Special Qualities

Deer-Resistant

23 plants · filter view, not indexed

Yarrow · Achillea millefolium Flat-topped flower plates over ferny aromatic foliage, exceptionally tough in poor dry soils and a haven for beneficial insects. Vigorous and spreading, so give it room.
Ornamental Onion · Allium hybrid Perfect spheres of starry flowers float on tall stems, magnets for bees and superb fresh or dried. The oniony foliage deters browsing animals and dies back as the flowers open.
Pig Squeak · Bergenia cordifolia Large glossy leathery leaves form a weed-suppressing carpet that flushes burgundy in cold weather. Sprays of pink flowers rise on red stems in late winter.
Tickseed · Coreopsis grandiflora Bright golden daisies in non-stop succession over a long season, thriving on heat and poor soil. Deadhead to keep the cheerful display coming until autumn.
Cottage Pink · Dianthus plumarius Low cushions of blue-grey foliage topped by clove-scented, fringed flowers in shades of pink and white. A classic cottage edging plant that loves a sunny, gritty bed.
Purple Coneflower · Echinacea purpurea Big daisy flowers with drooping rose-purple petals around a bristly copper cone, a magnet for bees and butterflies. Seed heads feed finches if left standing into winter.
Mediterranean Spurge · Euphorbia characias Architectural domes of blue-grey foliage topped by lime-green flower heads in late winter, unfazed by drought. The milky sap is a skin and eye irritant, so wear gloves to prune.
Butterfly Bush · Gaura lindheimeri Airy wands of white-to-pink flowers dance on wiry stems like a cloud of butterflies for months on end. Drought-proof and self-cleaning, it brings movement to any sunny border.
Bloody Cranesbill · Geranium sanguineum A tough true geranium forming spreading mounds of finely cut leaves smothered in magenta flowers. Foliage flushes red in autumn and the plant copes admirably with dry shade.
Lenten Rose · Helleborus orientalis Nodding, long-lasting blooms in winter and early spring brighten the shadiest corners under deciduous trees. All parts are toxic if eaten, so site away from grazing pets.
Daylily · Hemerocallis hybrid Each trumpet lasts a single day but the clumps churn out wave after wave through the warm months. Adaptable and tough; note that daylilies are toxic to cats.
Coral Bells · Heuchera hybrid Grown for mounds of ruffled foliage in caramel, burgundy, lime and silver that hold colour all year. Slender wands of tiny bell flowers rise above in spring.
Autumn Joy Sedum · Hylotelephium spectabile Fleshy grey-green clumps build all summer to flat heads of dusky pink that deepen to rust in autumn, swarming with butterflies. The seed heads stand handsomely through winter.
Bearded Iris · Iris germanica Ruffled, often fragrant flowers in a rainbow of colours rise above fans of grey-green foliage from sun-baked rhizomes. Plant rhizomes shallow with their backs exposed for best flowering.
Red Hot Poker · Kniphofia uvaria Bold pokers of tubular flowers glow red, orange and yellow above grassy clumps, brimming with nectar for honeyeaters. Tough, drought-hardy and dramatic in the summer border.
Grape Hyacinth · Muscari armeniacum Tight little spikes of grape-like blue beads carpet the ground in early spring and naturalise readily. Tough, cheap and perfect for edging, pots and underplanting.
Daffodil · Narcissus hybrid Cheerful trumpets that herald the end of winter and naturalise into drifts in cooler gardens. Every part contains toxic alkaloids, which also makes the bulbs rodent and deer proof.
Catmint · Nepeta faassenii Soft grey-green mounds froth with lavender-blue flowers loved by bees, releasing a minty scent when brushed. Shear after the first flush and it rebounds for a second show.
Turkish Sage · Phlomis russeliana Tiered whorls of soft-yellow hooded flowers stack up sturdy stems above big felted leaves. The architectural dried seed heads earn their keep right through winter.
Black-eyed Susan · Rudbeckia fulgida Golden-yellow daisies with a near-black central cone blaze through late summer and autumn on sturdy stems. Reliable, long-flowering and superb in massed plantings.
Woodland Sage · Salvia nemorosa Dense spikes of violet-blue flowers held over neat clumps of aromatic foliage, alive with bees from late spring. Cutting back spent spikes triggers repeat flushes through summer.
Blue Spruce Stonecrop · Sedum rupestre A hardy creeping groundcover succulent with needle-like blue-green foliage resembling tiny spruce shoots, lighting up with flat heads of bright yellow star flowers in summer. Tough and frost-tolerant.
Hens and Chicks · Sempervivum tectorum An extremely hardy alpine succulent forming tight rosettes that cluster into colonies of offsets, the leaves often blushed red at the tips. Famously frost-proof and ideal for rockeries and troughs.