Choosing deer and shade tolerant plants

Credit: iStock / red_moon_rise

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Q: We live in Coarsegold, California. We have lived here a year (tomorrow) and have been experimenting with plants, etc. for this area. Now we are ready to get down and dirty, and need names of plants, etc. that will do well not only in the shade but also keep deer at bay.

The following plants are both deer and shade tolerant:

• Acanthopanax sieboldianus (syn. Eleutherococcus sieboldianus) (five-leaf aralia) – sun to shade, zone 4 to 8
• Acanthus spinosissimus (bear’s breeches) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Achillea millefolium (yarrow) – light shade to sun, zone 2 to 10
• Adiantum pedatum (American maidenhair fern) – light to medium shade, zone 4 to 8
• Aegopodium variegatum (bishop’s weed) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Aesculus pavia (red buckeye) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Ajuga reptans (carpet bugleweed, common bugleweed, bugleweed) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Alchemilla erythropoda (lady’s mantle) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Alchemilla mollis (lady’s mantle) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Allium (onion) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Allium caeruleum (onion) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Amsonia illustris (shining bluestar, ozark bluestar) – sun to light shade, zone 4 to 9
• Andropogon gerardi (big bluestem, turkey foot) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 9
• Aquilegia canadensis (Canada columbine) – med. shade to sun, zone 2 to 9
• Arisaema dracontium (dragon root) – shade to part sun, zone 3 to 9
• Arisaema triphyllum (jack-in-the-pulpit) – shade to part sun, zone 2 to 9
• Artemisia ludoviciana (mugwort, sagebrush, wormwood) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Aruncus dioicus (goatsbeard) – med. shade to sun, zone 3 to 9
• Asarum canadense (Canadian wild ginger) – shade to part sun, zone 3 to 9
• Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Asclepias syriaca (common milkweed) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 8
• Asplenium scolopendrium (hart’s tongue fern) – shade to part shade, zone 6 to 8
• Aster novae-angliae (New England aster) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 8
• Athyrium (ladyfern) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Athyrium filix-femina (ladyfern) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Athyrium niponicum (Japanese painted fern) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Athyrium niponicum var. pictum (Japanese painted fern) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Baptisia bracteata (wild indigo) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 8
• Belamcanda chinensis (blackberry lily, leopard lily) – sun to light shade, zone 4 to 9
• Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Blechnum spicant (deer fern) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Buxus (box, boxwood) – sun to full shade, zone 4 to 8
• Buxus sempervirens (common boxwood) – sun to full shade, zone 5 to 8
• Calamintha grandiflora (calamint) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Calamintha nepeta (lesser calamint) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Callicarpa americana (beauty berry, French mulberry) – sun to shade, zone 5 to 10
• Campsis radicans (trumpet creeper) – sun to medium shade, zone 3 to 9
• Carex (sedge) – medium to light shade, zone 4 to 8
• Carex caryophyllea (vernal sedge) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Carex elata (Bowle’s golden sedge) – shade to part shade, zone 6 to 8
• Carex flagellifera (weeping brown sedge) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Carex hachijoensis (sedge) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Carytopteris divaricata (bluebeard) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Caulophyllum thalictroides (blue cohosh) – full shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Cephalotaxus harringtonia (cowtail pine, plum yew,) – sun to part shade, zone 6 to 9
• Cephalanthus occidentalis (buttonbush, button willow, honeyballs) – sun to part shade, zone 2 to 9
• Coreopsis lanceolata (tickseed) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 10
• Cymbalaria muralis (Kenilworth ivy) – part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Daphne burkwoodii (daphne) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Daphne mezereum (February Daphne, mezereon) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Dicentra (bleeding hearts) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Dicentra eximia (Fringed bleeding heart, turkey corn) – shade, zone 4 to 8
• Dicentra formosa (western bleeding heart) – part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Dicentra spectabilis (bleeding heart, lyre flower) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Digitalis (foxglove) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Digitalis ferruginea (rusty foxglove) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Digitalis grandiflora (yellow foxglove) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 8
• Digitalis parviflora (Spanish foxglove) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Digitalis thapsi (Spanish peaks foxglove) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Dirca palustris (leatherwood) – sun to shade, zone 3 to 9
• Dryopteris filix-mas (malefern) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Dryopteris erythrosora (Japanese shield fern) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Echinacea pallida (pink coneflower) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 9
• Epimedium grandiflorum (bishop’s hat, longspur barrenwort) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Epimedium perralchicum (yellow barrenwort) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Epimedium x rubrum (red barrenwort) – part shade to light shade, zone 4 to 8
• Epimedium x versicolour (bi-colour barrenwort) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Euphorbia amygdoloides var. robbiae (wood spurge) – sun to light shade, zone 6 to 9
• Euphorbia cyparissias (cypress spurge) – sun to light shade, zone 5 to 8
• Euphorbia epithymoides (cushion spurge) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Euphorbia polychroma (cushion spurge) – sun to light shade, zone 4 to 8
• Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Fritillaria imperialis lutea (crown imperial) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Fritillaria persica (Persian fritillary)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Gaillardia aristata (blanket flower) – sun, light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Galium odoratum (sweet woodruff) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Galium verum (lady’s bedstraw) – part sun to full shade, zone 5 to 7
• Geranium macrorrhizum (bigroot geranium, scented cranesbill) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Geranium maculatum (spotted geranium) – shade to part sun, zone 2 to 9
• Geranium x cantabrigiense (handy geranium) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Glandularia canaden (Verbena, rose vervain) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 10
• Helenium autumnale (sneezeweed) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 8
• Helianthus annus (sunflower) – sun to light shade, zone 6 to 10
• Helianthus hirsutus (hairy sunflower) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 9
• Helleborus x hybridus (hellebore) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Helleborus x sternii (hellebore) – shade to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Helleborus x ericsmithii (Christmas rose) – shade to part shade, zone 6 to 9
• Hibiscus lasiocarpos (rose mallow) – sun to light shade, zone 5 to 9
• Hydrangea arborescens (Hills of snow, sevenbark) – shade to part sun, zone 3 to 9
• Hypericum prolificum (shrubby St. John’s wort) – shade to part sun, zone 3 to 9
• Iris virginica (southern blue flag) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 9
• Iris cristata (dwarf crested iris) – shade to part sun, zone 4 to 8
• Lamium galeobdolon (yellow archangel) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Lamium maculatum (spotted deadnettle) – part shade to bright shade, zone 4 to 8
• Leucanthemum (Shasta daisy) – shade to partial shade, zones 4 to 9
• Liatris aspera (rough gayfeather) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Liatris scariosa (eastern blazing star) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Ligularia dentate (golden groundsel) – part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Ligustrum (privet) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Lindera benzoin (spice bush) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) – sun to part shade, zone 2 to 10
• Lobelia siphilitica (blue cardinal flower) – sun to part shade, zone 2 to 9
• Lysimachia punctata (whorled loosestrife) – sun to light shade, 4 to 8
• Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern) – shade to part shade, zone 3 to 8
• Mentha suaveolens (apple mint)– sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Mentha x piperita (apple mint) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Mertensia virginica (Virginia bluebells, Virginia cowslip) – shade to sun, zone 2 to 8
• Monarda (bee balm) – sun to part shape, zone 4 to 8
• Monarda bradburiana M. russeliana (eastern beebalm) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 9
• Monarda citriodora (lemon beebalm) – sun to light shade, zone 4 to 8
• Monarda fistulosa (wild beebalm) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Myrica pensylvanica (northern bayberry) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 6
• Narcissus (daffodil) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 8
• Nelumbo lutea (American lotus, water chinquapin) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 10
• Nepeta faassenii (catmint) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Nepeta longipes (catmint)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Nepeta subsessilis (Japanese catmint) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Nepeta x Joanna reed (catmint) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Nepeta yunnanensis (catmint) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Opuntia humifusa (syn. O. compressa) (eastern prickly pear, devil’s-tongue)– sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Osmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Paeonia (peony) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Paeonia lactiflora (syn. P. albiflora) (Chinese peony) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Panicum virgatum (switch grass) – sun to light shade, zone 5 to 9
• Pedicularis canadensis (Canadian lousewort) – shade to sun, zone 3 to 9
• Penstemon digitalis (foxglove beard tongue) – sun to medium shade 2 to 9
• Phlomis russeliana (ssticky Jerusalem sage)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Phytolacca americana (melody) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Phlox divaricata (woodland phlox, wild sweet William, blue phlox) – part shade to shade, zone 3 to 8
• Physostegia virginiana (obedient plant false dragonhead) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple) – shade to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Polemonium reptans (Jacob’s ladder) – shade to part sun, zone 3 to 9
• Prunella grandiflora (large selfheal) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Pycnanthemum muticum (clustered mountain mint)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Pycnanthemum pilosum (hariy mountain mint)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Pycnanthemum tenuifolium (narrow leaf mountain mint)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 7
• Pycnanthemum virginianum (Virginia mountain mint)– sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Rhamnus frangula (alder buckthorn)– full shade, zone 3 to 8
• Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 9
• Rhus typhina (stagehorn sumac, velvet sumac) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 8
• Rudbeckia fulgida (black-eyed susan) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Rudbeckia hirta (black-eyed Susan, Gloriosa daisy) – sun to light shade, all zones
• Sanguinaria canadensis (bloodroot, red puccoon) – shade to part sun, zone 2 to 9
• Scutellaria incana (downy skullcap) – sun to shade, zone 3 to 9
• Sisyrinchium bermudianum (syn. S. graminoides) (blue-eyed grass)– sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Solidago drummondii (cliff goldenrod) – sun to medium shade, zone 3 to 9
• Solidago flexicaulis (zigzag goldenrod) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 9
• Solidago nemoralis (gray goldenrod) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 9
• Solidago speciosa (showy goldenrod) – sun to light shade, zone 2 to 9
• Schizachyrium scoparium (little bluestem) – sun to light shade, zone 4 to 9
• Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass, wood grass) – sun or light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Stylophorum diphyllum (Flaming poppy) – shade to part sun, zone 2 to 9
• Tanacetum balsamita (alecost, costmary)– sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Tanacetum macrophyllum (tansy daisy)– sun to part shade, zone 5 to 7
• Tanacetum vulgare (common tansy) – sun to part shade, zone 4 to 8
• Tephrosia virginiiana (goat’s rue) – sun to part shade, zone 3 to 9
• Teucrium Canadensis (American germander) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 8
• Teucrium chamaedrys (wall germander) – sun to part shade, zone 5 to 9
• Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver’s root) – sun to light shade, zone 3 to 9
• Viola pedata (birdfoot violet, crowfoot violet) – sun to part shade, zone 2 to 9