Deer-Resistant Native Gardening

By Lissa Lutz, N.C. State Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

(Image credit: Pixabay/MrsBrown)

Figuring out how to garden when you have deer is already a challenge, so you may be wondering how it can be done using only native plants. But fear not; with a little planning and careful plant selection it can be done. If you are just beginning to transition to native plants, keep in mind that a ratio of 70% native to 30% non-native is an acceptable and reasonable goal.¹ While non-native plants are generally unable to host caterpillar species that are a critical food source for baby birds, there are some deer-resistant selections that can provide nectar for pollinators, habitat for animals, and structure and beauty in the garden design.

Plan for Structure in the Garden

When designing a new garden bed, it can be helpful to start with shrubs or small trees, particularly evergreens, that will provide structure or “bones” for the garden.The evergreen native yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) can be a solid backdrop to your other native plants.² It tolerates sun to shade, comes in dwarf forms, and sports bright red berries in fall through winter which provide food for songbirds and small mammals. Sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia), sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), and beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) are native shrubs that are not evergreen but can offer structure and texture to the winter design, and attractive foliage, flowers and berries during the other seasons. All three thrive in full sun to part shade. Calycanthus has fragrant spring blooms and Clethra’s late summer white flowers are a magnet for pollinators. Callicarpa sports a multitude of small bright purple berries as a valuable winter food source for birds and mammals.

Native shrubs that can provide structure for a garden include: (1) sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus); (2) sweet pepperbush (Clethra alnifolia); (3) yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria); (4) beautyberry (Callicarpa americana). (Image credit: Madeleine Bell CC-BY-SA 2.0); Susan Strine CC BY 2.0; Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0 ; Cathy DeWitt CC BY 4.0)

Some non-native options that are both hardy and striking include the evergreen tea olive (Osmanthus fragrans) and false holly (Osmanthus heterophyllus), with ‘Goshiki’ as a choice cultivar. Paperbush (Edgeworthia chrysantha) is not evergreen but has delightful fragrant blooms in the winter and is an underutilized deer resistant shrub with beautiful form with or without its leaves. All three thrive in full sun to part shade. For a lower growing shrub in a sunny garden, consider the evergreen creeping rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus ‘Prostratus’) which will happily cascade over a rock or retaining wall.

If your garden is on the shadier side, try the native evergreen anise tree (Illicium floridanum) or doghobble (Leocothoe fontanesiana). Illicium can grow to 10’ but is easily kept in bounds by pruning. It also comes in numerous cultivars with a variety of flower colors and size ranges including dwarf forms. Leucothoe boasts showy, fragrant white flowers in spring.

(Left to right) Native plants that will thrive in shady gardens include anise tree (Illicium floridanum) or doghobble (Leocothoe fontanesiana).(Image credit: Cathy DeWitt CC BY-NC-ND 4.0; Suzanne_Cadwell CC BY-NC 2.0)

A non-native choice for the shadier garden might include the Japanese plum-yew (Cephalotaxus harringtonia). ‘Duke Gardens’ is a local cultivar noted for its compact shape.

Fill in the Garden with Perennials

Once you have anchored your garden design with some shrubs or small trees, it’s time to fill in with perennials. Many perennials can also provide structure and texture throughout the winter when you recognize the importance of leaving plants in the fall to provide winter habitat and food for animals. Hollow stems become nesting sites for solitary bees, and dried seed heads provide food for birds.

Choose Keystone Species

Significant deer pressure does narrow the palette but there are still many good plant options. A good place to start is to consider keystone species–plants that support the highest diversity and number of caterpillars. Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) are high on this list. If your garden is small consider some of the more well-mannered species such as sweet goldenrod (Solidago odora), white goldenrod (Solidago bicolor), or slender goldenrod (Solidago erecta). Most goldenrods bloom in the fall but using several different varieties can offer a spectrum of bloom time, shape, and color throughout the fall.³

(Left to right) White goldenrod (Solidago bicolor) and New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) are two “keystone” species that should be on your list of the deer-resistant natives. Both offer colorful fall blooms to the landscape. (Image credit: Fritz Flohr Reynolds CC-BY-SA 2.0 ; Drew Avery CC BY 2.0)

Asters are also considered a keystone species. Asters may not be entirely deer resistant, especially under high deer pressure, but they tend to be so vigorous and bloom so late that deer browse is more like an early pruning and they will still often have a fine flower display in the fall. Consider incorporating aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) or blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) to support specialized bees, caterpillars, songbirds and small mammals.

Plant Flowers with a Purpose

Flowers attract pollinators and add beauty. Many deer resistant natives are also great pollinator plants. Any of the mountain mints (Pycnanthemum spp.), will be swarming with hundreds of tiny pollinators throughout their bloom season, along with fragrant minty foliage. Blunt mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum) keeps evergreen through the winter, rising to several feet in the summer when it blooms. It can spread but is easy to pull up and share extra plants. Narrowleaf mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), has fine foliage and is more clumping. Hoary mountain mint (Pycnanthemum incanum) has silvery white foliage and fragrant leaves, but also likes to have some space and may be better for larger gardens. The mountain mints will tolerate partial shade.⁴

Boneset and thoroughwort (Eupatorium spp.) are underutilized native pollinator plants with excellent deer resistance. They have white flowers in summer and fall that attract bees and butterflies. Common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) likes wet soils and will spread to form colonies. Roundleaf thoroughwort (Eupatorium rotundifolium) can tolerate both wet and dry conditions. Foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) has showy white flowers in spring and its evergreen rosettes persist throughout the winter. An interesting and lesser-known plant that also has evergreen foliage in the winter is rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium), identifiable by its funky white ball-shaped flowers. Anise hyssop (Agastache foeniculum) is another key pollinator plant that has excellent deer resistance due to its licorice scent.

(Left to right) Common boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), foxglove beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis), and rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) are striking native plants that are deer resistant and attractive to pollinators. (Image credit: Fritz Flohr Reynolds CC BY-ND 4.0; Julie Anne Workman CC BY-SA 3.0; Debbie Roos CC BY 2.0)

The beebalms (Monarda spp) seem to be less reliably deer resistant but are worth trying for their sheer flower power. Spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata) is an unusual species that seems to have somewhat higher deer resistance. It is a less aggressive spreader, and supports moths, butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, and several moth larvae.

(Left to right) Eastern bluestar‘s (Amsonia tabernaemontana) pale blue star-shaped flowers are attractive to beneficial insects but not to deer. These plants also provide fall color, as pictured here with the bright yellow leaves of the Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii). (Image credit: leonora Enking CC-BY-SA 2.0; Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

A must-have in the deer resistant native garden are the bluestars (Amsonia spp.). Eastern bluestar (Amsonia tabernaemontana) has delightful blue flowers in the spring and can grow to shrub-like sizes. Similarly Arkansas bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii) can get quite large with fine textured foliage that turns dazzlingly yellow in the fall. Both species do well in full sun but can tolerate part shade.

Russian sage (Salvia yangii) is not native but attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds and sports showy blue flowers spring through fall. It tolerates drought and is highly deer resistant.

Add Native Grasses to Your Landscape

Don’t forget grasses (or ferns and sedges for the shady garden). Native grasses can also be excellent choices if you have full sun and deer. Pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is a well-known grass with plumes of delicate pink in the fall. Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), splitbeard bluestem (Andropogon ternarius), and others can lend a prairie-like look in a more natural garden setting. Bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix) is a more shade-tolerant grass with a seed head that looks just like a bottle brush. These grass species stay beautiful throughout the winter and support butterfly and moth larvae.

(Left to right) Many grasses are both native and deer resistant. For sunny areas choose muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) or little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) are good choices. For shady areas consider bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix). (Image credit: Jim Robbins CC BY-NC-ND 4.0); Hope Duckworth CC BY 4.0)

Ferns also tend to be deer resistant and are more shade tolerant, with many native and non-native varieties to choose from. Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) is an evergreen native fern that will slowly spread and naturalize. Southern shield fern (Thelypteris kunthii) is a deciduous native but tolerates a wide variety of conditions and will naturalize to form large colonies. Ostrich fern (Onoclea struthiopteris) has a more formal vase shape and will also spread readily in favorable conditions. The evergreen native Cherokee sedge (Carex cherokeensis) tolerates wet soils, shade, and deer.

The North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox provides full descriptions and excellent pictures for all of these plants and many more. Use the information in the Toolbox to select plants that match your site conditions – sun, part sun, shade, wet, dry, etc. Knowing size, bloom time and other attributes of each plant will help you to design your own native garden that will grow and prosper even in the presence of hungry deer.

Design Diagrams for Deer-resistant Gardens

Some simple garden designs that you can start with are shown below. When you have created your plant list, start your shopping at the Friends of Durham County Master Gardener Plant Sale on Saturday, April 5, 2025, from 10am until sold out, at 721 Foster Street in Durham.

Sun-Loving Garden Design

Garden design by Deborah Pilkington. (Left to right) (1) Amsonia hubrichtii (Cathy Dewitt CC BY 4.0); (2) Agastache foeniculum (Magnus Manske CC BY-SA3.0); (3) Eryngium yuccifolium (Joshua Mayer CC BY-SA 4.0); (4) Allium cernuum (Judy Gallagher CC BY 2.0).

Shade-Tolerant Garden Design

Garden design by Deborah Pilkington. (Left to right) (1) Illicium parviflorum ‘Florida Sunshine’ (Tony Avent of Plant Delights Nursery); (2) Solidago odora (CC0); (3) Symphyotrichum cordifolium (Dan Mullen CC BY-NC-ND 2.0); (4) Cherokee sedge Carex cherokeensis (K. AndreCC BY 2.0).

Look for the following plants at the April 5th Master Gardener Plant Sale. Some will also be included in the plant giveaway at the March 22nd Plant Festival. Note that quantities of some plants are limited. A complete list of all plants that will be available at the sale can be found on the backyardtreasuresplantsale.org website after March 15th.

Agastache foeniculum

Amsonia spp.

Callicarpa americana

Carex cherokeensis

Edgeworthia chrysantha

Elymus hystrix

Eryngium yuccifolium

Eupatorium spp.

Ferns, native and non-native

Grasses, native

Illicium floridanum

Monarda spp.

Osmanthus spp.

Penstemon digitalis

Pycnanthemum spp.

Salvia yangii

Solidago spp.

Symphyotrichum spp.

Notes

1–Nonnative plants reduce population growth of an insectivorous bird.

2–Take a deeper dive on the native shrub the yaupon holly.

3–A previous blog post gives an excellent review on the care and planting of different varieties of goldenrod.

Resources and Additional Information

Residential yard management and landscape cover affect urban bird community diversity across the continental USA https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.2455

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5HN

From Beloved to Invasive: How does it happen?

On December 11, 2024July 5, 2025 By durhammastergardenersIn benign non-native plant, bird friendly habitat, bugleweed, conservation, crape myrtle, Durham NC, ecological sustanability, ecology, gardening, Gardening information, gardening NC, heavenly bamboo, hellebore, how plants become invasive, Invasive Atlas of the United States, invasive plants, Japanese stiltgrass, lenten rose, lesser threat invasive plant list, liriope, monkey grass, nandina, native ecology, native ecologynative plant ecology, native plants, Natives, NC biodiversity, NC conservation, NC Native Plants, New Hope Bird Alliance, non-native plants, ox-eye daisy, perennials, polyculture, privet, protecting native plants, Rose of Sharon, Russian olive shrub, sustainable garden design, sustainable gardening, sustanability, Uncategorized, urban garden, urban gardening, watch list for invasive plants

By Jeannie Arnts , North Carolina Extension Master Gardener^SM volunteer of Durham County

I have volunteered as a recorder for the New Hope Bird Alliance (formerly Audubon) Bird Friendly Habitat (BFH) team since 2018. The BFH team, consisting of a plant expert and a recorder, visits homeowners’ yards to identify native and invasive plants and make recommendations for improvements to achieve an ecologically beneficial habitat for birds, insects, and other wildlife. Since I have joined the group, plants previously recognized as non-native, non-invasive plants have been moved onto the “Watch List” or “Lesser Threat Invasive” list. Other plants previously considered lower threat have been moved to a higher threat category. The question arises, “What is it that changes a benign non-native into an invasive?

When is a Plant Determined to be Invasive?

Plants are categorized as invasive once they disrupt the ecology of intact, functioning eco-systems, leading to loss of biodiversity and habitat degradation. This results in huge economic damage valued in the billions of dollars to agriculture, forestry, and personal property. Invasive plants compete with our natives for critical and often limited resources like sunlight, water, nutrients, soil, and space. Anyone who has ridden the train at the Museum of Life and Science in Durham and seen the Russian olive shrubs (Elaeagnus sp) overtaking the landscape along the tracks or been on a hiking trail in many Triangle forests and seen the stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) engulfing the entire ground cover of the forest floor can easily see the impact of invasive species.

Russian olive shrubs (left) out-compete native plants and dominate riparian areas primarily in central and western USA. Japanese stiltgrass (right) was accidentally introduced into Tennessee around 1919 as a result of being used as packing material for porcelain from China. it has invaded many woodlands in North Carolina. (Image credit: NC State Cooperative Extension)

What Factors Influence a Plant to Become Invasive?

Biologists have been “vexed for decades” by the question of what causes some plants, once thought to be benign, non-invasive exotics, to become a risk to our eco-systems due to their invasive characteristics. The ecologist, Charles Elton, wrote the book, The Ecology of Invasions by Plants and Animals, in 1958 and, more than 100 years earlier, Charles Darwin pondered this question during his voyage on the Beagle (1831-1836). Johnny Randall, former Director of Conservation Programs at the NC Botanical Garden, noted that one reason plants become invasive is that in their new environment, they no longer have natural controls, such as pests, pathogens, and herbivores. This gives them an advantage over native plants that have been part of a region’s ecology for millennia; consequently, the invasives often out compete the natives.¹

In addition, a plant’s propensity to become invasive is a function of the plant’s own biology, including a relatively short generational period, large seed production, its ability to reproduce asexually (without the need for fertilization), and having large fleshy fruits, such as those produced by Autumn or Russian olive trees (Elaeagnus sp), privet (Ligustrum sp.) and heavenly bamboo (Nandina sp.) With this latter trait, birds will eat the berries and deposit the seeds far from the original location of the plant.

A non-native, is especially prone to invasion when it sets its roots in a “matched habitat” similar from which it came, i.e., their native ranges tend to have similar temperature extremes, precipitation levels, and seasonal cycles. Stiltgrass (Microstegium vimineum) is an example of a plant that meets most of the criteria for becoming invasive. It is an annual that produces up to 1000 seeds per year, has no natural controls, reproduces asexually, and its seeds are distributed by the wind. In addition, the seed bank may take up to five years to germinate. Many gardeners who think they have eliminated stiltgrass on their property one year are befuddled to find a number of plants from the seed bank sprouting the next summer. The good news is that if you continue to manage the stiltgrass, you will have fewer plants each year.

Beloved Plants that Become Invasive

I think we can all agree that we want stiltgrass eliminated from our property, but there are non-native plants that have been beloved by gardeners for generations that are being added to the invasive lists, much to the consternation of gardeners. One example is the lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis).

Some hellebores have started to escape into woodland areas and are able to stifle our favorite native understory flowers. They prevent seedlings of other plants from getting established as dense mats of their offspring grow. (Image credit: NC Extension Toolbox, Bob Gutowski CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0; Jim Robbins CC-BY-NC-4.0).

There are many good reasons that hellebores are such a beloved plant: they bloom over the winter months when very few other plants are blooming; they require little care; they are deer and rabbit resistant; they tolerate a wide range of light conditions; including light shade; and they survive even deep frosts. Unfortunately, they meet many of the conditions that place them at risk to become invasive in our region: they have no natural pests or pathogens; they can successfully fertilize themselves (although bees will seek nectar and pollen from the plants); and they produce a multitude of fertile seeds. While there is not a perfect native substitute for hellebores, the gardener may consider planting a matrix of sedges (Carex species), coral bells (Heuchera americana), and ferns, many of which are host plants, to provide winter interest .

While not yet on the invasive lists in N.C, another beloved plant that is of concern is the crape myrtle (Lagerstroemai indica). Its spread is being tracked in Southern states by the Invasive Atlas of the United States and the plant’s spread is being watched with caution by conservationists in N.C. Each flower of the crape myrtle produces a prodigious number of seeds that are carried or blown far from the mother plant. I have had a crape myrtle in my yard for probably the past 40 years and it has only been recently that I have seen it sprouting up elsewhere in my yard and ¼ acre woods.

Crape myrtles are seen along roadways and in gardens in North Carolina but conservationists have raised concerns because it outcompetes many native plants (Image credit: NC Plant Toolbox, skdavidson)

Liriope (Liriope muscari and L. spicata), bugleweed (Ajuga reptens), Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), and ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) are all common ornamental plants that have been added to the NC Invasive Plant list as “Low Threat” species. While they have the potential to harm our local ecology, they are not yet doing so.

Liriope (Liriope muscari), bugleweed (Ajuga reptens), Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), and ox-eye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) are plants that many of us have in our garden. They are considered to be “Low Threat” to native plants of North Carolina. (Image credit: North Carolina Toobox, Manuel-CC-BY-2.0; Jim Robbins-CC-BY-NC-ND; Frank Mayfield, CC-BY-SA-2.0)

As gardeners, we can control the spread of potentially invasive plants in our own yards or we can choose to remove them and plant a native that supports our native ecology. A follow-up blog will suggest options to consider for replacing invasive plants with natives that power our ecosystems.

Notes

Personal communications Peter Schubert, NC Invasive Plant Council, October, 2024 and Johnny Randall, former Director of Conservation Programs, NC Botanical Garden, October 2024.

Resources and Additional Information

NC Invasive Plants List adopted by NC-IPC, November 16, 2023NC Invasive Plant Council
https://nc-ipc.weebly.com/uploads/6/8/4/6/6846349/invasive_plant_list_-_ranked_-_2023-11-16.pdf

Grzędzicka, E., Assessment of Habitat Selection by Invasive Plants and Conditions with the Best Performance of Invasiveness Traits, February, 2023. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/333

Invasive plant Atlas of the United States University of Georgia-Center for Invasive Species and Ecological Health, October 2018 https://www.invasiveplantatlas.org/index.cfm

Jones, M., Gaster, R. Invasive Species, NC Cooperative Extension, Lee County, July 30, 2019 https://lee.ces.ncsu.edu/2019/07/invasive-species/

Moony, H.A., Cleland, E.E., The Evolutionary Impact of Invasive Species, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. May 2001, 98(10) 5446-5451 https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.091093398

Moorman, C, Megalos, M, Douglas, K. Invasive Plants and Your Forests, NCSU Extension Publication. Revised September 11, 2024. https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/invasive-plants-and-your-forests

Article Short Link: https://wp.me/p2nIr1-5l3

Extension Master Gardener Volunteers of Durham County

Category: ecological sustanability