Virginia Bluebells
Mertensia virginica
Deer tend to walk past leaves deer find unappealing — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 1–2 ft tall.
- Part shade
- Average–wet
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Minnesota · Zones 3–5
Deer-Resistant Native Plants in Minnesota
Native plants deer tend to walk past — the aromatic, fuzzy, and bitter-leaved species that survive where browsing is heavy. Minnesota sits in a landscape of Northern tallgrass prairie & North Woods, and the natives that thrive here are the ones built for its cold continental character. The list below — led by Virginia Bluebells and Anise Hyssop — is filtered to species genuinely native to Minnesota and the wider flora of the Midwest and hardy through zones 3–5. 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
47 native species for Minnesota
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 3–5 · see this collection in other states.
Anise Hyssop
Agastache foeniculum
Aromatic foliage keeps the deer off, 2–4 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Browse-resistant thanks to its scented leaves — a safe bet up to 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
Great Blue Lobelia
Lobelia siphilitica
One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of coarse, bitter foliage.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Aug–Sep
Foxglove Beardtongue
Penstemon digitalis
Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 2–4 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms May–Jun
Lanceleaf Coreopsis
Coreopsis lanceolata
Tough, unpalatable leaves keep the deer off, 1.5–2 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms May–Jul
Purple Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea
Browse-resistant thanks to leaves deer find unappealing — a safe bet up to 2–4 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Showy Goldenrod
Solidago speciosa
One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of coarse, bitter foliage.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Sep–Oct
Golden Alexanders
Zizia aurea
Deer tend to walk past coarse, bitter foliage — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 1.5–2.5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 1.5–2.5 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
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
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of leaves deer find unappealing.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms May–Aug
Culver's Root
Veronicastrum virginicum
Browse-resistant thanks to coarse, bitter foliage — a safe bet up to 3–5 ft tall.
- Full–part sun
- Average–wet
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Aug
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
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
Short-Toothed Mountain Mint
Pycnanthemum muticum
Its scented leaves keep the deer off, 2–3 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Jul–Sep
Black-Eyed Susan
Rudbeckia hirta
Tough, unpalatable leaves keep the deer off, 1.5–3 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Full–part sun
- Dry–average
- 1.5–3 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Wild Geranium
Geranium maculatum
Leaves deer find unappealing keep the deer off, 1.5–2 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Part shade
- Average
- 1.5–2 ft
- Blooms Apr–Jun
Dense Blazing Star
Liatris spicata
Deer tend to walk past leaves deer find unappealing — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 2–4 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Average–wet
- 2–4 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Pasque Flower
Pulsatilla patens
Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 6–12 in tall and rarely touched.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Chocolate Flower
Berlandiera lyrata
Deer tend to walk past aromatic foliage — dependable where browsing is heavy, at 1–2 ft tall.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2 ft
- Blooms May–Sep
Prairie Smoke
Geum triflorum
Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 6–16 in tall and rarely touched.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 6–16 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Blanketflower
Gaillardia aristata
Leaves deer find unappealing keep the deer off, 1–2.5 ft tall and rarely touched.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 1–2.5 ft
- Blooms Jun–Sep
Prairie Blazing Star
Liatris pycnostachya
One deer reliably leave alone, on the strength of coarse, bitter foliage.
- Full sun
- Dry–average
- 3–5 ft
- Blooms Jul–Aug
Foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia
Coarse, bitter foliage keeps the deer off, 6–12 in tall and rarely touched.
- Part shade
- Average
- 6–12 in
- Blooms Apr–May
23 more also qualify: Ninebark, Compass Plant, Wild Lupine, Bearberry, Virginia Creeper, New Jersey Tea, Stiff Goldenrod, Wild Ginger, Rattlesnake Master, Blue Grama, Sideoats Grama, Creeping Phlox, Spicebush, Fragrant Sumac, Purple Prairie Clover, Christmas Fern, Indian Grass, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Prairie Dropseed, Cinnamon Fern, Little Bluestem, Pennsylvania Sedge.
Sourcing
Where to find these in Minnesota
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome 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.