sun or partial shade.
Not your average deer-resistant shade plant, corydalis is noteworthy for its beautiful fern-like foliage and long blooming period. Gardeners in areas with cool summers have the best luck growing yellow or blue-blooming plants.
Deer seldom browse lanceleaf coreopsis plants or other species in this genus, and they are easy to grow because they are drought-tolerant and need no fertilizing. Deadheading spent blooms encourages more flowers throughout the summer.
On the spring bulb spectrum, daffodils and tulips are on opposite ends. Deer do not care for the daffodil's milky sap nor do squirrels or rabbits. Daffodils have the added benefit of multiplying over the years, unlike tulips, which tend to dwindle in number and size each season.
Lavender (Lavendula spp.) features foliage and blooms that emit the sweet perfume so beloved by potpourri makers, but it is a scent that deer dislike. In warmer climates, you can grow lavender into fragrant deer-deterring hedges
With their quirky name and freckled foliage, Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) are unsung heroes of the shade garden. These low-maintenance plants not only repel deer, but they also grow in the dense shade of walnut trees with no signs of juglone toxicity
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) is a tall, long-blooming perennial with feathery foliage and bright clusters of flowers that butterflies love. This plant blooms right through summer and into fall, and its drought-tolerance makes it a popular addition