Deer often cause damage to trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants causing avid gardeners and tree planters to spend money on deer repellents or deer tubes.  No tree or shrub is completely deer proof, but some are more deer resistant than others.  The ratings below are based upon research from Rutgers University Experiment Station in conjunction with nursery and landscape professionals and master gardeners.  Hopefully this new research will help eliminate the need to purchase deer repellent or deer fences.

To create this list, I overlaid the research from Rutgers with the available trees and shrubs on Arborday.org to come up with five different groups of the best and worst deer resistant trees and shrubs. The list below includes plants that have a deer resistance rating of rarely damaged and seldom severely damaged.  These are the best trees and shrubs for landscape areas that could have deer problems and often act as natural deer repellent (aka deer proof trees and shrubs).  I have also included the least deer resistant trees and shrubs, so if you are in an area with a large amount of deer, you will want to avoid these trees.

Deer Resistant Trees: Rarely Damaged

The following trees have a deer resistance rating of rarely damaged, the highest degree of deer resistance a tree can receive.

Paper birch, River birch

Deer Resistant Trees: Seldom Severely Damaged

The following trees have a deer resistance rating of seldom severely damaged, the second highest degree of deer resistance a tree can receive.

Austrian Pine, Colorado blue spruce, Sassafras, Corkscrew willow, Dawn redwood, Douglasfir, Downy serviceberry, Eastern red cedar, White pine, European beech, Goldenrain tree, Japanese flowering cherry(Yoshino), Japanese red maple, Kousa dogwood, Norway spruce, Red maple, Scot pine, Serbian spruce, Sourwood, Sugar maple, Tuliptree, White spruce, Yellow birch

Fall Leaves of the Seldom Damaged Sourwood

Deer Resistant Shrubs: Rarely Damaged

The following shrubs have a deer resistance rating of rarely damaged, the highest degree of deer resistance a shrub can receive.

Arrowwood viburnum, Common boxwood

Aarowwood Viburnum, Deer Resistant Shrub

Deer Resistant Shrubs: Seldom Severely Damaged

The following shrubs have a deer resistance rating of seldom severely damaged, the second highest degree of deer resistance a shrub can receive.

Beautybush, Blackhaw viburnum, Youngstown juniper, Carolina silverbell, Fragrant lilac, Sweetshrub, Witchhazel, American hazelnut, Redosier dogwood, Rose of Sharon, Saucer magnolia, Smokebush, Sweetmock orange, Weigla, Winterberry holly