Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials – Southern Plains

‘Princess’ purple fountain grass

Name:Pennisetum purpureum‘Princess’

USDA Hardiness Zones:8 to 11

Size:3 to 4 foot tall and 3 feet wide

Conditions : Full sunshine to fond shade ; well - drained land ; drought tolerant

With its beautiful color and strong , architectural , arching mounds , ‘ Princess ’ suffer out like reliable royalty . Deer and other pests would n’t dare agitate Her Highness . The leafage of this unbelievable empurpled - maroon eatage becomes even darker and more stunning with hot temperatures and cheery day . This grass is as comfortable as a focal point in container or courting in group as a backdrop for annual plantings or perennial borders . ‘ Princess ’ reach its mature size easily in one time of year , but you wo n’t see efflorescence unless you live in Zone 9 or warmer . No deadheading is required .

Hummingbird bush

Name:Anisacanthus wrightii

Zones:7 to 10

Size:3 feet marvellous and 4 foot wide

stipulation : Full sun to light refinement ; drought tolerant

From summertime until fall , 2 - in - foresighted trumpets of vivid orange red to orangish - scarlet flower cover this mounding , undimmed light-green plant . Though deer quash it , hummingbirds zoom to it in profusion . Hummingbird bush look well with an occasional shearing to keep it compact and inbounds ; otherwise , it can suffocate skirt plants . This versatile perennial is able to survive in dry , rocky soil or heavy clay , and is as at home in the back of the perennial border or in a large container .

‘Summer Love’ giant hyssop

Name:Agastache‘Summer Love’

Zones:6 to 9

Size:3 feet marvellous and 2 feet wide

Conditions : Full Dominicus ; well - drained stain ; drought tolerant

This easy and fast - growing perennial is known for its pleasant mint licorice – scented foliage and flower , which bloom even on the hottest summertime day . Deer , however , are n’t enticed by the muckle or tone of this flora . ‘ Summer Love ’ stood out in our recent works trials because of its profusion of enceinte roseate - purple flower spike , which bloomed from former summertime until first frost . This young cultivar also has a nice compact use and does n’t ask bet on , even in the high flatus of the Southern Plains . As a bonus , hummingbird teem the flowers of this plant .

‘Shimmer’ evening primrose

Name:Oenothera fremontii‘Shimmer’

Zones:4 to 8

Size:10 column inch improbable and 15 inches wide

Conditions : Full sun ; drouth patient of

Though butterflies and hummingbirds slew to this eventide primrose , deer and rabbit avoid its leafage and blossom . ‘ Shimmer ’ has clumping , acuate silvern foliation that does n’t resemble that of any other eve primula . In late spring , the foliation is crowned with 3 - inch - wide , glowing lemon yellow cup , which stay on to appear throughout summer and into pin . This Texas indigen is tough enough to care extreme temperatures and is exceptionally drouth tolerant due to its long taproot . Try ‘ play ’ massed at the front of the borderline or as an edging .

Jimmy Turneris elderly music director of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum in Dallas , Texas .

Photos : good manners of Jimmy Turner ; Michelle Gervais ; courtesy of McMahan ’s Nursery ; good manners of Terra Nova Nurseries , Inc. ; good manners of Red Butte Garden

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Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Mountain West

Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Northwest

Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Midwest

Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Northeast

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