15 Deer-Resistant Perennials That Love the Heat

Summer sees an explosion of fresh growth, and with that, the temptation for deer to nibble tender new shoots and buds. A nightly visit can bring sweeping damage that is often recoverable. Still, it is a setback to growth and flowering, especially with repeated browsing.

For an easier approach to the season, less palatable selections set the best boundaries. Heat-loving, deer-resistant perennials abound and are often among the easiest to grow and maintain. Their tough plant defenses and adaptability make them resilient across growing conditions and in the event they’re nibbled. They’re a win-win-win with their ornament, low maintenance, and deer resistance.

With its native habitat decreasing (it’s a threatened species in some states), the heat-loving, deer-resistant perennial is worthy of a spot in the garden. The rich tubular blooms beckon pollinators, and mounding, clumping foliage is attractive all season.

Spigelia contains the alkaloid spigiline, which is toxic upon ingestion and the reason deer tend to avoid it. The native prefers fertile, acidic soils and morning sun exposure. They tolerate more sun in cooler climates given consistent moisture, but appreciate afternoon shade protection in areas with intense rays.

Catmint

	botanical name Nepeta spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3′
	hardiness zones 3-8

Catmint shows a cloud of lavender blooms in early summer above softly mounding, gray-green foliage. The leaves are aromatic and slightly fuzzy, making them unappealing to deer. The essential oils also repel other garden pests, like aphids and squash bugs, while drawing pollinators and other beneficial insects. Edible to humans and attractive to felines, catmint bridges the ornamental and edible landscape.

Catmint thrives with a bit of neglect. It flowers best with regular moisture throughout the growing season, but tolerates dry spells. Deadhead spent flower spikes or shear plants in mid-summer to promote more flowers. 

‘Walker’s Low’ is a Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit recipient for its performance in heat, humidity, and salty conditions. It yields a profusion of lavender-blue blooms in early summer that lasts most of the season. ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ is a dwarf variety that blooms a few weeks earlier for an extended season. Violet-blue flowers cover the entire length of foot-long stems. Rose-purple calyxes support the flowers and offer lasting color even after the blooms fade.

Threadleaf Coreopsis

	botanical name Coreopsis verticillata
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 30-36″
	hardiness zones 3-9

Threadleaf coreopsis has a mid-summer peak bloom of bright yellow ray flowers that bring a sunny wave of color. Native to eastern North America, threadleaf has fine, ferny leaves that deer find distasteful. The wildflowers are drought-tolerant and don’t flinch in the heat.

The vibrant discs are a favorite nectar and pollen source for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Coreopsis self-seeds readily in the landscape, and songbirds forage on the seeds in fall and winter. The native also spreads to form tidy colonies through rhizomes.

A top-performing variety is Coreopsis verticillata ‘Zagreb.’ Airy, uniform flowers on tight 20-inch stems create a mass of gold. Long-blooming and easy care, ‘Zagreb’ holds Award of Garden Merit status.

Sea Holly

	botanical name Eryngium planum
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-3′
	hardiness zones 4-9

Sea holly brings a dynamic floral structure in pleasing silvery blue. Spiky, stiff, and rigid, the deer-resistant perennials offer a spray of color and texture throughout the summer. They’re also lasting in fresh florals and dried bouquets.

Eryngium is durable, growing best in sandy loams and sun-drenched spots. Heat-loving, it also tolerates coastal situations.

‘Blue Glitter’ is a hardy variety loaded with purple-blue blooms on silver stems. Multi-branched stems bear bunches of flowers that rise tall above the green basal leaves. E. bourgatii ‘Picos Blue’ is larger with deeper blue inflorescences and is an RHS Award of Garden Merit recipient.

Salvia

	botanical name Salvia spp.
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 1-3′
	hardiness zones 4-10

Salvia, or sage, is a quintessential deer-resistant and heat-tolerant perennial. Aromatic, fuzzy foliage makes them a less favorable browse material. Their rugged constitution offers adaptability across growing conditions, with diverse color and form. The vibrant, tubular blooms are a favorite nectar resource for pollinators.

From pineapple sage (S. elegans) to scarlet sage (S. coccinea), rich reds brighten the display. Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’ is a favorite native, with tall, deep blue tubular flowers through the fall. Salvia leucantha, or Mexican bush sage, has velvety purple and white bicolor blooms in late summer and fall. Its silvery gray, fragrant foliage persists year-round.

Salvia thrives in hot conditions in exposures from sun to shade, depending on the species. Well-draining soils are essential for optimal health.

Yarrow

	botanical name Achillea millefolium
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 1-3′
	hardiness zones 3-9

Yarrow is another easygoing native North American perennial in hot situations. Feathery, textural foliage has a pungent scent, and the oils in the leaves and stems signal their unappealing taste.  The species has broad, milky white flower heads atop tall, upright stems, with cultivars in rich colors that attract bees and butterflies. Improved forms bring dense blooms on compact plants.

If deer do nibble tender new shoots, yarrow is resilient and recovers easily. The drought-tolerant perennials flourish in the summer heat, needing few resources beyond full sunlight to thrive.

Baptisia

	botanical name Baptisia australis
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4′
	hardiness zones 3-9

False indigo produces bountiful spikes of blue-purple, lupine-like flowers in spring and early summer. Its sturdy blue-green foliage is soft, full, and attractive all season. After the flowers fade, spikes bear dark seed pods that add winter interest.

Baptisia is native to the eastern U.S. and grows naturally along streambanks, in meadows, and in open woodlands. It tolerates average to dry soils. Scented leaves with the mild toxins baptisin and cytisine make it less susceptible to deer damage, especially once mature. Baptisia takes its first growing season to establish strong roots and leafy upper growth, coming into full flower in its second year and beyond.

A Perennial Plant Association award winner, false indigo is long-lived and low maintenance (and a perennial we should grow more of). Native bees and bumblebees visit each blossom on the showy, packed stems while deer tend to avoid them.

Russian Sage

	botanical name Salvia yangii
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-4′
	hardiness zones 5-10

Sun-loving Russian sage shines in the summer with silvery leaves and sprays of blue-purple tubular blooms. Flowers go through frost for an extended show of color above the fine, feathery foliage. The fuzzy, aromatic foliage is unappetizing to deer and resists many pests.

In addition to the airy display is a hardy constitution. Russian sage thrives in hot, dry conditions, blooms reliably, and performs across climates. For all of its merits, Salvia yangii won the Perennial Plant Association’s Perennial Plant of the Year award.

In areas with high humidity or heavy seasonal rain, look for disease-resistant varieties like ‘Denim in Lace’ and ‘Crazy Blue.’ ‘Blue Spires’ is a compact, densely blooming variety with Royal Horticultural Society Award of Garden Merit status. Ensure plenty of sunshine and well-draining soil for Russian sage.

Agastache

	botanical name Agastache spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-4′
	hardiness zones 5-9

Agastache, or hummingbird mint, is an old garden favorite with aromatic leaves and delicate purple-blue bloom spikes. The tubular flowers stand out above mounding gray-green foliage and offer nectar for bees, butterflies, hummingbirds, and other pollinators.

Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop) is native to northern North America, with numerous cultivars available for high color and vigorous performance. The herb blooms profusely in summer through frost and thrives in various soil types, as long as they have good drainage. Anise hyssop grows easily from seed and self-sows.

A. mexicana, or Mexican giant hyssop, has bright pink-purple flowers and lemony leaves. The ‘Summerlong’ and ‘Summerific’ series bring extended flowering with hybrids in soft peach, lilac, magenta, and lemon yellow. They supply continual color without deadheading, though it speeds up the reblooming process.

Milkweed

	botanical name Asclepias spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 18-24″
	hardiness zones 3-11

Asclepias supplies important resources for pollinators and serves as a host plant to monarch butterflies. The showy bloom clusters fuel them with nectar on their long migrations across regions, and their leaves provide shelter and nesting sites. The whole plant is useful to monarchs; adults collect nectar from the blooms before laying eggs on the leaves. When the larvae hatch, they feed on leaves and stems. The caterpillars may even build their chrysalis suspended from a stem.

Milkweed is unappealing to predators due to a milky sap with compounds that are toxic to most birds and mammals. This makes the butterflies resistant to predation, too. As caterpillars feed, they ingest and retain the poisonous compounds. The orange coloration of monarch wings is a warning signal of toxicity to avoid.

There are several species of native milkweed according to region and siting. Showy milkweed (A. speciosa) is a strong Western U.S. species. Common milkweed, A. syriaca, is native to eastern and central regions. To hone in on the best selection for your garden, the Xerces Society offers regional guides for specific Asclepias species.

Butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) has a range across much of the country and delights with bright, flat-topped clusters in red-orange. Asclepias incarnata, or swamp milkweed, grows well in moist spots, as its natural habitat is along marshy pond edges, bogs, and woodlands. It produces lovely clusters of flat, deep pink flowers.

Lavender

	botanical name Lavandula spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3′
	hardiness zones 5-9

Lavender is a joy with its invigorating fragrance, silvery foliage, and velvety leaves. The workhorse Mediterranean herb has many uses and is versatile in garden spaces, from pots to borders to edible landscapes. Regarding heat-tolerant, deer-resistant perennials, lavender is one of the best. While we savor the scent, the strong aroma deters pests.

The evergreen grows naturally in regions with arid, warm summers and cool, wet winters. In cold climates, opt for hardy varieties like Lavandula angustifolia ‘Munstead’, an early bloomer with a compact habit. Or, grow it in a container to overwinter in a sheltered spot. In humid climates, choose varieties with good disease resistance like ‘Phenomenal.’

Lavender needs a sun-soaked spot and well-draining soils that dry slightly between waterings. Established perennials are drought-tolerant. Harvest blooms in spring and again later in summer for optimal fragrance and color, and to promote further flowering.

Globe Thistle

	botanical name Echinops bannaticus
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-4′
	hardiness zones 3-8

Echinops, or globe thistle, yields stiff, structured, round blooms in purple-blue. Each nearly perfect one-and-a-half-inch globe adds intrigue to the border and also in fresh and dried florals. Tiny florets comprise each round and attract bees, moths, and butterflies. Dissected silvery-green foliage is prickly, making the whole plant structure distasteful to predators.

This perennial is both deer-resistant and heat-tolerant. It shows color in mid-summer through fall. It prefers lean soils but adapts to various types, as long as they’re well-draining. To encourage continued flowering and prevent reseeding, deadhead spent blooms.

Switchgrass

	botanical name Panicum virgatum
	sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
	height 3-5′
	hardiness zones 5-9

Switchgrass and many other ornamental grasses are ideal deer-resistant perennials that take high heat. They add texture and movement to the landscape and need little tending to thrive.

Switchgrass is a North American prairie species that grows across soil types, moisture levels, and light exposures. ‘Northwind’ has a structural habit and forms an upright column for high vertical interest. ‘Cheyenne Sky’ begins blue-green and transitions to wine red in early summer, with plumes to match.

Switchgrass prefers lean soils that aren’t overly rich. It tolerates fluctuating moisture levels and occasional flooding. 

Helenium

	botanical name Helenium autumnale
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 2-5′
	hardiness zones 3-8

Helenium, or sneezeweed, is a North American wildflower with bright yellow ray petals around a prominent central disc. The prolific blooms shine into fall as other perennials and annuals fade and provide a late-season pollen and nectar source. 

Helenium tolerates poor soils but does best in organically rich ones with regular moisture during the growing season. Sneezeweed was used as snuff to treat cold ailments, but it is toxic if ingested. The natural compound sesquiterpene lactone is especially prevalent in the Asteraceae family.

Caryopteris

	botanical name Caryopteris spp.
	sun requirements Full sun
	height 3-4′
	hardiness zones 5-9

Caryopteris is a shrubby, deer-resistant perennial with attractive leaves and abundant tiny blue flowers in late summer and fall. Also called bluebeard or blue mist shrub, the showy blooms and handsome foliage add filler to the border. The fragrant, camphor foliage is a deterrent to nibbling mammals.

Caryopteris x clandodensis creates a misty spray of blooms. ‘Gold Crest’ has showy bright green-gold leaves, while ‘Dark Knight’ has deep royal purple petals above silver-blue foliage. C. divaricata ‘Snow Fairy’ has variegated mint-green leaves with a white margin and a cloud of deep lavender blossoms.

Caryopteris grows in average soils with medium moisture. It prefers loose, sandy loams and tolerates dry spells.