In general, deer don't care for plants with fuzzy leaves or those that taste bitter. They avoid poisonous plants instinctively. Annuals with good deer resistance include ageratum, ice plant, pincushion flower, verbena and zinnias. Perennials to select include Apache plume, most of the artemesia and sagebrush family, bleeding heart, clematis, coneflowers and daffodils, delphiniums, foxglove, wild geraniums, iris, poppies, peonies, Russian sage, tansy and yarrow. Species roses, shrub roses and old garden roses are more resistant to deer than tender hybrid teas, and far hardier.
Individual deer have plant preferences just like people do.
The minute you convert your entire yard to yucca and yarrow, you're sure to be visited by the one deer in America that prefers these plants. Perhaps the best thing to cultivate in the Bambi wars is an enjoyment of these graceful, gentle herbivores who share our environment-and our gardens.