Deer Resistant Plants for Shade Gardens

Deer resistant shade plants are the secret to a low-stress garden. They thrive where light is limited and deer are frequent visitors. Whether you're working under trees, along shaded fences, or in cool corners of your yard, these plants protect your investment. They keep your garden looking beautiful all season long.

At Garden Crossings, our curated selection includes annuals, perennials, and shrubs built for strong performance in challenging spots. Many also attract pollinators and thrive in moist, cool soil so they do double duty in the landscape. Ready to design a stunning layered look? Explore our deer resistant shade plants and build a garden that stays beautiful and unbrowsed.

A deer with light brown fur grazes on green plants in a garden, surrounded by trees and lush vegetation.
Feathered Friends® 'Petite Parakeet' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features gold small leaves that contrast beautifully with bright yellow-green and dark purple foliage, dark greenish-purple foliage is seen in the top of the image - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.A dense cluster of small, yellow-green leaves with light brown edges, typical of Feathered Friends® 'Petite Parakeet' Bugleweed (Ajuga), grows closely together in a tray against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Petite Parakeet' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
A potted Feathered Friends® 'Pink Pelican' Bugleweed (Ajuga), a ground cover perennial with dense clusters of small light purple flowers and green-red leaves, is set against a plain white background - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions. Decorative pot not included.

Feathered Friends® 'Pink Pelican' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of vibrant purple Feathered Friends® 'Pleasant Pheasant' Bugleweed (Ajuga) flower spikes with green and yellowish-brown leaves. Densely packed blooms give a soft look, making this ajuga an excellent choice for shade gardens - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.Feathered Friends® 'Pleasant Pheasant' Bugleweed (Ajuga) features a dense cluster of small, oval leaves in yellow, orange, and reddish-brown, providing vibrant textured foliage for striking shade garden displays - Photo Courtesy of Chris Hansen.

Feathered Friends® 'Pleasant Pheasant' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99

Close-up of Feathered Friends® 'Rosy Robin' Bugleweed (Ajuga) flower spikes with densely packed blooms above green and bronze foliage - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions. A potted Feathered Friends® 'Rosy Robin' Bugleweed (Ajuga), a hardy perennial with dense spikes of pale purple flowers and reddish-green leaves, is shown against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Garden Solutions. Decorative pot not included.

Feathered Friends® 'Rosy Robin' Bugleweed (Ajuga)

$17.99
$17.99
Clusters of fragrant, bottlebrush-shaped white blooms grow on green leafy stems of the shade-tolerant Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea), surrounded by broad, textured green leaves. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClusters of fragrant white blooms rise above green leaves in a dense, sunlit garden. Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea)’s small flowers are packed tightly along upright stems, creating texture in these shade-tolerant shrubs. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Fizzy Mizzy® Sweetspire (Itea)

$22.99
$22.99
Close-up of rusty red leaves of Fun and Games® 'Red Rover' Foamy Bells (Heucherella) with a cluster of pink and white buds surround the perennial amid lush green foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of a cluster of Fun and Games® 'Red Rover' Foamy Bells (Heucherella) leaves, resembling coral bells, display rich burgundy-red hues grow densely above dark soil - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Fun and Games® 'Red Rover' Foamy Bells (Heucherella)

$18.99
$18.99

Heart to Heart® 'Bold 'N Beautiful' Caladium features lush leaves with green edges, creamy centers, and pink-red veins - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC. Decorative pot not included. A cluster of Heart to Heart® 'Bold 'N Beautiful' Caladium with large, heart-shaped leaves—bright pink centers and green edges—thrives by a stone border in sun or shade, surrounded by mulch - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Heart to Heart® 'Bold 'N Beautiful' Caladium

$24.99
$24.99
Heart to Heart® 'Burning Heart' Caladium features large, heart-shaped leaves in reddish-brown with yellow speckles. This tropical houseplant stands out, while hints of green foliage and a black pot can be seen in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCHeart to Heart® 'Burning Heart' Caladium features large, heart-shaped red leaves with pink and white speckles that overlap to form dense, vibrant foliage - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Heart to Heart® 'Burning Heart' Caladium

$24.99
$24.99

A close-up of a Heart to Heart® 'Xplosion' Caladium displays heart-shaped, vibrant green and red leaves with white speckles in a black pot, surrounded by lush greenery - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC. Decorative pot not included.The Heart to Heart® 'Xplosion' Caladium features large, heart-shaped leaves with green edges, deep red veins, and white splashes, presented in a textured light ceramic pot against a white background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Heart to Heart® 'Xplosion' Caladium

$24.99
$24.99
Heart to Heart® 'Va Va Violet' Caladium features large, heart-shaped leaves with pink centers, light green edges, and white and green speckles - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCHeart to Heart® 'Va Va Violet' Caladium features vibrant heart-shaped leaves with pink centers and green edges with overlapping foliage that creates a striking, colorful display - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Heart to Heart® Va Va Violet™ Caladium

$24.99
$24.99
Close-up of vibrant Kodiak® Orange Diervilla leaves in red, pink, and pale yellow shades. This shrub features pointed tips and prominent veins, creating striking and colorful foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A drought-tolerant shrub with slender branches and pink, yellow, and light green leaves, Kodiak® Orange Diervilla adds early autumn color to garden beds mulched beside logs - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Kodiak® Orange Diervilla

$22.99
$22.99

Red and orange autumn leaves densely cover the drought-tolerant Kodiak® Red 2.0 Diervilla, revealing hints of yellow and green beneath for a vibrant, colorful foliage display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of the Kodiak® Red 2.0 Diervilla shrub, with reddish-brown narrow leaves, grows in a sunlit mulched bed alongside other plants and mulch in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Kodiak® Red 2.0 Diervilla

$22.99
$22.99

Long, slender spikes of small white flowers extend from leafy green stems as the dense Little Henry® Sweetspire (Itea) grows over a stone border in the garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of overlapping reddish-brown, pink, and green leaves with prominent veins and glossy texture on the compact Little Henry® Sweetspire (Itea) shrub. Leaves grow from the central stem - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Little Henry® Sweetspire (Itea)

$21.99
$21.99

A close-up of a neatly trimmed Neatball® Boxwood (Buxus) with dense, round form and small, glossy leaves. This evergreen shrub sits in an outdoor garden, surrounded by other greenery - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Top-down view of a small Neatball® Boxwood (Buxus), a compact, evergreen shrub with oval leaves, thriving in sunny, mulched beds - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Neatball® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99

A Newgen Freedom® Boxwood (Buxus), neatly trimmed and round with dense foliage, grows in a mulched garden bed outdoors, serving as an attractive evergreen foundation plant against greenery and a house - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A Newgen Freedom® Boxwood (Buxus), with dense green leaves, is planted in mulch in front of a light blue house with a screened porch, serving as an attractive evergreen foundation shrub - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Newgen Freedom® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99
Rounded, blight-resistant Newgen Independence® Boxwood shrubs and white hydrangea flowers thrive in a mulched garden bed bordered by a white wooden fence - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A neatly trimmed Newgen Independence® Boxwood (Buxus) with dense leaves grows in a garden bed, surrounded by other greenery and white flowers near a building - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Newgen Independence® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99

A close-up of Noble Native' Sedge (Carex)—with dense, long, narrow green leaves edged in white—emerges from the ground amid brown mulch and other shade groundcovers - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.Noble Native' Sedge (Carex) features clusters of green, strappy leaves and grass-like foliage in mulched soil, forming a lush shade groundcover with dark purple and green leafy plants providing a striking background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Noble Native Sedge (Carex)

$19.99
$19.99
A North Star® Boxwood (Buxus) with small leaves forms a dense, neat globe in a mulched garden bed, standing out against a grassy backdrop - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.North Star® Boxwood (Buxus) forms a dense, rounded shrub with small, bright green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

North Star® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of two Heuchera types: the top shows vivid pink leaves, while below are ruffled, nearly black Primo® 'Black Pearl' Coral Bells - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Primo® 'Black Pearl' Coral Bells (Heuchera) features dark leaves and tall stems topped with pinkish-white flowers along the garden bed edge, creating striking contrast beside green grass - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Primo® 'Black Pearl' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99

Two spikes of small, white flowers bloom among lush green leaves on the Scentlandia® Sweetspire (Itea), their dense clusters standing out beautifully against the broad, veined foliage. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCDense green foliage and clusters of elongated, cream-colored, bottlebrush-like flower spikes emerge from the stems of the Scentlandia® Sweetspire (Itea), with small flowers densely packed along each spike. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Scentlandia® Sweetspire (Itea)

$22.99
$22.99
Large green leaves with dark edges and pinkish-red centers from the Space Age™ Black Hole™ Rex Begonia are shown in front, while small clusters of purple flowers appear in the background for a striking shade garden display - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClose-up of Space Age™ Black Hole™ Rex Begonia leaves with jagged edges, displaying silvery-green tones, deep pink, and dark purple veins—an eye-catching shade garden plant - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Space Age® Black Hole™ Rex Begonia

$15.99
$15.99

A close-up of Space Age™ Europa™ Rex Begonia leaves with silvery-green centers, dark purple edges, and pinkish veins reveals unique spiral patterns and rich texture - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClose-up of Space Age™ Europa™ Rex Begonia leaves. The green, pink, and purple foliage with textured surfaces and bold veins forms an eye-catching, colorful pattern - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Space Age® Europa™ Rex Begonia

$15.99
$15.99
A neatly trimmed, round Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus) with dense foliage grows in a landscaped garden bed, surrounded by mulch and other similar evergreen shrubs in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.A dense, round Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus) with glossy green leaves grows in a square metal planter near light-colored siding and another potted plant in the background - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Sprinter® Boxwood (Buxus)

$22.99
$22.99

Close-up of Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca), an evergreen shrub with clusters of small, white star-shaped flowers with pink tips amid glossy green leaves. Dense blooms adorn this shade-loving plant’s vibrant foliage. - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc. Top-down view of the The Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca) with dense, pointed green leaves in a white container, set outdoors on concrete with other plants in the background. - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Sweet & Lo™ Sweet Box (Sarcococca)

$21.99
$21.99