Native Plants
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Friday - December 09, 2005
From: Millbury, MA
Region: Southeast
Topic: Deer Resistant
Title: Deer-resistant plants for South Carolina
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I have purchased a home in SC in an area that is overun with deer. What flowering plants for that area do deer not eat.ANSWER:
First of all, you need to realize that lists of deer-resistant plants hold true most of the time; however, if the deer are stressed for food, they may decide that these otherwise deer-resistant plants are quite tasty after all. That said, here are three lists of deer-resistant plants:1. From the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants.
2. From the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Best Deer Resistant Landscape Plants.
3. From the Native Plant Society of Texas, an article, Camouflage Gardening, about how to create a deer-resistant garden. This also includes a list of deer-resistant native Texas plants, many of which are also appropriate for South Carolina.
The first two lists (Cincinnati Botannical Gardens and Georgia Cooperative Extension Service) give both native and non-native ornamental plants. Since our mission here at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the study and promotion of native plants, I will recommend a few of the deer-resistant plants on the lists that are native to South Carolina:
1. Lantana (Lantana camara) or Texas Lantana (Lantana urticoides)
2. Native Irises, Dwarf crested iris (Iris cristata), Slender blue iris (I. prismatica), and Dwarf violet iris (I. verna)
3. Lyre-leaf sage (Salvia lyrata)
4. Crossvine (Bignonia capreolata)
5. Steeplebush (Spiraea tomentosa)
6. Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
7. Purple bergamot (Monarda media)
8. Coreopsis, such as C. auriculata, C. basalis, C. grandiflora or C. major
9. Cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
10. Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
You can find recommendations for landscaping with native plants for your area from the North Carolina Native Plant Society and compare them to the deer-resistant lists for matches.
To find a nursery or seed company selling native plants in your area, visit our National Suppliers Directory where you can search by state or region for suppliers. Both the South Carolina Native Plant Society and the North Carolina Native Plant Society have links to suppliers on their web pages, also.
More Deer Resistant Questions
Help! The deer are eating my landscape.
March 14, 2004 - Help! The deer are eating my landscape. Is there anything I can plant that they won’t eat?
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Deer-proof native plants
May 14, 2007 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants:
Can you recommend some Deer-proof native plants including shrubs and flowering plants?
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Suggestions for deer-resistant plans
February 28, 2006 - I live in Horseshoe Bay and there are deer everywhere. They seem to eat everything I plant. Is there anything they don't like?
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Using Sound to Repel Deer
July 15, 2013 - We have several motion activated water scarecrows for deer intrusions and have heard about sound scarecrows. Do you know if they are effective and do they bother pets such as cats, birds, etc.?
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Deer Resistant Plants for Northern Virginia
September 22, 2010 - I'm looking for deer resistant shade plants in Northern Virginia. The deer have devoured my hostas, impatiens and native toad lily plants, day lilies.
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