Quick answer: 70 deer-resistant native plants are native to New Jersey, 65 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
70 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue wild indigo Baptisia australis · 23 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Canadian wild ginger Asarum canadense · 30 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides · 34 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dutchman's breeches Dicentra cucullaria · 32 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern hay-scented fern Dennstaedtia punctilobula · 25 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern smooth beardtongue Penstemon laevigatus · 15 states
- Foxglove beardtongue Penstemon digitalis · 35 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Hairy beardtongue Penstemon hirsutus · 19 states
- Heart-leaved meadow parsnip Zizia aptera · 30 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Interrupted fern Osmunda claytoniana · 29 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Largeflower tickseed Coreopsis grandiflora · 25 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mayapple Podophyllum peltatum · 35 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- New York ironweed Vernonia noveboracensis · 18 states
- Northern blue flag Iris versicolor · 10 states
- Northern maidenhair fern Adiantum pedatum · 37 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Orange coneflower Rudbeckia fulgida · 23 states
- Ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris · 13 states
- Pawpaw Asimina triloba · 29 states
- Purple milkweed Asclepias purpurascens · 20 states
- Red spruce Picea rubens · 15 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet beebalm Monarda didyma · 25 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Sheep laurel Kalmia angustifolia · 13 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet-fern Comptonia peregrina · 21 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Threadleaf coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata · 14 states
- Virginia bluebells Mertensia virginica · 23 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
Deer-resistant native plants in New Jersey: what to know
70 of the 287 plants native to New Jersey in this directory fit this need: 24% of the state's list, below the 28% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 53 are also good for pollinators, 38 are also shade-tolerant, 38 are also good for birds.
51 of them grow in full or partial sun and 38 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Bloodroot to trees such as Bearberry and Common juniper. For wildlife, 53 support pollinators, 38 provide food or cover for birds and 22 are caterpillar host plants.
65 of the 70 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Eastern bluestar: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov