Wherever deer and rabbits are numerous, they’re bold enough to come right up to your deck or porch stairs to feast on your potted flowers and vegetables. Protect your garden from becoming a restaurant for these creatures by using this list of deer and rabbit-resistant container plants. Of course, like every human, every animal has different tastes, so no plant can ever be considered completely safe from being eaten.
Dusty Miller
As a general rule, gray or silver leaves mean rabbit and deer-resistant container plants. It’s probably because most silver plants, such as dusty miller, have slightly fuzzy leaves that don’t rate high on their preferred menu. Another nice thing about dusty miller is that it thrives in containers and creates a lovely contrast to other more brightly-colored flowers.
Dusty miller also maintains its leaf color right up until frost. You might try growing this deer-resistant plant along the edges of your pots and planters to help discourage curious nibblers.
Season of Bloom: Rarely flowers
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
Zones: grown as annual
Tricolor Sage
Aromatic herbs with brightly colored leaves make great companions for annual flowers in pots and planters. Tricolor sage, for example, develops beautiful green, white, and pink leaves that blend well with annual flowers. What’s more, the foliage has a strong sage fragrance that deer and bunnies avoid. Happily, the leaves are edible for humans and can be substituted in the kitchen for common sage if you’re in a pinch. Try mixing it with purple and golden sage in the same container for a fun look.
Season of Bloom: Spring
Growing Conditions: Full sun in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
Zones: grown as annual
Marigold
These beauties have strong-smelling foliage and thick, unpleasant-tasting sap that makes them rabbit and deer-resistant container plants. Marigolds come in a wide variety of forms that vary slightly in their ability to ward off nibbling marauders. The best marigolds to grow in deer and rabbit country are old-fashioned Signet marigolds and dwarf French marigolds. Both types of marigolds grow 12-18 inches tall and are ideal for container culture.
The taller American or African marigolds, which grow up to 3 feet tall, aren’t as happy growing in containers and will be sampled by an occasional deer or bunny.
Season of Bloom: Summer
Growing Conditions: Full sun and evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 1 foot tall
Zones: annual
Heliotrope
Dark-green, pleated leaves, and lovely scented flower heads make heliotrope a top rabbit and deer-resistant container plant. Why? It’s because these hungry creatures don’t like to feast on fragrant plants, even if they smell wonderful to humans. Heliotrope produces large vanilla-scented, dark-blue, or purple flower heads all summer on stems that grow 12-18 inches tall.
Heliotrope is a popular plant with butterflies, which flock to its nectar-rich blooms. The plants are best treated as an annual in all but the warmest regions of the country.
Season of Bloom: Summer to fall
Growing Conditions: Full sun to part shade in evenly moist, well-drained soil
Size: Up to 18 inches tall
Zones: grown as annual
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