Deer Resistant Bulbs & Perennials
Let’s face it, you put a lot of work into your garden to get it to look its best so the last thing you want is some friendly neighbourhood deer chomping away on it. I’ve compiled a list of my favourite deer-resistant bulbs and perennials to help you out. Many of these will also deter squirrels and moles as well.
If you’ve already planted this spring for the summer, save this page for fall planting which I’ve included further below!
Fall Planting / Spring Flowering
‘Amethyst’ & ‘Jan Bos’ Hyacinths – All Hyacinths are great deer-resistant bulbs! I like these two which are regular fragrant hyacinths. Great for containers and mass landscaping, plant in the fall and they will appear early-mid spring.
‘Mount Hood’ & ‘Fortissimo’ Trumpet Narcissi – Elegant-shaped blooms that blossom in March. Like Hyacinths, all Daffodils are great for deer-resistant gardens.
‘Irene Copeland’ & ‘My Story’ Double Narcissi – Double blooms that can be as large as 4” across!
‘Giganteum’ Allium – A garden giant, these blooms are an 8” fragrant deep mauve ball! A gorgeous addition to any large garden area. Alliums are also all deer resistant, but these ones are at the top of my list!
‘Imperialis Rubra’ Fritillaria – Unique blooms that are fantastic when planted in clusters. Plant in partial to full sun.
‘Angel Wings’ & ‘Eye of the Tiger’ – Dutch iris, that is great for cut flowers!
‘Neglectum’ Muscari Grape Hyacinth – An official “Florissa Favourite”, these little blooms smell like Grape Soda, how can a deer resist? Luckily they do.
‘Midnight Oil’ & ‘Speeding Iris’ Iris Germanica – German bearded iris with fragrant blooms. Can also be planted in the spring but won’t bloom until late Summer.
‘Aestivum’ Leucojum (Summer Snowflake) – A unique bulb that’s great for naturalizing.
Spring Planting / Summer Flowering
‘Firebird’ Green Leaf Canna & ‘Cleopatra’ Novelty Canna – Cannas are great for containers and mixed borders. They have thick leaves and produce long-lasting blooms.
Colocasia – Elephant Ears – Huge tropical leaves, great for mixed borders and look fantastic along some brightly coloured bulbs.
‘Treasure’ Zantedeschia Calla Lily – Lush tropical plants that produce long-lasting blooms. Great for containers, mixed borders, and cut flowers.
‘Bicolor Eucomis’ – The unique-looking Pineapple Lily is perfect for containers.
Single Mix Freesia – A beautiful mix of freesias that provide a great fragrance to your garden while still protected from deer.
Hirta Trycirtis – Japanese Toad Lily with late summer blooms.
Erectum Trillicum – Red wood lily that fills your shade areas nicely.
Canadensis Sanguineria – Bloodroot, a spectacular native plant grown from cultivated stock. Great for mixed borders and containers.
Odoratum Variegatum Polygonatum – Fragrant blooms and ideal for cut flowers
‘Goldsturm Rudbeckia’ – Coneflower, ideal for cut flowers.
‘Navaho’ Blackberry – Yes! Even a blackberry that’s deer resistant. Produces glossy, sweet black fruit.
