Do you know what the biggest concern people have when thinking about growing a garden? Deer. I’m sharing a list of 15 flowers and plants that are more deer resistant.
While no plants are completely deer resistant, deer will avoid certain plants that have characteristics such as strong scents, unappetizing bitter flavors, rough textures and thorny stems.
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Here’s a list of my favorite annuals and perennial blooms that are deer resistant.
- Bee Balm
- Black-eyed Susan
- Cosmos
- Daffodils
- Foxglove
- Lantana
- Larkspur
- Lavender
- Marigolds
- Peonies
- Coneflower
- Shasta Daisies
- Snapdragon
- Strawflower
- Zinnias
Black-Eyed Susans
Black-eyed Susans are perennials, and can grow to over 3 feet tall. In growing zone 8, where I live, these plants bloom from mid July through mid October. Butterflies and bees are attracted to this gorgeous flower!
Cosmos
These annual summer flowers with colorful daisy-like flowers, and can reach up to 6 feet tall. Cosmos attract butterflies and bees to your garden. These are basically the easiest cutting flower I grow from seed. They will survive in just about any type of soil you have, and the more you cut, the more blooms this plant will produce!
Larkspur
These July birth flowers are the most beautiful annuals, with their tall spiked and colorful deep purple, lavender and white blooms. They make wonderful cut flowers, and provide so much interest to any floral arrangement.
Marigolds
Marigolds will brighten up just about any garden with it’s bright yellow and orange blooms. Deer despise the scent of marigolds, so you can plant them in areas close to plants you do not want deer to eat. Out of the 15 deer resistant plants I listed for the garden, I think the deer stay away from these the most! This plant has a carnation-like flower-head, thrives in full sunshine and are drought tolerant.
Strawflower
Strawflowers resemble daisies, but the petals are stiff and papery. In fact, according to The Spruce, they aren’t true petals at all, but modified leaves called bracts. I started these seeds for the first time this year so I could harvest them for drying. Their stems are hollow and will become brittle after drying, so the experts suggest removing their stems and replacing them with wires.
Snapdragons
Snapdragons are a sun-loving annual, that are the perfect filler flower for floral arrangements. This particular variety has tall, strong stems with warm colored butterfly-like blooms. They can reach from 36-48 inches tall.
Daisies
Shasta daisies are a great perennial for dividing and transplanting throughout your garden. These plants will grow up to 3 feet and are an early summer cutting flower here in zone 8.
Coneflower
Coneflowers, also known as Echinacea, attract butterflies, bees, and birds to the garden! They grow 2-4 feet in height, and are self-sowers. These beauties will bloom in mid-summer through the fall’s first frost. This plant is more deer resistant due to their prickly stems.
Zinnias
Zinnias are another favorite of mine. This annual plant is so easy to care for, and looks beautiful in an arrangement of fresh cut flowers. It doesn’t seem to matter how many zinnias I harvest, I never seem to run out of blooms.
From the list of my favorite 15 favorite deer resistant garden plants, I hope you were able to pick a few you liked. And for those flowers that the deer seem to feast on regularly, be sure to try Liquid Fence. I spray this on my flowers, especially my roses, every couple of weeks, and it seems to do the trick!
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The deer around here are particularly brazen. They blithely chomp away on my flowers in the middle of the day and won’t run until I’m within 10 feet. Yesterday I watched as one calmly decimated my neighbor’s rose bush!
I’m noticing that too Sandra! It is a particularly bad year. And they are not scared of anything!