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Iowa

Plants for Iowa

75 plants, from deer-resistant lists, drought-tolerant lists and native lists held for Iowa.

Resistant means eaten less often, not never; drought-tolerant means established, and in a normal year; native is a claim about a range, and ranges have edges.

Plants named by lists held for Iowa

  • American cranberrybush Viburnum opulus var. americanum

    shrub

    • Native Native Range: North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 2 to 7

  • American elm Ulmus americana

    tree

    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • American linden Tilia americana

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Central and eastern North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 2 to 8

  • arrowwood viburnum Viburnum dentatum

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • Austrian pine Pinus nigra

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 4 to 7

  • basket-of-gold Aurinia saxatilis

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • Black-eyed Susan: a loose plant with a few large yellow flowers with dark centres and bristly stems
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta

    perennial

    • Native Native
    • Native Native
    • Native Native: native to great plains or rocky mountain region (the page's own key for “– native”)

    Zones not recorded

  • blackhaw viburnum Viburnum prunifolium

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • Blue false indigo in bloom: upright spikes of indigo pea flowers over blue-green leaves
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    blue false indigo Baptisia australis

    perennial

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 9

  • A broad bur oak in an open lawn, with acorns in shaggy fringed caps on a near branch
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    bur oak Quercus macrocarpa

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Northern and central United States, southeastern Canada
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 8

  • bush honeysuckle Diervilla lonicera

    shrub

    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 7

  • Butterfly weed in bloom: flat clusters of bright orange flowers over narrow leaves
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    butterfly weed Asclepias tuberosa

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions
    • Native Native Range: Eastern and southern United States
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 9

  • candytuft Iberis sempervirens

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • A Colorado blue spruce: a dense silvery-blue cone-shaped evergreen in a yard
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    Colorado blue spruce Picea pungens

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 2 to 7

  • A hackberry in a park lawn, its grey trunk covered in corky warts and ridges
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    common hackberry Celtis occidentalis

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Central and northeastern North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 2 to 9

  • A common lilac beside a house, covered in cone-shaped clusters of purple flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    common lilac Syringa vulgaris

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 7

  • common witchhazel Hamamelis virginiana

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • An eastern redbud in early spring, its bare branches covered in magenta-pink flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    eastern redbud Cercis canadensis

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 4 to 8

  • An eastern redcedar at a field edge: a narrow evergreen with shredding red-brown bark and blue berries
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    eastern redcedar Juniperus virginiana

    tree

    • Native Native
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • eastern white pine Pinus strobus

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • elderberry Sambucus canadensis

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • false sunflower Heliopsis helianthoides

    perennial

    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • fernleaf yarrow Achillea filipendulina

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • Fragrant sumac in autumn: a low mound of three-part leaves turning orange and scarlet
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 9

  • globe thistle Echinops ritro

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • golden marguerite Anthemis tinctoria

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • gray dogwood Cornus racemosa

    shrub

    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica

    tree

    • Native Native Range: North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 9

  • hollyhock mallow Malva alcea

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • A honeylocust in a front yard in autumn, its fine pinnate leaves yellow and long brown pods hanging
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    honeylocust Gleditsia triacanthos

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: Central and eastern North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 8

  • Indian grass in a prairie planting: an upright blue-green clump under narrow golden plumes
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    Indian grass Sorghastrum nutans

    grass

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • Japanese silver grass in autumn: an arching fountain of white-ribbed blades under silky pink plumes
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    Japanese silver grass Miscanthus sinensis

    grass

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • Japanese spirea Spiraea japonica

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 8

  • Japanese tree lilac Syringa reticulata

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • A Kentucky coffeetree after leaf drop, hung with thick dark brown seed pods
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    Kentucky coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Central and eastern United States to Ontario and Quebec, Canada
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 8

  • Lamb's ear edging a bed: a mat of woolly silver leaves with purple-pink flower spikes
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    lamb's ear Stachys byzantina

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • Little bluestem in autumn: an upright clump of copper-orange grass with silvery seed tufts
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium

    grass

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 9

  • Missouri evening primrose Oenothera macrocarpa

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • moss phlox Phlox subulata

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • A mugo pine in a rock garden: a low, dense mound of dark needles with pale new candles
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    mugo pine Pinus mugo

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • nannyberry Viburnum lentago

    shrub

    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 2 to 8

  • A ninebark shrub in bloom: lobed leaves, round white flower clusters and peeling stems
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius

    shrub

    • Native Native Range: Central and eastern North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 2 to 8

  • northern red oak Quercus rubra

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 4 to 8

  • Norway spruce Picea abies

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • obedient plant Physostegia virginiana

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia

    shrub

    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 7

  • pale purple coneflower Echinacea pallida

    perennial

    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • paper birch Betula papyrifera

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • perennial bachelor's button Centaurea montana

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • prairie coneflower Ratibida pinnata

    perennial

    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • Prairie dropseed: a fountain-like mound of fine green blades under airy seed heads
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis

    grass

    • Native Native Range: North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 9

  • Purple coneflower in bloom: pink-purple drooping petals around spiky orange-brown cones
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea

    perennial

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions
    • Native Native Range: Eastern and central North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native
    • Native Native
    • Native narrowleaf coneflower entry: SDSU (2025): narrowleaf coneflower is the only coneflower native to South Dakota — purple coneflower is not

    Zones 3 to 8

  • A grove of quaking aspen in autumn: chalky white trunks with black knots under golden leaves
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    quaking aspen Populus tremuloides

    tree

    • Native Native Range: Canada to Mexico
    • Native Native

    Zones 1 to 6

  • A young red maple in a front lawn in autumn, its whole crown scarlet
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    red maple Acer rubrum

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: Eastern and central North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 9

  • Red twig dogwood in winter: bright red bare stems over a dusting of snow
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    red twig dogwood Cornus sericea

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Plants with Altitude: regionally native shrubs that we recommend for Wyoming gardens (Plants with Altitude)

    Zones 3 to 7

  • A river birch with several trunks covered in peeling salmon and cinnamon bark
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    river birch Betula nigra

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: Eastern United States
    • Native Native

    Zones 4 to 9

  • rock cress Arabis caucasica

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • Russian sage in a gravel bed: silvery stems under a haze of lavender-blue flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    Russian sage Perovskia atriplicifolia

    perennial

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones 5 to 9

  • sea-lavender Limonium latifolium

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • Shrubby cinquefoil in a foundation bed, dotted with flat yellow five-petalled flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    shrubby cinquefoil Potentilla fruticosa

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: Northern Hemisphere
    • Native Native
    • Native Native
    • Native Plants with Altitude: regionally native shrubs that we recommend for Wyoming gardens (Plants with Altitude)

    Zones 3 to 7

  • smooth sumac Rhus glabra

    shrub

    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • snow-in-summer Cerastium tomentosum

    perennial

    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones not recorded

  • snowberry Symphoricarpos albus

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • staghorn sumac Rhus typhina

    shrub

    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • A sugar maple in autumn: a rounded crown blazing orange and gold over a front lawn
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    sugar maple Acer saccharum

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: Eastern North America
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 8

  • swamp white oak Quercus bicolor

    tree

    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • Switchgrass in a border: an upright clump of blue-green blades under airy pink-tan seed heads
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    switch grass Panicum virgatum

    grass

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native Range: North America
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 5 to 9

  • Threadleaf coreopsis: a fine, thread-leaved mound covered in small yellow star flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    threadleaf coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata

    perennial

    • Deer-resistant Rarely Damaged by Deer
    • Drought-tolerant Tolerant of Dry Conditions

    Zones 3 to 9

  • white oak Quercus alba

    tree

    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • white spruce Picea glauca

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 2 to 6

  • Wild bergamot in a meadow bed: shaggy pale lavender-pink flower heads on upright stems
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    wild bergamot Monarda fistulosa

    perennial

    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • winterberry Ilex verticillata

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer
    • Native Native

    Zones not recorded

  • woodland sage Salvia nemorosa

    perennial

    • Deer-resistant Seldom Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 4 to 8

  • Common yarrow: flat clusters of tiny white flowers over feathery, fern-like leaves
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    yarrow Achillea millefolium

    perennial

    • Native Native Range: Western Asia, North America, Europe
    • Native Native
    • Native Native

    Zones 3 to 9

What the same lists say deer DO eat in Iowa

  • Showy stonecrop in late summer: fleshy grey-green leaves under broad flat heads of pink flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    showy stonecrop Hylotelephium spectabile

    perennial

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 9

  • panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 8

  • pagoda dogwood Cornus alternifolia

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 3 to 7

  • roses (shrub roses) Rosa spp.

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Frequently Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • northern red oak Quercus rubra

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 4 to 8

  • An eastern redbud in early spring, its bare branches covered in magenta-pink flowers
    Generated image, not a photograph of any yard or of any yard's stock.

    eastern redbud Cercis canadensis

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 4 to 8

  • American arborvitae Thuja occidentalis

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Frequently Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 2 to 7

  • American linden Tilia americana

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones 2 to 8

  • gray dogwood Cornus racemosa

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • white oak Quercus alba

    tree

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

  • staghorn sumac Rhus typhina

    shrub

    • Deer-resistant Occasionally Severely Damaged by Deer

    Zones not recorded

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Nurseries that carry this kind of stock

Listed in Iowa: Country Landscapes Ames, Wagner Nursery Asbury, Ever-Green Landscape Construction Supply Cedar Rapids, Ted Lare Garden Center Cumming, Iowa Outdoor Products Des Moines. Set your area and the nearest come first, by distance and never by price. What any of them has today is theirs to answer. Every yard, by state.