Do you have deer and other wildlife browsing in your yard? One of the consequences of a growing human population, and the increasing development that comes with us, is that many creatures who have always lived here become displaced. Their range is disrupted further by roadways, commercial properties and parking lots. It's important to remember that this situation is not caused by the creatures who have lived here longer than us. When they are hungry, deer are likely to come into your yard to feed if you have tasty things growing that they like to eat.
It is understandable that you would like to have nice plantings around your home. For this reason, we offer this Deer Resistant Kit that contains plants that are beautiful to us, feed the bees and butterflies without being damaged, and are likely to be passed over by the deer because they dislike their texture, scent or flavor. Please keep in mind that if deer or any herbivorous animal is hungry enough, they will try anything! But they are unlikely to keep eating something that is unpalatable.
This kit includes 16 plants, 2 each of 8 different varieties, with a diversity of flower shapes, textures, colors and bloom times. They may be planted together in a garden plot, but also scattered throughout your landscape, or in smaller groupings.
Design Tips:
- Allow for approximately 1sq ft per plant, 16 sq feet (Approximate plot sizes like 4' x 4' or 5' x 3'); the same variety of plant may be planted closer together for more filled in look
- Prepare your garden site (follow the link for details)
- A partial sun/shade location is ideal for this grouping
- Plants in this kit will all do well in moist to moderate soil moisture conditions
- Group plants of the same species together
- Consider the height of each plant. Position taller plants at the back and shorter plants at the front.
*Please note that sometimes young deer taste before they decide they don't like something, but they are unlikely to devour something they don't like!
Kit Contents:
8 varieties, 2 of each plant (total of 16). Details for each variety are below and each is pictured at the left side of your screen in the listed order:
2 - Butterfly Milkweed
2 - Black-eyed Susan/Orange Cone Flower (perennial)
2 - Blue Vervain
2 - Cardinal Flower
3 - Fox Sedge
2 - Horsemint
2 - Rose Milkweed
2 - Yarrow
Plant Details:
Black-Eyed Susan/Orange Cone Flower (Rudbekia fulgida)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet, Medium, Medium-Dry
Height: Up to 3'
Bloom Time: June through October
Bloom Color: Yellow to orange
Deer Resistance: High
Attracts: Beneficial native bees, butterflies, and birds; seeds for birds in fall/winter
Pollinator Benefit: Larval host to Gorgone Checkerspot, Bordered Patch butterfly; good nectar source, Special value to native bees. A Powerhouse plant that supports 49 different species!
Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata)
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Soil Moisture: Moist , Wet
Height: up to 6'
Bloom Time: June - October
Bloom Color: Blue, Purple
Resistant: Deer
Attracts: Native Bees, Bumblebees, Butterflies, Birds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for the Common Buckeye butterfly; Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.)
Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepius tuberosa)
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 2'
Bloom Time: June-August
Bloom Color: Orange
Attracts: butterflies and native bees
Resistance: deer
Pollinator benefit: Larval host for Monarch butterfly, Grey hairstreak, Queens; good nectar plant
Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Moist to Wet
Soil Type: Moist to wet, humus-rich soil. Medium Loam, Clay Loam, Limestone-based, Sandy, Sandy Loam, Clay
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: July, August, September
Bloom Color: Red
Resistant: Deer, rabbit
Pollinator Benefit: hummingbirds, butterflies, bees
Fox Sedge (Carex vulpinoidea)
Sun Exposure: Full to part Sun
Soil Moisture: moist, wet
Soil Type: Clay,loam
Height: 1'-2'
Leaf color: Top-side spotted red-brown or pale brown
Bloom Time: July-August
Fruit: red, brown
Attracts: Birds with seed and nesting material
Pollinator Benefits: larval host for a large variety of moths and skipper butterflies
Horsemint (aka Spotted Beebalm) (Monarda punctata)
Light: Sun
Soil Moisture: Dry
Soil Description: Dry, sandy soils
Tolerance: Drought
Size: Up to about 3 feet tall.
Bloom Color: White, Pink, Yellow, Green, Purple (the flowers of this plant are usually yellow with maroon markings on the upper petals, they may also be white or green. However, the bracts are showier and may be purple, pink, white or yellow.)
Bloom Time: May - Sept
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, Native Bees, Hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefits: Nectar source; Xerces Society notes: Special Value for Native Bees, Bumblebees & Honey Bees; attracts native predatory insects that prey on insect pests (Conservation Biological Control)
Rose Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Wet, Medium-Wet, Medium
Height: 4'
Bloom Time: June, July, August
Bloom Color: Pink
Resistance: Deer
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, hummingbirds
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for Monarch and Queen butterflies; excellent nectar source for other pollinators; Xerces Society identifies as Special Value to Native Bees and Bumble Bees
Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Native Perennial
Sun: Full Sun to Part Shade
Height: Up to 3'
Moisture: Dry
Soil: Grows in a variety of soil conditions, sand, loam, clay
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: White-Pink
Attracts: Pollinators, butterflies, moths, birds
Resistance: Deer and Drought
Pollinator Benefits: Xerces designations: Special Value to Native Bees (Recognized by pollination ecologists as attracting large numbers of native bees.); And Supports Conservation Biological Control (A plant that attracts predatory or parasitoid insects that prey upon pest insects.)