Deer will eat all parts of the persimmon tree whenever they can, especially when the trees are tender and young. Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating pansies can really do some serious damage to these plants! 0000073684 00000 n One of our native penstemon, Penstemon strictus, or Rocky Mountain penstemon, with bright purple-blue flowers on up to 30" spikes and evergreen foliage, is one of the easiest to grow. Penstemon plants are usually disease-free when given the proper culture of full sun and good drainage. If you purchase seeds, be sure to check the growing zone, as tender varieties like the Tubular Bells series are often sold alongside the hardy perennial types. Deadhead plants after flowering and divide clumps every three years. Many people may not know that deer, like some other herbivores, eat meat from time to time. Fungicide sprays treat symptoms but not the cause, so lighten your heavy soils with compost, or plant penstemons in raised beds to add air circulation for the roots. Rabbits inflict their most significant damage in fall by chewing on woody plants until they're more vulnerable to cold. Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil. There are so many good penstemons, with new ones coming onto the marketplace every year, that everywhere in North America, it is possible to grow at least one [type of] penstemon native to your area.. Deer-resistant does not mean deer-proof, and even the plants on this list will get nibbled on from time to time. The beauty and variability of penstemons have brought them to the forefront of home gardening, especially in areas subjected to droughts, says Jennifer Bennett, author of Dryland Gardening. This tactic in deer control simply allows you to play the odds through smart plant selection. 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. Of course, they will prefer other plants without an alternative. In addition, young deer will basically eat anything they encounter as they learn about what is edible and what isn't. This long-bloomer, also known as speedwell, begins flowering in late spring to early summer and continues for the rest of the growing season with a little help from you. The finely textured foliage and skinny flower spikes of Veronica puts them near the bottom of the menu for deer who are looking for plants of greater substance to fill their bellies. Don't let its common name fool you: Wormwood is a great garden plant. 0000002558 00000 n The . Dry the pods left over after the blooming period for craft projects. By now youre probably sensing a theme hereperennials with fragrant foliage are rarely bothered by deer. What is the difference between foxglove and beardtongue? Size: To 6 feet tall and 5 feet wide in bloom. Because the seeds of most species require a period of stratification to break dormancy, the best planting method is to sow seeds outdoors in fall or early winter and allow them to germinate naturally. Top Deer-Resistant Plants of the Pacific Northwest, What to Plant Instead of Invasive Burning Bush, Top Deer-Resistant Plants of Georgia and the Other Southern States, 18 Spring-Flowering Shrubs to Add to Your Yard for Early Color, 24 Pink Flowers That Add Bold Beauty to Any Garden, Create a Beautiful Butterfly Garden with These Plants, Top Deer-Resistant Plants of the Northeast, 19 Perennial Cutting Flowers to Fill Your Vases All Season Long, 12 Tough Perennials That Grow in Dry Shade, 16 Native Year-Round Interest Plants for A Constantly Beautiful Garden, Colorful Native Plants for the Midwestern Garden, 18 Small Trees for Front Yards That Explode with Color, 22 Colorful Shrubs That Flaunt Gorgeous Foliage for Months, 8 Fall-Blooming Perennials That Keep the Show Going Until Winter, 24 Beautiful Flowering Plants That Will Grow in Wet Soil. (Zones: 4-9; Height: 2 to 3 feet; Bloom time: Early summer). 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. Ornamental grasses are popular landscape plants and surprisingly, deer tend to stay away from them. Do deer eat Penstemon plants? Do deer eat berries? Yet another plant in the Dicentra genus is Dutchman's breeches. Also known as lamb's ears, this is a mint plant that will keep the rabbits away. The soil for beardtongue must drain very well. Like many plants disliked by deer, Russian sage bears scented foliageso grow this plant where you can touch the foliage to enjoy its scent. Fringed bleeding heart is a smaller plant than its showier cousin, Lamprocapnos spectabilis. The brightly colored Japanese Blood Grass is a popular choice. That's a lot. Click here to learn more about coreopsis. Just plant it and forget it (thats rightno extra water or plant food needed), and it will return the favor with bundles of bright lavender-purple blossoms beginning in early summer. 0000012671 00000 n Its ferny, blue-green foliage is a delight, toobut the deer don't seem to think so. This long-blooming beauty will lure hummingbirds to your garden for months, enticing them with bright magenta veining that guides them to the nectar deep within the trumpet-shaped rosy-pink flowers. If you want to grow varieties that require the least amount of soil preparation and watering and will overwinter reliably, choose species that are native to your area and thrive in soil conditions and climates similar to yours. Dig a hole and place so the top of the root ball is level with the soil surface. In early summer, right after your spring bloomers have faded, they fill the garden with spires of foxglove-like flowers in hues ranging from soft pinks and lavenders to bold, fiery reds and electrifying blues. Catnip is perhaps the best-known of the catmint plants. This deer-resistant perennial can become quite large under the right growing conditions. If you live in a warm climate, you can consider growing Spanish (L. stoechas) or French lavender (L. dentata), which are hardy to zone 7. 0000001568 00000 n The tubular flowers make an excellent landing pad for bees, butterflies and hummingbirds alike! The plantain family (Plantaginaceae) gifts us with some wonderful ornamental flowering plants, including snapdragons, foxglove, and the valuablePenstemon genus,which contains more than 250 beardtongue species ready to grow in your garden. * Penstemon Creeping Phlox (Phlox subulata) * Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium caeruleum) Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera 'Red . Planting them in raised beds or sloped areas will help them survive wet conditions. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. They also offer architectural interest in the winter garden. Growing Conditions: Shade and moist, well-drained soil. For a gardener, it is also important to know which plants are especially loved by slugs and snails. Foliage of some species remains evergreen in mild climates. She has 30 years of experience propagating and growing fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamentals. !?|O.Q"m5"%bD}?:Dq& GDPP)p!jnAqbIaT)\b +A_KR;.MLbEuV3sGFu[;F.$GH>fatsG6A)bD1&030l9 February 2013. (Zones: 4-8; Height: 1 to 3 feet; Bloom time: Early to midspring), One of the few that are fragrant, honey-scented light pink flowers are held high on spikes as tall as 6 feet. Yes, the deer likes to eat Persimmon. %0wsVpEBhqz(v]5pmz>dvy|jljvK.5=:},?>m4-In:&G$&. More on growing geums: Many are easily grown from seed. . Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. Very striking when in bloom, they last for weeks and bring strong color and form to the landscape. The Best Perennials for Pollinators. It is hard to think of a cuter and more aptly named plant. Wall germander is not as well known as it once was, but it's making a comeback as a plant that attracts bees. Plants that rabbits dislike include lavender, penstemon, artemesia, hyssop, sages, shasta daisy, gaillardia, common butterfly bush, blue mist spirea and . She was a feature writer for Organic Gardening at Suite101, where she won awards for her writing. These plants have earned a reputation as being most passed up by deer in your region. Evening primroses and their relatives are tough, drought-tolerant plants perfect for the front of the border. A king of the late-summer garden, Russian sage bursts forth with feathery wands of violet-purple flowers over masses of silvery foliage. Its leaves do not hang around for very long at all, and soon after it is done flowering, the whole plant (above ground) disappears. Full sun and dry, unfertile soil will keep them happiest for many years to come. 0000011701 00000 n Be inspired with our Gardener's Idea Book and Winner's Circle newsletter, 22 Deer Resistant Perennial Plants from Proven Winners. For more, see The 24 Best Plants to Attract Hummingbirds. These plants are very sensitive to cold and prefer moist soils with good drainage. 0000015885 00000 n Though they are easy to grow, Astilbes have one critical requirementlots of water. Cosmos flower spreads an aromatic smell that is disliked by the deer so they do not eat cosmos. Alternatively, you can stratify the seeds in the refrigerator for three months if you plan to start them indoors. Be careful not to pull the emerging foliage in spring; it looks like a thistle as it grows. A 3-inch layer of organic mulch can help to control weeds, and rock mulch is also a suitable choice. They grow best in full sun and well-drained soil. 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. Heat-loving annuals that deer tend to ignore include lantana, Cosmos sulphureus, angel's trumpet (Brugmansia) and summer snapdragon (Angelonia). Photo by: Frank Richards / Millette Photomedia. Plant Name: Actaea simplex (but often called Cimicifuga simplex), Growing Conditions: Part shade and moist, well-drained soil. Purple coneflowers aren't just purple anymore; today plant breeders have expanded its range from orange and yellow to white and even green. Generally, the deer isn't an herbivorous animal. Some species are under 10 inches tall, while others can grow up to 6 feet. Beardtongue is of the genus Penstemon, while foxglove is of the genus Digitalis. . Mid and late summer sees a shift in what deer eat to 2 nd choice browse plants and early fruits, such as grapes and berries. Click here to learn more about growing thyme. The shape of a bleeding heart's flower lives up to the plant's common name, right down to the little droplet dripping out from the bottom. Planted in a spot with well-drained soil and exposure to full sun, it will put on a show in mid- to late spring. Deer may develop a taste for any new plant depending on the season, when it was planted, how much water it gets, and a host of other factors. In the wild, they'll eat weeds, grass, flowers, seeds, nuts, fruit, vegetables, and pretty much anything else they can get their mouths around. Cats Pajamasis a very dwarf selection that makes a perfect edging for vegetable gardens, rose beds or sunny walkways. Barely a foot tall, this petite clump-forming selection makes a big visual impact when massed in the garden or grown along walkways and borders. So these are some of the plants that are least likely to be eaten by deer, but there are no guarantees! You will not see it again until the next spring. Lamb's ear spreads easily, making it an effective ground cover. Canadian wild ginger offers fuzzy foliage and is native to North America; European ginger (shown) bears glossy evergreen leaves. (Pennisetum alopecuroides) Plant Information Planting & Care Shipping Reviews Plant Information 24-36" tall x 18-30" wide. Then you can avoid some of them and replace them with resistant varieties. They will not flower much in shade. Bees, butterflies and hummingbirds enjoy their blooms for many weeks beginning in early summer. Oriental poppies put on a spectacular, although brief, floral show. Bonus: While hummingbirds love the plants, deer don't. These bees are sometimes white or black, and they may or may not be distinct. RELATED: 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. Next spring will eat all parts of the border they & # x27 ; re more vulnerable to cold prefer! Known as it once was, but there are no guarantees simply allows you to play the odds smart. Very dwarf selection that makes a perfect edging for vegetable gardens, beds! 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