Planting DesignDiscover the right plants for your garden.
cervid love to graze on many type of groundcovers , specially when new , tender growth emerges in the spring .
Your garden should be a fiesta for the eyes — not for deer . While no garden is completely deer - proof , you may reduce damage by plant variety they avoid . Many beautiful industrial plant are unappealing to deer due to their toxicant compound , bleary or aromatic leaf , or tough textures . Here are some top cervid - immune picks to consider .
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DEER-RESISTANT FLOWERS (ANNUALS)
Artist ® Blue dental floss flower . picture by : Proven Winners .
FLOSS FLOWER
Clusters of lavender - profane flowers and rough - textured foliage keep cervid at bay . Available in shades of puritanic , pink , imperial , and white . For a floss flower that does n’t want deadheading and is better suitable for red-hot climates , tryArtist ® Blue(pictured ) .
Zones:10 - 11 , grown as an annual elsewhereExposure : Full sun to partial shadeBloom prison term : Late spring through fallHeight / spread:4 to 36 inch tall , 6 to 18 column inch broad
pick up floss flower .
Tagetes tenufolia’Lemon Gem ' . Photo by : RM Floral / Alamy Stock Photo .
SIGNET MARIGOLD
All smorgasbord of marigolds are a turnoff for deer because of their strong , pungent scent . However , signet marigold ( pictured ) have a light citrusy smell and flavor , making them democratic for culinary role .
Zones:9 - 10 , turn as an annual elsewhereExposure : Full sunBloom meter : Late spring until frostHeight / spread head : Varies widely , 6 inches to 4 feet tall , 6 inches to 2 invertebrate foot wide
Learn marigold .
Superbena ® Violet Ice . Photo by : Proven Winners .
VERBENA
Verbenas blush from spring until freeze if trimmed back in midsummer . The small peak clustering add up in a all-embracing cooking stove of colors , including white , pinkish , blue , lavender , purple , sour ruddy , yellow and bicolor .
Zones:8 - 11 , grown as an annual elsewhereExposure : Full sunBloom metre : May through OctoberHeight / spread : Varies , from low - growing to upright .
find out verbena .
Buy verbena industrial plant from Proven winner
Photo by : ArliftAtoz2205
SNAPDRAGON
spectacular spike of flowers make snapdragons a sensational addition to a cervid - resistant garden . snapdragon bloom most extravagantly in the cool conditions of spring and decline , and do in a variety of cultivars .
Zones:9 - 10 , grown as an annual elsewhereExposure : Full sunBloom time : Mid - saltation to frostHeight / spread:6 to 30 inches tall , 10 to 18 inches wide
watch snapdragon flowers .
DEER-RESISTANT PERENNIALS
' Denim ' n Lace ' Russian salvia . Photo by : Proven Winners .
RUSSIAN SAGE
The fine - shorten silvery foliation makes it an oculus - catch makeweight plant in a cheery perennial garden . Tiny flowers bloom on marvelous stalk , give rise adorable feather of colouring . The flush will often last well into October .
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Full sunBloom Time : Early summer to fallHeight / Spread : Varies , 2 to 4 feet grandiloquent & wide
Learn Russian sage .
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' excuse My Cerise ' bee balm . Photo by Proven Winners .
BEE BALM
One of the best plants for appeal and supporting pollinator ; however , deer tend to leave it alone because of its nipping fragrance .
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : Full sunshine to fond shadeHeight / Spread : Varies , 1 to 4 feet grandiloquent , 8 inches to 3 feet wide
Learn bee balm .
purchase bee balm plants from Proven Winners
‘ Stuart Boothman ’ phlebotomise heart . Photo by Ball Horticultural Company .
FRINGED BLEEDING HEART
One of the few aboriginal woodland plants that cervid do n’t go for . Although a routine less showy than the common bleeding heart , the middle - shaped flowers wander in color from white to various shades of pink .
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : Full sunBloom sentence : tardy spring to former fallHeight / Spread:1 to 3 feet grandiloquent & extensive
Learn phlebotomize fondness .
MONKSHOOD
Despite monkshood ’s ill fame as apoisonous plant , it has a trance beauty and provides a welcome display of late - season color .
Zones:3 - 8Exposure : Full sun to fond shadeBloom clock time : previous summer through fallHeight / Spread:2 to 4 foot tall , 1 to 2 feet wide
Photo by PaylessImages / 123RF .
PEONY
value for their large , fragrant blooms , peony have many attribute beyond their breathtaking smasher . They are problematical , reliable , long - survive , and most pest - proof - let in cervid .
Zones:2 - 8Exposure : Full sun to partial tad , depending on varietyBloom Time : former spring to early summer , depending on varietyHeight / Spread : Varies , 1 to 3 feet tall & broad for shrub varieties ; 4 to 7 fundament marvellous and up to 5 feet spacious for tree peonies .
Learn peonies .
BLACK COHOSH
Also called black blazing star and American hellebore , this plant ’s bottlebrush - form flower spike add dramatic event and sake to a ghost or woodland garden and have an unpleasant odor and bitter gustatory sensation that repel cervid .
Zones:4 - 9Exposure : Partial to full shadeBloom Time : SummerHeight / Spread:4 to 6 substructure tall , 2 to 4 feet wide
' Silver Dust ' stale miller . Photo by Tim Gainey / Alamy Stock Photo .
DUSTY MILLER
Grown primarily for its attractive silvery - gray foliage , dusty miller has a felt - same coating that deer chance unappetizing .
Zones:7 - 10Exposure : Full sun to fond shadeHeight / Spread : Up to 2 feet grandiloquent & wide
Lamb ’s Ear . photograph by Julia Senkevich / Shutterstock .
LAMB’S EAR
The grey - green foliage has a velvety soft , wooly texture which deer do n’t like . This gentle - care industrial plant blooms in summertime with spikes of pink to purple flowers .
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : Full Dominicus to partial shadeHeight / Spread:6 to 12 inches tall , 1 to 4 groundwork all-encompassing
instruct lamb ’s ear plants .
See more:30 Deer - Resistant Perennials .
DEER-RESISTANT SHRUBS
North Star ® boxwood . pic by : Proven Winners .
BOXWOOD
Among the most versatile evergreens for a cervid - resistant garden . They come in legion SHAPE and sizes and take well to pruning . Deer seem to shun them because of their stiff scent .
Zones:4 - 8Exposure : fond or mottled refinement , protect from harsh mid - twenty-four hours sunHeight / Spread : vary greatly , from 1 to 20 feet improbable , 2 to 8 feet wide
Learn boxwood plant .
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Happy Face ® genus Potentilla . Photo by Proven Winners .
CINQUEFOIL
One of the best anthesis shrub for time of year - long color . cervid run to find the finely textured dismal - green foliage unappealing . democratic cultivar includeHappy Face ® (pictured ) .
Zones:2 - 8Exposure : Full sun to partial shadeBloom meter : June through SeptemberHeight / Spread : Varies , from 3 inches to 4 foot improbable , 6 inches to 5 feet wide
Learn five-finger plant life .
Pugster Blue ® butterfly bush . Photo by : Proven Winners .
BUTTERFLY BUSH
Attract bees and butterflies while you stand off cervid . Flower colors are typically bass purpleness , pink , or lily-white , although some loan-blend have orange and gold bloom . For smaller garden , tryPugster .
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Full sunBloom Time : Summer until frostHeight / Spread : Varies , 18 inches to 7 feet improbable , 18 inches to 5 metrical foot wide
Learn butterfly stroke bush .
two-fold maneuver ® Candy Corn ® spiraea . Photo by Proven Winners .
SPIREA
It ’s a snatch of a mystery why cervid avoid spirea . A wide raiment of sizes are usable . An interesting selection isDouble Play ® Candy Corn ® (pictured ) , with foliage that emerges bright red and matures to yellow .
Zones:3 - 8Exposure : Full sunBloom meter : There are spring- and summer - blooming varietiesHeight / Spread:1 to 8 infantry tall , up to 6 fundament wideNote : Japanese spirea ( Spiraea japonica ) is invading in component part of the U.S. and Canada;see where .
Learn spirea plants .
Gin Fizz ™ retem . picture by Proven Winners .
JUNIPER
Junipers have many different usance : groundcovers , accent plants , topiaries , and privateness screens . They repel deer because of the fickle oil in their needles , they also are drought liberal and have few gadfly problems .
Zones:3 - 7Exposure : Full sunHeight / Spread : Varies greatly , 6 in to over 100 foot tall , 1 to 25 feet wide-eyed
Learn junipers .
See more:25 Deer - Resistant Shrubs .
DEER-RESISTANT GROUNDCOVERS
Pachysandra terminalis’Variegata ' . Photo by John Richmond / Alamy Stock Photo .
JAPANESE PACHYSANDRA
Primarily grown for its glossy greenish foliage , which circularise chop-chop ; an added attraction are spikes of tiny white-hot blooms . ' Variegata ' ( pictured ) has leaves with creamy white boundary .
Zones:4 - 9Exposure : fond to full shadeBloom meter : former springHeight / Spread:3 to 4 inches tall , go around 7 to 8 inches
Athyrium niponicumvar . pictum . Photo by Ball Horticultural Company .
JAPANESE PAINTED FERN
Deer ignore most fern , including this low - grow potpourri with silver - gray fronds painted with strokes of green and mauve . Like other fern , it scatter freely by creeping rhizomes , but not sharply .
Zones:4 - 9Exposure : fond to full shadeHeight / Spread:1 to 3 feet tall , 1 to 2 pes wide
picture by Ball Horticultural Company .
LADY’S MANTLE
clustering of tiny Paris green efflorescence held on long theme make lady ’s drape a garden favorite . The all-encompassing escallop - edged leave are covered with flabby hairs that cervid regain objectionable .
Zones:3 - 9Exposure : Full Dominicus to partial shadeBloom time : previous spring to early summerHeight / Spread:1 to 2 foot magniloquent & wide
LILY OF THE VALLEY
Dainty ship’s bell - shaped flowers perfume the air with a heavenly fragrance in former spring . shiny reddened berries work after inflorescence , and the spear - influence leave last all summer , serving as an attractive ground cover .
Zones:2 - 7Exposure : fond to full shadeBloom time : Early springHeight:6 to 18 inches marvellous
Learn lily of the valley .
Carex morrowii’Ice Dance ' . Photo by : Ball Horticultural Company .
JAPANESE SEDGE
This clump - take shape grasslike plant wee an first-class groundcover for moist , shady areas . Cultivars with variegate green and clean foliage are peculiarly stunning , providing a lambent glow .
Zones:5 - 9Exposure : Partial to full shadeHeight:12 to 24 inch tall
find out sedge industrial plant .
choose deer - resistant plants ask more than just guesswork — some plants are merely less appealing to deer due to scent , texture , or perniciousness . For more elaborate insight , consult theRutgers Deer Resistance Rating arrangement , which ranks plants base on extensive landing field observation in New Jersey and nearby regions . Keep in mind,“Success of any of these plants in the landscape will look on local deer population and weather atmospheric condition . "
PLANTS TO AVOID
DEER-PROOFING TIPS
See moredeer - repellent plant
ONLINE LEARNING:DESIGNING A DEER-RESISTANT GARDEN
With an stress on pattern , horticulture expert Karen Chapman teach you her tried - and - true method for creating beautiful , deer - resistant garden areas . Her wind go well beyond a cervid - resistant plant list , as she shows you multiple strategies , as well as how to commingle them together to get more bang for your deer - tolerant sawbuck . Sign me up !
Modern book sacking from Karen Chapman , Deer Resistant Design : fencing - free Gardens That boom Despite the Deer - steal now on Amazon .
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Anne Balogh is a longtime gardening writer and editor for Garden Design , with over 20 years of experience covering everything from container planting to landscape painting trends . She draws inhalation from her own Zone 5 garden in Illinois , where she experiments with hardy perennial and flowering annuals .
