I pit ditch lilies (common daylilies) in last year, and while the deer did eat them, they came back. Sword fern they seem to leave alone.

I'm putting in Hellebores at the moment which apparently the deer won't eat because they're poisonous. We shall see. If you grow them from seed or get seedlings from friends they're pretty cheap. Other than that I have shrubs that have survived. My favorite is Aucuba Japonica. They trim it but it still grows beautifully.

Astilbe.

I like the idea of astilbe but don't they require regular dividing? And can they hold their own with ostrich fern or pachysandra, the groundcover I intend to use as the slope-holding base? This stretch is the steep slope alongside the driveway approach.