Deer-Resistant Ornamental Grasses
These 34 ornamental grasses are the ones deer tend to leave alone — rated A (rarely damaged) or B (seldom damaged) in Rutgers University’s deer-resistance research. Sorted most-resistant first.
Search all 527 plants by zone →10 ways to keep deer out →Ratings come from Rutgers University’s landscape deer-resistance research. A = rarely damaged, B = seldom severely damaged. We list only A and B here — the plants deer tend to leave alone. No plant is 100% deer-proof when browse pressure is high.
| Plant | Botanical name | Deer rating | Zones |
|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bluestem | Andropogon sp. | A · Rarely damaged | 3–9 |
| Blue Fescue | Festuca glauca | A · Rarely damaged | 4–8 |
| Blue Oat Grass | Helictotrichon sempervirens | A · Rarely damaged | 4–8 |
| Clump Bamboo | Fargesia sp. | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Feather Reed Grass | Calamagrostis sp. | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Fountain Grass | Pennisetum alopecuroides | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Giant Japanese Silver Grass | Miscanthus floridulis | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Giant Reed | Arundo donax | A · Rarely damaged | 6–10 |
| Golden Bamboo | Phyllostachys aurea | A · Rarely damaged | 6–10 |
| Hakonechloa | Hakonechloa macra | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Hard Rush | Juncus effusus | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Indian Grass | Sorghastrum nutans | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Japanese Blood Grass | Imperata cylindrica | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Japanese Sedge | Carex sp. | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Japanese Silver Grass | Miscanthus sinensis | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Japanese Sweet Flag | Acorus sp. | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Large Blue June Grass | Koeleria glauca | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Little Bluestem | Schizachyrium scoparium | A · Rarely damaged | 3–9 |
| Lyme Grass | Leymus arenarius glaucous | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Northern Sea Oats | Chasmanthium latifolium | A · Rarely damaged | 3–8 |
| Oriental Fountain Grass | Pennisetum orientale | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Pampus Grass | Cortaderia selloana | A · Rarely damaged | 7–11 |
| Purple Moor Grass | Molinia caerulea | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Ravenna Grass | Erianthus ravennae | A · Rarely damaged | 6–9 |
| Switch Grass | Panicum virgatum | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Variegated Purple Moor Grass | Molinia caerulea 'Variegata' | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Varigated Oat Grass | Arrhenatherum elatius | A · Rarely damaged | 4–9 |
| Weeping Love Grass | Eragrostus curvula | A · Rarely damaged | 5–9 |
| Bamboo | Bambusa sp. | B · Seldom damaged | 7–11 |
| Bottlebrush Grass | Hystrix patula | B · Seldom damaged | 4–9 |
| Drooping Sedge | Carex pendula | B · Seldom damaged | 5–9 |
| Dwarf Mondo Grass | Ophiopogon japonicus | B · Seldom damaged | 6–11 |
| Ribbon Grass | Phalaris arundinaceae | B · Seldom damaged | 4–9 |
| Sedge | Scirpus lacustris | B · Seldom damaged | 4–9 |
Protect what you plant
Even deer-resistant plants get browsed when deer are hungry. The proven backups:
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