If they are hungry enough, deer will eat pretty much anything. A king of the late-summer garden, Russian sage bursts forth with feathery wands of violet-purple flowers over masses of silvery foliage. Penstemon plants areherbaceous perennialsthat feature lance-shaped foliage and spikes of tubular flowers. Size: From 1 to 6 feet tall and 1 to 4 feet wide, depending on type. Deer love some types of food that are not necessarily available all the time. Photo by Proven Winners. You have an extra reason to grow it if your yard suffers from deer attacks. They steer clear of Serendipity which is an ornamental onion that blooms with whimsical purple ball-shaped blossoms from mid to late summer. Mulch will also help protect the roots from cold snaps. Color Spires and Profusion salvias are super easy to grow in full sun. Some gardeners prefer the smaller plant for not only its size also its attractive fern-like foliage lasts through the summer heat, unlike that of common bleeding hearts. Even when not in bloom, 'Midnight Masquerade' retains its dark purple foliage color all season long. Avoid soil amendments that hold moisture, such as peat moss and manure. Plant yucca and forget it. Most fruit varieties are available in dwarf, semi-dwarf and standard sizes. Blooming for weeks from late spring to late summer, the flowers rise above whorls of light green serrated leaves . Wall germander is another perennial herb or subshrub that deer tend not to eat. From a distance, the plant looks a bit like small blue salvia. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. This yellow alyssum, when planted in masses and displayed to best advantage, will give your landscape jaw-dropping beauty in spring. Do deer eat Penstemon? Of course, they will prefer other plants without an alternative. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds enjoy their blooms for many weeks beginning in early summer. Their height makes them good choices for the back row of a layered flower bed. Meanwhile, as plants that tolerate dry shade, they are useful for filling up spots in your landscaping where many other plants would be unhappy. Jack of DiamondsandQueen of HeartsBrunneraZones 3-8. Red Riding Hood is just one of seven colors in the Dutch-bred Riding Hood series, which also includes blue, delft blue, hot pink, lavender, marble cream, and purple. Pair it with ornamental grasses and sedum for a beautiful fall border. 'Hameln' is a favorite for birds and resists hungry deer. Varieties with purple or reddish leaves will exhibit the best foliage color when grown in direct sunlight. Very striking when in bloom, they last for weeks and bring strong color and form to the landscape. Light up your summer garden with these bright yellow flowers. Beardtongue and foxglove look quite similar. For nursery starts, remove plant from the container and gently tease out the roots if potbound. Deer won't eat ferns unless there are no better options close. Click here to learn more about growing penstemon. Penstemon flowers do well in full sun to partial shade exposure. Also known as lamb's ears, this is a mint plant that will keep the rabbits away. Yes, deer do eat the Coleus plant. Similar in appearance to astilbe but much larger, thisshowy perennial produces beautiful sprays of lacy, cream-colored flowers atop deep green fern-like foliage in early to midsummer. Click here to learn more about growing Russian sage. Most penstemons are 1 to 3 feet tall, but Palmers penstemon can grow up to 6 feet, giving you options for the middle and back of the border. Click here to learn more about growing thyme. They can be oval, lance-shaped or needlelike with colors ranging from green or blue-green to deep purple. We hope it wont deter you, too! Most humans do not like to taste bitter salad greens or vegetables, and the same is true for most slugs and snails. Brunnera makes a beautiful companion for ferns, foamflowers and other deer resistant shade perennials. Short of installing a nine-foot-tall fence and repeatedly applying repellants, there are few sure cures for the problem. Think salvia, sweet alyssum, snapdragons, poppies, globe amaranth, lantana, and cleome. Because of their tubular nectar-rich flowers, they are one of the best garden perennials for attracting hummingbirds, according to The Hummingbird Society, rivaling salvias, columbines, honeysuckles and other hummingbird favorites. 0000006367 00000 n Penstemon plants are usually disease-free when given the proper culture of full sun and good drainage. Catnip is perhaps the best-known of the catmint plants. Copyright 2023. Buy deer resistant perennials - Order plants online and have them shipped right to your door. They are extremely sensitive to poorly draining soils and winter moisture. Penstemon (spp.) The answer is yes - deer will eat pansies if they can. This perennial is easy to grow from seeds planted in spring to early summer. Rose campion has silver foliage, and that's probably why deer tend to pass it by. Take note of the different types; some offer flowers that stay open during the day and others bloom at night. Also, they prefer broadleaf plants, not grasses and grass-like plants. Like most herbs, it's deer resistant because of its fragrant foliage. Masahiro Nakano/a.collectionRF/Getty Images. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Deer have also been known to eat unripened persimmon fruits, espe-cially on occasions when they have limited food sources. The following list represents plants that deer and rabbits usually will not eat. Wall germander is not as well known as it once was, but it's making a comeback as a plant that attracts bees. Phone: 630-719-2424. Plants tend to get straggly after flowering by late fall or early winter. An underused perennial that deserves more attention, bugbane adds color to the shade garden in late summer, when many other plants have gone on hiatus. Food they absolutely love are: pecans, hickory nuts, beechnut acorns, as well as acorns. 24 Pink Flowers That Add Bold Beauty to Any Garden, Low-Maintenance Perennials for the Northeast, 15 Beautiful Native Plants for Southwestern Gardens, Create a Beautiful Butterfly Garden with These Plants, The Best Low-Maintenance Summer Perennials for the Midwest, 25 Low-Maintenance Perennial Flowers Perfect for Beginners, 10 Tough Flowers for California Gardens That Are Hot and Dry, Low-Maintenance Perennials for the Pacific Northwest, 13 Summer-Flowering Shrubs That Are Super Easy to Grow, The Best Low-Maintenance Perennials for Southern Gardens, 11 Full-Sun Flowers That Bring Color Even When It's Hot and Dry, 15 Top Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest, 15 Top Native Plants for Southern Gardens, Top Deer-Resistant Plants of Georgia and the Other Southern States, Click here to learn more about top alliums to plant this fall in your garden, Click here to learn more about coralbells, Click here to learn more about growing globe thistles, Click here to learn more about other great grasses, Click here to learn more about growing penstemon, Click here to learn more about growing purple coneflower, Click here for a selection of top coneflower varieties, Click here to learn more about growing Russian sage, Click here to learn more about Shasta daisy, Click here to learn more about growing wormwood, Click here to learn more about growing yucca. Spot On and 'Pink-a-Blue' PulmonariaZones 3-9. A spring bloomer, it also has great foliage. * Required FieldsWe will never sell or distribute your email to any other parties or organizations. Its ferny, blue-green foliage is a delight, toobut the deer don't seem to think so. Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. One of the most dramatic bulbs, allium is also one of the most versatile with types ranging from little 6-inch-tall Allium moly to the 3-foot-tall 'Globemaster' with 8-inch-wide flowers. This unusual perennial is a highlight of partly shaded gardens with moist soil. Deer also tend to turn their . Common Buckeye (Junonia coenia) larvae which has two to three broods from May-October. It is very easy to grow in full sun and well-drained soil. (Zones 5-9; Height: 12 to 18 inches; Bloom time: Early to late summer), Native to Wyoming, Utah and western Colorado, this blue-flowered species thrives in rocky or gravelly soil but adapts well to soils in many parts of the country. Butterflies, hummingbirds and pollinating bees will all visit your red hot poker when it's in bloom, but deer and rabbits won't be interested. Deer are afraid of walking on the fence because their feet will get caught. Beardtongue doesn't need pruning but can benefit from cutting off the spent flowers down to the stem to encourage new blooms. Basil is also considered deer resistant, but slide it into . Named the 1996 perennial plant of the year by the Perennial Plant Association, this is one of the few that tolerates moist soils and humid climates. Proven Winners varieties of Russian sage have tidy habits that won't spill over onto their neighbors in the garden. It can be seen growing in hardiness zones four through eight, and the blooms can be seen from late summer until the first frost. 0000002588 00000 n Planting them in raised beds or sloped areas will help them survive wet conditions. Flower colorsincludepink, red, white, purple, and (rarely) yellow. JyK6~Va:j0/IE]n~6! SuEAuF~ {Ds kY\n@: 0|X@.X)djJq>6|.J`RWs=`Wrcx;.`m_~|"L04:A+N-Oy*"COHT8n&lh%K? They need full sun. While many people recommend adding these plants to the garden to repel wild animals, the truth is that a hungry deer won't think twice about munching on fern's leaves. A top plant for this region, there are dozens of types of penstemon. Enjoy its fairy-like wands of flowers knowing the deer won't be nibbling on this poisonous plant. Paint the Town Magenta DianthusZones 4-9. She has 30 years of experience propagating and growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals. - What Is the Coleus Plant? Theres nothing worse than walking into the garden to find that deer have devoured your favorite plants. When you call certain plants deer-resistant perennials, it does not mean that Bambi never eats them. COLOR SPIRESandProfusionSalviaZones 3-8. Blooms contrast nicely with yellow-blooming plants. In addition to offering a broad palette of colors, these native wildflowers and their many cultivars come in many shapes and sizes, from dwarf varieties you can tuck into rock gardens to waist-high prairie plants that bring color and movement to the back of the border. Add in a little compost if your soil is lacking in nutrients. For some reason, ornamental grasses are not a favorite food, either. Named after the Macedonian King of Thrace (Lysimachus), Lysimachia punctata (Yellow Loosestrife) is a perennial plant with great ornamental value, producing sturdy, upright stems loaded with abundant spikes of cup-shaped, golden yellow flowers, tinged with red at their heart. Give them a try! Choose a permanent place when planting, as their deep tap root which makes them highly drought tolerant also makes them difficult to transplant. Bring unique drama to your landscape with this tropical-looking yet hardy perennial. Globe thistle has a lot of great features: It's long blooming, it resists heat and drought, it's a wonderful cut flower, and best of all, deer and bunnies don't like it. Keep the penstemon flowerbed weeded regularly. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Alyssum, irises, peonies, foxgloves, poppies, and even certain herbs like lavender and sage are popular plants that deer avoid. Size: From 1 to 4 feet tall and 6 to 36 inches wide, depending on type. The smell of peonies in bloom may . So, do deer eat persimmons? Most penstemons are 1 to 3 feet tall, but Palmer's penstemon can grow up to 6 feet, giving you options for the middle and back of the border. Deer-Resistant Hardy Bulbs. Also called by its botanical name, Delphinium is another old-time favorite for cottage gardens. Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil. The shape and color of the leaves vary depending on the cultivar. Deer generally stay away from aromatic herbs and other plants, such as sage, rosemary, and lavender. The deer will only eat Persimmon when they are ripe. This perennial for zones 5 to 9 does wonders in the knot gardens of traditional formal landscapes since you can grow it in rows to form "living edging." Ornamental grasses are popular landscape plants and surprisingly, deer tend to stay away from them. %PDF-1.3 % 0000018392 00000 n 6. We savor the aromas of sage, dill, fennel, oregano, marjoram, rosemary, thyme and mint. 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