Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Unfortunately, that leaves very few choices in New York, wanting both deer-resistant plants and evergreen. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to the use and propagation of plants native not only to North America but to the area in which they are being grown. Since you are in USDA Hardiness Zone 4a, which has average annual minimum temperatures of -30 to -25, there is not much that can withstand that, with the exception of some conifers, all of which get way too big to be treated as a shrub. You do know, we're sure, that deer will eat just about anything when their natural forage has been eliminated or disturbed by urban development. They don't like spiky, thorny, aromatic foliage, but it doesn't seem likely than an agave would survive more than 20 minutes in January in New York. We're going to suggest that you contact Cornell University Extension Services, Saratoga County NY Gardening Resources for some possible ideas they have that we don't.

We have a Special Collections list of Deer Resistant Species. We searched it specifying New York and shrubs, and came up with six shrubs, of which only one is evergreen. There is also one we threw in because it's evergreen, a small shrub and attractive, but we can't find any information on its deer resistance: Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (kinnikinnick), which probably means it isn't.

Deer resistant shrubs in New York

Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo) - highly resistant, deciduous

Ceanothus herbaceus (Jersey tea) - highly resistant,deciduous

Cephalanthus occidentalis (common buttonbush) - moderately resistant, evergreen

Rhus aromatica (fragrant sumac) - highly resistant, deciduous

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus (coralberry) - moderately resistant, deciduous

Ptelea trifoliata (common hoptree) - highly resistant, deciduous

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Amorpha fruticosa

Ceanothus herbaceus

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Rhus aromatica

Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

Ptelea trifoliata