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Alabama · Zones 7–9

Deer-Resistant Native Plants in Alabama

Native plants deer tend to walk past — the aromatic, fuzzy, and bitter-leaved species that survive where browsing is heavy. Alabama sits in a landscape of Gulf Coastal Plain & Cumberland Plateau, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its hot, humid subtropical character. The list below — led by Purple Coneflower and Dense Blazing Star — is filtered to species genuinely native to Alabama and the wider flora of the Southeast and hardy through zones 7–9. No plant is truly deer-proof when winters are hard and the herd is hungry, but deer reliably avoid aromatic foliage (mints and salvias), fuzzy or coarse leaves, and toxic or bitter sap. Lean on those traits, plant the few irresistible things close to the house, and a new bed will sail through its first season far more often than not.

The plants

40 native species for Alabama

Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 7–9 · see this collection in other states.

Perennial wildflower

Purple Coneflower

Echinacea purpurea

Browse-resistant thanks to tough, unpalatable leaves — a safe bet up to 2–4 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–4 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Sep
Perennial wildflower

Black-Eyed Susan

Rudbeckia hirta

One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of leaves deer find unappealing.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 1.5–3 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Sep
Perennial wildflower

Foxglove Beardtongue

Penstemon digitalis

Deer tend to walk past leaves deer find unappealing — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 2–4 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–4 ft
  • Blooms May–Jun
Perennial wildflower

Wild Columbine

Aquilegia canadensis

Deer tend to walk past leaves deer find unappealing — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 1–2.5 ft tall.

  • Part shade
  • Dry–average
  • 1–2.5 ft
  • Blooms Apr–Jun
Perennial wildflower

Aromatic Aster

Symphyotrichum oblongifolium

One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of tough, unpalatable leaves.

  • Full sun
  • Dry
  • 1.5–2.5 ft
  • Blooms Sep–Nov
Perennial wildflower

Wild Bergamot

Monarda fistulosa

One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of its scented leaves.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–4 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Aug
Perennial wildflower

Butterfly Weed

Asclepias tuberosa

Browse-resistant thanks to tough, unpalatable leaves — a safe bet up to 1.5–2.5 ft tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry
  • 1.5–2.5 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Aug
Subshrub

Turk's Cap

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii

One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of coarse, bitter foliage.

  • Sun to shade
  • Dry–average
  • 2–5 ft
  • Blooms May–Oct
Perennial wildflower

Showy Goldenrod

Solidago speciosa

Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 2–4 ft tall and rarely touched.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–4 ft
  • Blooms Sep–Oct
Ornamental grass

Pink Muhly Grass

Muhlenbergia capillaris

Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 2–3 ft tall and rarely touched.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 2–3 ft
  • Blooms Sep–Oct
Shrub

American Beautyberry

Callicarpa americana

Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 4–7 ft tall and rarely touched.

  • Full–part sun
  • Dry–average
  • 4–7 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Jul
Perennial wildflower

Great Blue Lobelia

Lobelia siphilitica

Browse-resistant thanks to tough, unpalatable leaves — a safe bet up to 2–3 ft tall.

  • Full–part sun
  • Average–wet
  • 2–3 ft
  • Blooms Aug–Sep
Perennial wildflower

Wild Geranium

Geranium maculatum

Browse-resistant thanks to coarse, bitter foliage — a safe bet up to 1.5–2 ft tall.

  • Part shade
  • Average
  • 1.5–2 ft
  • Blooms Apr–Jun
Perennial wildflower

Culver's Root

Veronicastrum virginicum

Leaves deer find unappealing keep the deer off, 3–5 ft tall and rarely touched.

  • Full–part sun
  • Average–wet
  • 3–5 ft
  • Blooms Jun–Aug
Perennial wildflower

Foamflower

Tiarella cordifolia

Deer tend to walk past coarse, bitter foliage — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 6–12 in tall.

  • Part shade
  • Average
  • 6–12 in
  • Blooms Apr–May
Perennial wildflower

Lanceleaf Coreopsis

Coreopsis lanceolata

Deer tend to walk past leaves deer find unappealing — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 1.5–2 ft tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 1.5–2 ft
  • Blooms May–Jul
Perennial wildflower

Common Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Browse-resistant thanks to leaves deer find unappealing — a safe bet up to 1.5–3 ft tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 1.5–3 ft
  • Blooms May–Aug
Spring ephemeral

Virginia Bluebells

Mertensia virginica

Tough, unpalatable leaves keep the deer off, 1–2 ft tall and rarely touched.

  • Part shade
  • Average–wet
  • 1–2 ft
  • Blooms Mar–May
Perennial wildflower

Stiff Goldenrod

Solidago rigida

Browse-resistant thanks to coarse, bitter foliage — a safe bet up to 3–5 ft tall.

  • Full sun
  • Dry–average
  • 3–5 ft
  • Blooms Aug–Oct

16 more also qualify: Creeping Phlox, Wild Ginger, Wild Lupine, Spicebush, Fragrant Sumac, Virginia Creeper, Ninebark, Rattlesnake Master, New Jersey Tea, Pennsylvania Sedge, Cinnamon Fern, Switchgrass, Christmas Fern, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Little Bluestem.

More for Alabama
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Sourcing

Where to find these in Alabama

Seeds & live plants on Amazon

Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.

Browse on Amazon

Some links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.