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 brown deer with short antlers grazes on green plants in a lush, wooded area, surrounded by leafy bushes and trees.
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

Primo® 'Mahogany Monster' Coral Bells (Heuchera) features ruffled, deer-resistant leaves in deep purple and bronze hues, creating a striking perennial display for your garden - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of overlapping reddish-brown leaves with ruffled edges and visible veins; Primo® 'Mahogany Monster' Coral Bells (Heuchera) creates a dense, textured foliage pattern - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Primo® 'Mahogany Monster' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99
Primo® 'Peachberry Ice' Coral Bells (Heuchera) with ruffled reddish-bronze leaves and delicate white flowers on slender stems, thriving in soil with green foliage as a backdrop - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Primo® 'Peachberry Ice' Coral Bells (Heuchera) with ruffled, lobed red and pink leaves, thriving in mulch-covered soil among pine needles - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Primo® 'Peachberry Ice' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99

Primo® 'Wild Rose' Coral Bells (Heuchera) is a striking perennial with deep pink and burgundy leaves featuring visible veins, topped by delicate white flowers on tall stems above the vibrant foliage - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.A cluster of Primo® 'Wild Rose' Coral Bells (Heuchera) leaves shows vibrant purple and pink shades with ruffled texture and distinct veins. Green and purple foliage from more Coral Bells appears in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC. Decorative pot not included.

Primo® 'Wild Rose' Coral Bells (Heuchera)

$18.99
$18.99
Santa Cruz® Begonia displays bright orange-red, long-pointed flowers that hang downward amid green leaves and small white blossoms in a lush garden setting - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCA vibrant Santa Cruz® Begonia, with lush dark green leaves and drooping red petals, thrives beside grass and mulch - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC

Santa Cruz® Begonia

$10.99
$10.99

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

‘Valentine’ Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) features red and pink heart-shaped flowers with green leaves, growing densely together in a garden, set against a softly blurred natural background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of 'Valentine' Bleeding Heart (Dicentra) flowers, displaying red and white heart-shaped blooms hanging from a curved stem with green foliage in a garden setting - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Valentine® Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)

$20.99
$20.99

Close-up of a vibrant pink Vicki™ Clematis flower with pointed petals and yellow center, set among green leaves. Additional pink Vicki™ Clematis blooms appear softly in the background - Photo Courtesy of Donahue's Clematis

Vicki™ Boulevard® Clematis

$20.99
$20.99

Close-up of Volcanica™ French Quarters Coleus leaves, featuring jagged edges, bright green borders, deep pink centers, and dark purple patches. This shade annual’s colorful, densely packed foliage creates striking contrast - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCClose-up of Volcanica™ French Quarters Coleus—this eye-catching plant has jagged bright green edges, deep pink centers, and rich maroon patterns, making it a striking shade annual - Photo Courtesy of Ball Horticulure, Inc.

Volcanica™ French Quarters Coleus

$10.99
$10.99
A close-up of Wedding Party® 'Black Tie Affair' Lenten Rose (Helleborus) shows pale double petals edged in purple with dark veins, green leaves, and yellow stamens - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A hand holds the Wedding Party® 'Black Tie Affair' Lenten Rose (Helleborus), a shade perennial with green leaves and two layered dark purple and white flowers featuring showy yellow stamens - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Wedding Party® 'Black Tie Affair' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99

A hand gently holds a blooming Wedding Party® 'Dark and Handsome' Lenten Rose (Helleborus), showcasing deep purple, double-layered petals, pale yellow stamens, and green leaves - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of Wedding Party® 'Dark and Handsome' Lenten Rose (Helleborus), featuring deep purple-black layered petals, striking yellow stamens, and lush green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Wedding Party® 'Dark and Handsome' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99

Wedding Party® 'Dashing Groomsman' Lenten Rose (Helleborus) features dark purple double blooms and lush green leaves—some flowers open, others in bud - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A close-up of Wedding Party® 'Dashing Groomsman' Lenten Rose (Helleborus) with double dark purple blooms and green leaves in a terracotta pot against a black background - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc. Decorative pot not included.

Wedding Party® 'Dashing Groomsman' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99

A hand gently holds a vibrant purple-pink double blooming perennial, Wedding Party® 'Maid of Honor' Lenten Rose (Helleborus), with ruffled petals and yellow stamens among green leaves and a blurred background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.Close-up of Wedding Party® 'Maid of Honor' Lenten Rose (Helleborus) featuring ruffled pink and white double blooms with green leaves, intricate veining, and other Lenten Rose flowers and foliage in the background - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Wedding Party® 'Maid of Honor' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99
Two hands gently hold three Wedding Party® 'Shotgun Wedding' Lenten Rose flowers—purple and white with yellow centers—amid green leaves - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Wedding Party® 'Shotgun Wedding' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99
Close-up of several cut Wedding Party® 'True Love' Lenten Rose (Helleborus) blooms showing dark purple-pink layered petals and pale yellow stamens, set against green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.A hand gently holds a deep burgundy, double-petaled Wedding Party® 'True Love' Lenten Rose (Helleborus) with pale yellow stamens in the center, surrounded by green leaves and more buds of this striking shade perennial - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLC.

Wedding Party® 'True Love' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99
A close-up of the Wedding Party® 'Wedding Crasher' Lenten Rose (Helleborus), an early spring bloomer with multiple pink petals speckled with darker spots, yellow stamens at the center, and green foliage - Photo Courtesy of Walters Gardens, Inc.

Wedding Party® 'Wedding Crasher' Lenten Rose (Helleborus)

$18.99
$18.99
Clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers with yellow centers bloom among green leaves and buds on the Yuki Snowflake® Deutzia - Photo Property of Garden Crossings LLCYuki Snowflake® Deutzia is a dense shrub with clusters of small, star-shaped white flowers and green leaves, shown outdoors in bright light - Photo Courtesy of Proven Winners, Inc.

Yuki Snowflake® Deutzia

$22.99
$22.99