Have you ever dreamt of a vibrant garden bursting with colorful blooms, only to find your precious petals devoured overnight? Those pesky deer can wreak havoc on a gardener’s dream. Creating a garden that thrives with vibrant blossoms can be a great gardening experience. However, for many gardeners, the challenge lies in dealing with pesky deer that can nibble away at their hard work.
To help you achieve a flourishing, frustration-free garden, we have compiled a list of 15 deer-resistant flowers. These resilient beauties will add color, fragrance, and charm to your outdoor space, while keeping those deer at bay. Let’s explore these delightful blooms that can withstand the appetites of these graceful creatures.
Building a Deer-Repellent Buffet
Deer are discerning herbivores, with a keen sense of smell and taste. They tend to avoid strong-smelling or bitter-tasting plants, prioritizing tender shoots and sweet-smelling blooms. By incorporating these naturally deer-resistant varieties into your garden design, you can create a buffet that Bambi and his buddies will find distinctly unappetizing.
Flower Power: A Dozen Dazzling Deer-Thwarting Choices
Standing Tall and Proud
Foxglove
These dramatic perennials boast tall spikes adorned with bell-shaped flowers in shades of pink, purple, white, and yellow. Not only are foxgloves visually arresting, but their leaves contain digitalin, a substance toxic to deer (and humans, so be cautious when handling). Plant them in partial shade for best results.
Yarrow
This cheerful daisy-like flower comes in a vibrant array of colors, adding a touch of sunshine to your borders. Yarrow thrives in full sun and poor soil, making it a low-maintenance choice. The ferny foliage releases a strong aroma that deters deer, while also attracting beneficial pollinators like butterflies.
Hollyhock
A classic cottage garden favorite, hollyhocks add a touch of grandeur with their towering stalks topped with large, ruffled blooms. Available in a range of colors from deep red to soft pink, hollyhocks prefer full sun and well-drained soil. The fuzzy leaves offer a physical deterrent to deer, while the flowers themselves are seldom a target.
Spreading Beauty, Not Browsing Fare
Catmint
This low-growing perennial forms a fragrant carpet of lavender-blue flowers throughout the summer. Catmint thrives in full sun and attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies, while remaining blissfully unappealing to deer. The aromatic foliage releases a minty scent that deer find distasteful.
Columbine
These delicate nodding flowers come in a delightful spectrum of colors, from soft pastels to vibrant bicolored combinations. Columbines prefer partial shade and moist soil, and their intricate blooms add a touch of whimsy to the garden. The ferny foliage deters deer with its bitter taste.
Lenten Rose
A welcome splash of color in the early spring, Lenten roses boast large, cup-shaped flowers in shades of white, pink, purple, and even green. These shade-loving perennials are tough and reliable, and their poisonous foliage makes them a surefire deer deterrent.
Sun-loving Stars
Lavender
This fragrant favorite not only fills the air with its calming aroma, but its fuzzy grey foliage and strong scent deter deer from browsing. Lavender thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it a low-maintenance choice. Enjoy the vibrant purple blooms throughout the summer, and use the fragrant flowers for potpourri or homemade sachets.
Russian Sage
This architectural wonder adds a touch of drama to the garden with its tall, spiky lavender-blue flowers. Russian sage thrives in full sun and poor soil, and its strong-smelling foliage keeps deer at bay. The airy, feathery blooms add a vertical element to borders and provide a late-season feast for butterflies.
Gaillardia
These cheerful daisy-like flowers, often with bicolored blooms in shades of red, yellow, and orange, add a burst of sunshine to your borders. Gaillardia thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, and its bitter foliage discourages deer. Enjoy the long-lasting blooms throughout the summer and into early fall.
Blazing Star (Liatris spicata)
These tall, slender perennials boast showy spikes of purple flowers that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. Blazing star thrives in full sun and tolerates a wide range of soil conditions.
Enchanting Climbers and Fragrant Fillers
While the focus has been on dazzling perennials, a deer-resistant haven doesn’t have to be limited to ground-coverings. Here are a couple of climbing options and a fragrant filler flower to add another dimension to your garden:
Clematis
These versatile climbers come in a wide variety of sizes, flower colors, and bloom times. Many clematis varieties are deer-resistant, thanks to their mildly toxic sap. Choose a variety that suits your desired sunlight conditions and support structure, and enjoy a cascade of blooms throughout the summer or fall.
Trumpet Honeysuckle
Unlike its invasive cousin, Japanese honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle is a non-aggressive climber with beautiful, trumpet-shaped flowers that emit a sweet fragrance, particularly in the evenings. This fragrance, delightful to humans, is off-putting to deer. Attract hummingbirds to your garden with this vibrant and deer-resistant climber.
Nicotiana
Also known as flowering tobacco, nicotiana offers a touch of elegance with its long, tubular flowers in shades of white, pink, red, and purple. These fragrant blooms open in the evening, releasing a sweet scent that attracts pollinators like moths while deterring deer with their slightly bitter taste. Nicotiana is a fast-growing annual, perfect for adding a touch of drama and fragrance to your borders.
Designing Your Deer-Resistant Paradise
Now that you have a diverse selection of deer-resistant blooms to choose from, it’s time to plan your garden layout. Here are some tips for creating a haven that not only discourages Bambi but also looks stunning:
- Mix and Match: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different flower heights, colors, and textures. Incorporate some taller perennials like foxgloves and hollyhocks for a touch of grandeur, intersperse them with mid-height options like catmint and columbine, and add low-growing fillers like lavender and gaillardia.
- Create Layers: Planting in layers adds depth and visual interest to your garden. Use taller perennials at the back of the border, followed by mid-height selections, and then fill in the foreground with lower-growing plants and creeping thymes.
- Think in Season: Choose a variety of flowers with different bloom times to ensure your garden has something beautiful to offer throughout the growing season. Early bloomers like hellebores and columbines can be followed by summer stunners like lavender and gaillardia, and finish the season with vibrant displays of Russian sage and blazing star.
- Don’t Forget Foliage: While flowers provide a pop of color, interesting foliage adds year-round structure and texture to your garden. Consider incorporating ornamental grasses like blue fescue or variegated hostas to add contrast and visual appeal.