Tried and Tested Deer-Resistant Plants (Part 1)
This post is going to recommend some plants that are reliably deer-resistant, and which work well in Zone 5B, meaning you don’t have to lift them or do anything special for the winter. (There are 10 plants here, and I’ll follow up with 10 more in another post).
I have had people tell me that the reason they don’t do more gardening is because they think that the deer will eat everything. I know how discouraging it can be, and it’s gotten even more discouraging in recent years. But there are SO many plants, both native and non-native, that the deer don’t touch, that no one should let a fear of deer stop them. There are even great fruit and nut trees that you can grow!
Everything I’ve posted either is a perennial or readily self-seeds, or both! So you can buy it once and know that you don’t need to buy again.
I’ll tell you why I like the plant and provide you with a link where you can learn more. Feel free to ask questions in the comments section about anything I’ve posted.
Common garden sage
Sage is native to the Mediterranean region. I like it because:
It is useful. I use sage for cooking.
It is beautiful and I like that it stays relatively short and tidy looking.
It’s great along a walkway. If you brush it, it releases its scent, which is lovely.
It has many, many spikes of purple flowers that pollinators love.
It is low maintenance. I just cut off the very woody stems every couple of years or so. It also does well during droughty periods.
I have tried to overwinter the variegated varieties but the common culinary sage with the grayish leaves is the only one that comes back year after year. Learn more at https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/sage-salvia-officinalis/.
Northern sea oats
Northern sea oats are a native grass that I’ve grown increasingly fond of in recent years because:
It looks really nice in flower arrangements
It changes colors, going from light green to copper/reddish as we get closer to fall
It self-sows, which I know might be a problem sometimes…but it’s also not hard to just pull out the stalks.
It grows well in shade.
Learn more here https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=chla5.
Rattlesnake master
Rattlesnake master is a native plant that I like because:
It provides a very sculptural element to the garden. Its leaves are spiky, and its stalks are very tall (often over 5 feet) with round flowers.
Pollinators love it.
It provides a really interesting addition to flower bouquets.
Rattlesnake master is also a prolific self-seeder, and I find myself removing a lot of little plants early in the season. If you don’t want it to self-seed, you can remove the round seed heads.
Learn more at https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=ERYU
Salvia
The plant I’m highlighting here is FlowerKisser Dark Shadows Salvia. It’s planted along with calendula (orange), which I also like, but the deer munch on it sometimes. It gets to be about 3 feet tall, and I like it because:
I have nothing else like this purple flower in my garden. It’s just such a deep, rich purple.
It blooms very late in the season. Today is October 29th and it’s about the only thing still blooming.
Like other salvias, its leaves are fragrant. I think the scent is fruity, almost like pineapple sage.
The description at the above link says that hummingbirds like it, but it blooms so late that the hummingbirds have mostly migrated. In general, though, deer won’t eat salvias. (For hummingbirds, you can also plant agastache! I have this one right outside my office window and the hummingbirds love it.)
American Hazelnut
This is a native shrub, but I offer this recommendation with caution. What I see online is that this is not a reliably deer-resistant plant, but in my yard, I have 6 bushes, and none of them are bothered by deer.
Also, none of them have produced nuts, yet! But, they have catkins this year so I’m hopeful.
I like them because:
Hazelnuts!
Learn more at https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/corylus-americana/.
Fig
Fig is not native and the main reason I like it is because it’s such a unique looking tree. I don’t often even get the fruit to ripen, but I think I need to do a better job of pruning and fertilizing.
Many people who grow figs in northern climates grow them in containers and move them inside during the winter. Mine are in the ground, and they die back completely each year. That probably also contributes to why I’m not getting ripened figs.
I have at least two varieties: Chicago Hardy and Violette de Bordeaux.
Paw-paws
Paw-paw is a tropical-like fruit native to North America. You won’t see it in stores because it is very perishable, and is therefore not suited to our industrial food transportation methods.
I like it because:
The trees are small and well-suited to suburban lots.
The fruit is versatile and can be used in syrups, ice cream, desserts, or just eaten fresh off the tree.
The fall color is really nice!
Learn more at https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-acs/school-of-ace/pawpaw/.
Gaura
This perennial plant is native to the southern US but has been doing well in my Michigan yard for many years.
I have gaura planted along my driveway on a slope and like it because:
It keeps blooming no matter how hot and dry it gets.
The pollinators love it.
Neighbors love it and comment on it frequently
Learn more at https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/gaura-gaura-lindheimeri/.
Feverfew
Feverfew is native to Asia, but is now widely grown all over the world. It’s another plant that has strongly scented foliage, which is probably why deer and rabbits avoid it. I like it because:
There are many varieties with lots of different kinds of flowers. I’m growing three: Sunny Ball, Magic Single, and Snow Ball.
It’s compact (so many of the plants I grow are large and gangly, so it’s nice to have small plants that I can tuck neatly into small areas).
It makes a wonderful addition to bouquets.
It produces flowers all summer long.
Cardinal Flower
A native plant with showy scarlet flowers (admittedly this is a picture of cardinal flower when it’s not at it’s most spectacular). I like it because:
It’s a hummingbird magnet.
It’s great in wet areas and does well on waterlogged clay soils.
Learn more at https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=loca2.
I’ll come back with 10 more plants in a future post!
