Skip to content
gardening — Lifestyle — Outdoor gardening — Home — home-and-garden — Realsimple

Annually Blooming Flowers Deer Disregard Yet Your Garden Will Cherish

Annually Blooming Flowers That Deer Generally Avoid, Ideal for Your Flower Garden

,   and  Administrator
4 min read
Annually Blooming Flowers Deer Typically Avoid, Bringing Delight to Your Garden
Annually Blooming Flowers Deer Typically Avoid, Bringing Delight to Your Garden

Annually Blooming Flowers Deer Disregard Yet Your Garden Will Cherish

For those perpetually plagued by deer ravaging their outdoor spaces, consider planting deer-resistant annuals to maintain an attractive garden. These flower options, known for their long-lasting blooms and displeasing characteristics to deer, are an ideal solution.

We've consulted gardening experts to recommend top deer-resistant annuals that will elevate your garden while offering low maintenance and vibrant colors. Among the choices, you'll find:

  • Ward Dilmore – the founder and head landscape designer at Petrus Luxury Estate Landscaping Company
  • Troy Hake – the owner of Outsidepride seed company
  • Tammy Sons – the founder and CEO of TN Nursery

Below, discover eight full-sun annuals that will brighten your landscape for the entire season:

  1. Marigolds: These flowering powerhouses bring brilliant pops of color, with pom-pom-shaped flowers available in hues of yellow, orange, red, or gold. Marigolds have a potent scent that deer find unpleasant, making them an excellent choice. These flowers thrive in full sun and can be interspersed among vegetables[1][5].
  2. Zinnias: With striking, full flowers resembling daisies and a range of bright colors, zinnias are favored for their deterrent effect on deer [1]. They're low-maintenance and perform best in sunny locations [2]. Consistent watering and periodic deadheading are necessary to promote ongoing lively blooms.
  3. Snapdragons: These colorful perennials, often grown as annuals, offer brilliant hues that vary from white to yellow, orange, red, purple, and pink. Snapdragons have a bitter taste, which deters deer [1]. For optimal growth, position them in full or partial sun and provide regular watering, particularly during dry spells [3].
  4. Sweet Alyssum: With its cool season blooms, pretty flowers ranging from white, pink, purple, and peach, and a pungent scent that repels deer, sweet alyssum offers great low-maintenance color. The flowers have a "ground cover" look, and they prefer sandy, well-draining, moist soil [1].
  5. Spider Flowers (Cleome): Delicate blooms in pink, purple, or white, spider flowers are low-maintenance, and their odor and texture make them unappealing to deer. This annual can self-seed and become self-sustaining each year. It thrives in full or partial sun and tolerates poor soil [5].
  6. Verbena: Known as a versatile and cheerful flowering plant, verbena is available in various vibrant shades of purple, pink, white, and red. The low-maintenance plant comes in many varieties, both annual and perennial. Its bitter taste and coarse leaves deter deer. Thriving in sunny, well-drained areas, verbena encourages continued growth stimulation with spent blooms pinched back [1].
  7. Lantana: This fast-growing plant offers brilliant flower clusters that range from yellow to red, pink, purple, white, and orange. Lantana's rough leaves, pungent scent, and mild toxins keep deer at bay [4]. In warm regions, it is a perennial, while in temperate climates, it's an annual with cold winters.
  8. Cornflowers (Bachelor's Buttons): These deer-resistant wildflowers come in shades of blue, purple, pink, red, and white. Cornflowers can grow in full sun or partial shade and flourish in moist, well-draining soil [1]. They grow quickly and attract beneficial insects and butterflies, making them an excellent addition to your garden.
Annually Blooming Flowers Deer Typically Avoid, Yet Ideal for Your Garden's Beauty

It is noteworthy that California poppies have bright blooms in shades of yellow, gold, and orange, and their bitter taste deters deer [5]. They thrive best when planted in fall or early spring and prefer full sun and sandy or rocky soils.

Consider calendula, or pot marigold, if you like daisy-like blooms in shades of gold. Calendula's bitter taste and pungent aroma dissuade deer, and it grows best in full or partial sun, but can tolerate shade [4]. Calendula can be sown from seed after the last frost in spring.

Ultimately, choosing the right annualflowers for your garden involves understanding local growing conditions, design preferences, and the need for deer resistance. Nurture your outdoor spaces with vibrant, deer-resistant annuals that will provide lasting enjoyment.

[1] [https://www.sternswholesale.com/blog/top-5-deer-resistant-flowers-for-your-garden][2] [https://www.hnghort.com/plant-finder/plant/5324][3] [https://homeowner.gardening.cornell.edu/sounder/display.cfm?ID=443][4] [https://www.monrovia.com/PlantFinder/Plant/Profile/4001-Vintage-Cream-Lantana][5] [https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/california-poppy/how-to-grow-california-poppies.htm]

Annually Blooming Flowers Deer Often Avoid, Enhancing Your Yard's Appeal
  1. To cultivate an eye-catching garden that is both deer-resistant and low-maintenance, consider obtaining expertise from gardening professionals such as Ward Dilmore, Troy Hake, and Tammy Sons.
  2. By incorporating annuals like marigolds, zinnias, snapdragons, sweet alyssum, spider flowers (Cleome), verbena, lantana, cornflowers (Bachelor's Buttons), and even California poppies, you can create a vibrant landscape that will last the entire season, deterring deer and encouraging beneficial insects.
  3. Embrace a realsimple lifestyle by filling your home-and-garden with these easy-to-grow, deer-resistant annuals, as recommended by gardening experts, and enjoy a lively, colorful outdoor space year-round.

Read also:

    Related

    Latest