While there are no guarantees that hungry deer won’t eat your plants, there definitely are perennial deer resistant flowers to grow that deer tend to avoid if there’s other food around that they like better.
Anyone who has lost precious garden plants that you’ve bought, planted, nurtured and enjoyed, knows the pain of coming out to see them gnawed to the ground. We’ve lost elderberry bushes and an entire crop of sunchokes to deer devastation.
We’re in a secluded rural area, but these days it’s not uncommon to see deer grazing in suburban yards. So it doesn’t matter if you live in the middle of town, on the outskirts of the city, or in a rural country setting, chances are you’re gonna have deer in your yard, and they’re going to be looking for food.
While fencing is generally the surest way to avoid deer in your yard or garden, it isn’t always an option. Deer fences need to be over 8 feet high. Often, homeowners associations (see HOA gardening rules) won’t allow certain kinds of fencing and the most attractive fences are costly.
We Love Wildlife, but…
We often share articles on all kinds of animal control. Whenever that includes topics about furry wildlife, how to keep squirrels, rabbits and rodents away, or best natural deer repellents, we get a number of similar comments. These range from shooting them, to planting enough extra to feed them.
We love animals and have rescued many, so we agree that this is a wonderful idea. However, it has its complications, which we address at the end of this article, where we also include links to some of our rescues.
Perennial Deer Resistant Flowers Are Like Insurance
Putting a little time and energy up front in planning your landscape using deer deterrent plants and perennial deer resistant, plants can save you a lot of time, money and anguish in the future.
Hey… probably like you, we love wildlife, and will throw out apple cores and other scraps that deer like into our surrounding woods. But you don’t want your hard work demolished by them.
And speaking of conserving time, perennials are the perfect addition to your yard or garden. Plant it once and it keeps growing with a modicum of care.
We love the wilder kinds of cottage-style garden, and are big fans of medicinal wild flowers and of beneficial weeds you can eat, like dandelion, plantain and others, like these weeds with purple flower. And of course, every spring we buy the favorite annual plants, but also try to add perennial deer resistant flowers to our landscape as well as perennial vegetables to our garden.
Deer Resistant Flowers and Plants Are Great Companion Plants
What’s so special about deer resistant flowers is that they usually deter deer away from themselves and the surrounding plants. Even if the nearby plants are not deer-resistant, deer tend to avoid the area.
Deer don’t want to be around flowers that are too aromatic, poisonous, or toxic, and will only do so if they’re hungry and there aren’t other food options for them. Because of this, it’s wise to strategically place your perennial deer resistant plants all over your yard and garden wherever you don’t want deer to bother your creations.
For example, we have blue hostas in our landscape areas, and deer love hostas, which are also edible for people too, by the way! But our hostas are planted next to deer resistant plants, and subsequently, though we live in the woods and the deer come through regularly, thankfully, they’ve not touched our hostas!
Here are some of my favorite perennial deer resistant flowers that will bring nearly effortless beauty to your space for years to come.
Perennial Deer Resistant Flowers – listed alphabetically
As you will see, there are many types of perennial deer resistant flowers to choose from that will brighten up your space, offer herbs to your kitchen, ward off deer from nearby plants, and take care of themselves with little to no help from you.
Most of the flowers described today bloom most of the summer and are attractive at least from spring to fall, if not all year.
Now the only question is, which ones will you add to your favorite outdoor space?
Alyssum, Lobularia Maritima, for Perennial Deer Resistant Flowers
Alyssum is a sweet-smelling white-flowered plant that grows low to the ground and spreads outwards with ease. They only stand four to six inches tall but spread up to a foot wide. The flowers are most commonly white, but you can find pink, purple, or even light blue varieties.
While Alyssum is technically a perennial, it will act as an annual in colder climates. Their preferred grow zones are 5-9.
Lobularia maritima likes moist but well-draining soil in partially sunny to full sunshine areas and likes neutral to acidic soil best. It blooms from spring to fall, depending on its location. They produce the highest quality and quantity of flowers in the spring and fall, though the summer blooms still smell nice and sweet.
One of the perks of Alyssum is its natural ground cover qualities. It spreads easily, and covers the ground densely, keeping the earth cool while enriching the soil and making a living mulch, even under other plants.
While this plant prefers cooler climates, it is more aggressive in warmer areas, especially in southern California and Hawaii. It is listed as an invasive species in these regions.
Artemisia, for Perennial Deer Resistant Flowers
Common names for this plant include, mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), or common wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), or sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua).
We have the silver mound artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana) growing in our landscape for many years now. The only issue we’ve had with it is when there’s too much rain, it can get waterlogged, where some areas of the plant die off, however, it’s always recovered and bounced back.
Artemisia is the botanical name for a part of the daisy family. However, instead of blossoming into flowers like the daisy, Artemisia are more low-key and understated and make for great muted accent plants.
Often decked out in a silvery gray-green foliage, these plants are a beautiful, easy care addition to any garden or landscape area. Just be sure they’re in a well drained area for they don’t like excessive moisture.
The flowers that they do produce are small, and usually a muted purple or white in the late summer and early fall. These shrubs mature at one to five feet tall, and an impressive one to ten feet wide.
Artemisia is one of the lowest maintenance plants you can find. Not only is it deer and insect resistant and perennial, but it handles poor soil conditions, drought, and neglect surprisingly well.
They prefer dry to medium-dry soil, and neutral to alkaline soil pH values. Full sunshine or partial shade is fine and can be found in zones 3 – 10 in the US. Beware that some states list Artemisia as an invasive species, so do your due diligence before introducing it to your garden. In the wild, it is often referred to as white sagebrush.
Bee Balm, Monarda spp., a Perennial Herb With Deer Resistant Flowers
Bee Balm is such a cute little flower that packs a lot of punch when it comes to vibrant red, purple, and pink colors and invites lots of good biodiversity to your space while still repelling deer. It is the ultimate cottage garden plant that is no fuss and highly self-sufficient.
The Bee balm uses and benefits are many. This unpretentious flowering plant does so much more than attract pollinators. It is also an edible herb, used for garnish, herbal teas and tinctures. It can be used to treat burns, rashes, skin irritants, and bee stings.
Monarda spp. grows fast, usually blooming in the first season, and produces many seeds every year, so it spreads aggressively. Songbirds, hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies will flock to it, and help pollinate the rest of your garden.
At full maturity, it stands at two to four feet tall, and blooms from late May to early September, again, depending on the growing zone. Its hardiness zones are 4 – 9, and it does best in rich, moist, acidic, or neutral soil in a sunny or partially sunny location.
Blazing Star, Liatris Spicata, for Perennial Deer Resistant Flowers
Liatris spicata is part of the Aster family, with beautiful feathery, long, bottle-brush shaped flowers that bloom from early summer to early fall. The leaves look similar to grass, and the flowers are usually a vibrant purple color but can be different shades of violet, pink, reddish-purple, and white.
Blazing Star or Liatris, prefers medium moisture, well-draining soil with a pH from acidic to neutral. They do best in zones 3-9 and like full sun exposure.