Deer-Resistant Flowers
- Deer can wreak havoc on your landscape.Female Mule Deer munching on a bush image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com
Nothing is more disappointing for a gardener than waiting for garden flowers to bloom, only to find the next morning that the neighborhood deer have eaten every blossom. You can still have a blooming flower garden if you select plants deer find unappetizing. No plant is completely deer-proof, but there are many plants that deer bypass either because the flower tastes bad or the scent is repellent. - Many deer-resistant flowering annuals will grow in your garden. Many will reseed themselves when you allow the flower head to remain on the plant, letting your deer-resistant garden return year after year. Commonly planted flowers that deer generally will not eat are African daisies, borage, cockscomb, cornflowers, cosmos, foxglove, marigold, nasturtium, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. These annuals are available in an array of colors, from cool blues to hot red, and many can grow in less-than-ideal conditions.
- Deer-resistant flowering perennial plants will return to your garden from one year to the next, and are ideal for planting next to plants that deer might be tempted to eat. Lavender planted around or in among your roses will help keep deer from invading your rose garden. Other deer-resistant perennial plants are astilbe, agapanthus, asters, bee balm, black-eyed Susan, liatris, calla lilies, coneflowers, croscosmia, delphinium, yarrow, bleeding heart, peonies, and rose of Sharon.
- Daffodils have long been a favorite of gardeners plagued by hungry deer in the spring. But many other flowering bulbs are suited for gardens infiltrated by deer. Many flowering bulbs deer dislike will bloom during the summer, like amaryllis, bluebells, camassia, fritilia, summer snowflake and tiger lilies. Along with spring-blooming daffodils, plant hyacinths, crocus, early stardrift, iris, lily of the valley, snowdrops, and scilla, also called star of Holland.
