KLRU: Central Texas Gardener > Deer Resistant Plants

Perennial Color for Sun and Shade

Here is Tricia Martin's plant list for April 2008 from Forever Gardens.

Common Name	Botanical	Bloom	Foliage	Size	Lighting	Comments	Wildlife
For the sun:
Coral Bean	Erythrina herbacea	Spectacular red spikes summer - fall	Spade shaped; bright green	6X6	Full sun	Awesome herbaceous perennial; great specimen plant	Deer Resisitant; Hummingbird
Thryallis; Golden Showers	Galphimia glauca	Delicate yellow spikes summer - fall.	Deciduous;1-2" dark green oval	4-6X4-6	Full sun to part shade	Very hardy deciduous perennial; native to tropics where it is evergreen; makes a great back drop for lower plants.	Deer Resisitant
Jerusalem Sage	Phlomis fruticosa	Soft yellow bloom spikes spring -early summer	Evergreen; Silver green; fuzzy (similar to lamb's ear)	2-3'X3	Full sun to part shade	Not a true salvia, but very hardy & tolerant of neglect; looks good year long.	Deer Resisitant
Indigo Spires 'Mystic Spire'	Salvia 'Indigo spire/mystic spire	Deep indigo spires; Summer-Fall	Large oval; Herbaceous	2 X 2	Full sun	Blooms attract hummingbird and butterflies - monarchs love them. New cultivar is much smaller than original.	Deer Resisitant; Butterflies
Homestead Verbena - Red	Verbena sp	Bright red blooms spring - fall.	Low growing perennial - can be used as a groundcover.	1' X 3'+	Full sun to part shade	Great perennial that sometimes blooms year long. It does require good drainage to perform well. Will often bloom in Jan/Feb w/ false springs!	Deer resistant; Butterflies
May Night Salvia	Salvia nemerosa	Deep purple bloom spikes spring - fall.	Rosette basal leaves evergreen	1x1	Full sun	Wonderful evergreen salvia. Great in the border since it is low growing. Will often be blooming in Jan/Feb.	Deer resistant; Butterflies
For the Shade:
Forsythia Sage	Salvia madrensis	Yellow bloom spikes summer-fall	Large gray green leaves; running root stock. Herbaceous	4-5X4	Partial shade - shade	Unusual yellow blooms for a salvia. Performs best w/ filtered sun. It will "colonize an area and bloom summer-fall.	Deer resistant
Leather Leaf Mahonia	Mahonia bealei	Small yellow clusters in very early spring. Turning to blue berries later spring & summer	Evergreen, leathery foliage; almost holly like w/ barbed tips. Quite uncomfortable to brush into.	4-6X4-6	Partial shade - shade	Wonderful evergreen shrub. Attractive blue berries prized by birds.	Deer resistant; Birds
Indigofera	Indigo kirilowii	Pink racemes early-mid summer; sometimes repeats in the fall.	Pinnate foliage is very graceful. Generally deciduous, but may freeze to the ground in a severe winter.	2-3X2-3	Part sun - part shade.	This is one of those plants that likes full sun, but can't take the Texas summer. It performs perfectly w/ am sun, or filtered all day. Looks nice in heavier shade, but does not bloom as much.	unknown deer resistance; no known wildlife.
Pigeonberry	Rivina humilis	Pink blooms & red berries.	Bright green leaves; herbaceous	1-2X1-2	Partial shade - shade	Blooms & berries season long; birds love the berries. A good tall groundcover.	Deer resistant; Birds
Columbine	Aquilegia spp.	Native varieties bloom yellow and orangish red in late spring/early summer.	Graceful foliage is usually evergreen.	1-2X1-2	Partial shade - shade	Great native perennial. Some non native varieties will perform well in the early spring. Native var. will often self sow - a bonus!	Deer resistant