Look in the Sunset Western Garden Book. They have a section and several pages of deer resistent plants.
Surely you can find something they don't like.
Is there any neighbors around...maybe plant what they have that lives.
You can purchase coyote urine and spray it around but not sure if that would deter deer. But just so you know the coyote urine is obtained in a inhumane way...
I've read they don't like the smell of coast bar soap, hang it inside the bush in a nylon bag.

I think Ricinus communis (castor bean plant) is considered highly toxic, especially the seeds. I started mine from seed last year and it is now a small tree (about 8 ft). They will grow pretty much anywhere...

Btw, I'm growing the variety called 'Red Spire' and many non-gardeners think it's a maple tree.

Thanks for the suggestions! I will try to get ahold of the Sunset book and see what it has to say. One thing I've noticed through online research is that the plants commonly categorized as "deer-resistant" are usually done so because they have small, tough leaves, and most plants with that characteristic grow only in full-sun (lavender is a good example). Finding something that is both deer-resistant and shade tolerant is proving to be quite an undertaking. :0 Most of my neighbors just grow the super common deer-proof fare like foxglove, oleander, and juniper... I'm hoping to find something a little more exotic if possible.

Castor Bean is definitely something I'm interested in, since it has unusual foliage and bright flowers. Are the leaves poisonous too? Also, would I be able to prune it to keep under about four feet in height? The plant will be going under a window, so that's basically my height limit. I've been researching Lantana, which is toxic and seems like it might be able to tolerate the amount of shade this spot gets, but that's also going to require pruning to keep it short.

Have you visited the Plants for Difficult Places forum? There's a post there right now, on the front page, called "Deer Resistant AND Shade-Tolerant".

Oleander comes to mind, although it is fairly commonly used. It is very poisonous.

-Brett

It's hard for a creature so olfactory-compromised as Homo sapiens to understand how deer know what to eat. A deer will not eat poisonous plants because they can smell the alkaloids or other toxic compounds in the foliage from a few centimeters away. If a deer did pull off some toxic or unpalatable foliage, it would shake its head and spit it out, not ingest it.

Also, realize that toxicity is species specific. Chocolate is toxic to dogs. Avocado is toxic to birds. Yet birds can eat berries that are somewhat toxic to mammals. Deer can eat many plants with chemical substances because ruminant ungulates have evolved a different kind of digestive system that can deal with such substances. So you would have to know what kinds of plants are toxic to deer specifically, not use some table of plants known to be dangerous to humans.

There are many kinds of plants that deer avoid; they don't necessarily have to be toxic. But as for any kind of aversion conditioning that will keep them away from your yard because they got sick eating your landscaping, dream on...Mother Nature isn't that easily fooled.

The deer don't touch oleander, but when planted in shade it tends to get leggy and ugly. I wish it came in more colors besides shades of pink and white. :( Mexican Oleander comes in yellow and orange, and is poisonous as well, but it requires full sun.

dick_sonia: Yes, that's what I'm learning quickly, is that it seems like a large number of plants poisonous to humans and other animals have no effect on the deer. I need to find something that they don't like that can grow in shade and stays under 3-4 feet, which is the root of the problem. They are definitely eating the poisonous plants they destroy, not spitting the leaves out because there is no trace of leaves on the ground, the plant is just gone. Here's one of my tobacco plants they ate, it was one of two and they were both over a foot tall with flowers developing:

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I might try to see if I can get Datura to grow there, I don't think I've heard any reports of deer eating that stuff.

Some plants that have worked well for me here in the San Francisco Bay Area would include Asparagus densiflorus 'Sprengeri' and A. d. 'Meyers', Astelia chathamica and A. nivicola 'Red Gem', Rubus calycinoides 'Emerald Carpet', Choisya ternata and C. t. 'Sundance', Euphorbia characias 'Wulfenii', Acanthus mollis and A. spinossimus, Dianella tasmanica and D. intermedia, Helichrysimum petiolare 'Limelight', Helleborus argutifolius, Melianthus major, Neomarica caerulea, Carex species such as C. oshimeinsis 'Evergold', Carex 'Sparkler'. Grasses are generally good too, such as Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince' or Deschampsia caespitosa or D. flexuosa. As a ground cover, you might try Trachelospermum jasminoides or Gelsemium sempervirens.

If the shade below the Myoporum is really deep, you might want to do some thinning first to get better growth on some of the plants below. Realize also that Myoporum has pretty greedy roots and you may have to till the soil, add compost or additional soil amendments as well as supplemental irrigation to get these things established. I also find that draping new plantings with bird netting helps keep the baby does from "experimenting" with plants that the adults will not touch.

These are all plants that have worked well for me in unfenced gardens here in the Oakland/Berkeley Hills that see deer regularly, and grow in quite a bit of shade.

I'd stay away from the Castor Bean, it is too tall growing for what you have in mind, and really prefers more sun to look good.

What about Rhododendrons? My first gardening experience in deer country involved everything I planted getting eaten while the Rhodies that came with the house went untouched.

None of the plants in this photo are poisonous to deer, but none of them are browsed by them either. There are plenty of plants that can work, here's a few more as seen in this photo, and all good for dappled shade...

Here is a link that might be useful: Deer proof plantings

I grow Oleander and Castor for their looks, and as border to fend off wild animals from the open field. I only plant dwarf Orleander because I fear the full size one will take over the yard. Dwarf Orleanders are slow growers and only grew to 6ft in 25 years.

Castor leaves are not as poisonous as the seeds. However, deer and gophers stay away because they emit saps unpleasant to the palate.

The plants grow big, over 6'x6'. They require pruning to keep small so I removed most of them. But they're beautiful, especially the red kind.

Both castor and orleander only requires watering when young. After established, they've been off irrigation for years and are still flourishing.