Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

If you promise to remember that "deer-resistant" does not mean "deer-proof", we will suggest a list of plants that deer won't eat unless they are really hungry, which they usually are. We will go to our Special Collections and look at Deer Resistant Plants. On that list, we will narrow our search by selecting first for Texas, and then "herb" (herbaceous blooming plant) under General Appearance. This produced 163  possibilities, from which we selected a sampling. Next, search the same list, again with Texas and this time with "shrub" under General Appearance. This produces a list of 63 plants. Deer also don't much care for grasses, so a search for grasses and grass-like plants would yield 41 results.  You can run a search yourself, specifying the amount of sun available, soil moisture, and whether you want perennials or annuals. Follow each link to the page in our Native Plant Database on that plant to learn more about characteristics, benefits and propagation. Finally, we checked the USDA Plant Profile on each plant we selected to make sure it would grow well in the Austin area.

Deer-resistant flowering plants for Austin:

Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana (Hinckley's golden columbine) - to 3 ft. tall, semi-evergreen, blooms yellow April and May, medium water use, part shade, shade

Argemone albiflora (bluestem pricklypoppy) - 3 ft. tall, blooms white March to July, low water use, part shade

Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly milkweed) - 1-3 ft., deciduous,blooms orange, yellow May to September, low water use, sun or part shade

Berlandiera lyrata (lyreleaf greeneyes) - 1 to 2 ft., blooms yellow April to November, low water use, sun or part shade

Capsicum annuum (cayenne pepper) - 1 to 3 ft., blooms white May to October, low water use, sun, part shade or shade

Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppymallow) - 1 to 3 ft., evergreen, blooms white, pink, purple March to June, medium water use, sun or part shade

Coreopsis tinctoria (golden tickseed) - 1 - 2 ft., blooms yellow, brown April to June, high water use, sun or part shade

Eryngium leavenworthii (Leavenworth's eryngo) - to 3 ft. tall, blooms blue, purple July to September, low water use, sun or part shade

Deer-resistant shrubs for Austin:

Amorpha fruticosa (desert false indigo) - 6 to 10 ft., deciduous, blooms orange, blue, purple, violet April to June, low water use, sun or part shade

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii (Wright's desert honeysuckle) - 3 to 5 ft., deciduous, blooms red, orange June to October, low water use, sun or part shade

Chrysactinia mexicana (damianita) - 1 to 2 ft., evergreen, blooms yellow April to September, low water use, sun

Larrea tridentata (creosote bush) - 3 to 5 ft., evergreen, blooms yellow March to September, low water use, part shade

Deer-resistant grasses and grass-like plants for Austin:

Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland sea oats) - 2 to 4 ft., deciduous, medium water use, sun or part shade

Elymus canadensis (Canada wildrye) - 2 to 4 ft., deciduous, medium water use, sun or part shade

Muhlenbergia capillaris (hairawn muhly) - 1 to 3 ft., high water use, sun

Nolina texana (Texas sacahuista) - 1 to 3 ft., evergreen, blooms white, green March to July, low water use, part shade

From our Native Plant Image Gallery:

Aquilegia chrysantha var. hinckleyana

Argemone albiflora

Asclepias tuberosa

Berlandiera lyrata

Capsicum annuum

Callirhoe involucrata

Coreopsis tinctoria

Eryngium leavenworthii

Amorpha fruticosa

Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii

Chrysactinia mexicana

Larrea tridentata

Chasmanthium latifolium

Elymus canadensis

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Nolina texana