Native Plants

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Saturday - June 06, 2009

From: Tampa, FL
Region: Southeast
Topic: Deer Resistant
Title: Deer resistant groundcover for Tampa, Florida
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I live in Tampa, FL and have a deer problem. I was wondering if you would give me some suggestions for deer resistant ground covers that are hearty and flower but most of all "DEER RESISTANT"!!! Thanks

ANSWER:

Below are plants native to Hillsborough County, Florida that have been designated "deer resistant". You should realize, however, that if environmental conditions (such as drought) ilimit the availability of the preferred foods of the deer, then they will eat plants that normally they would avoid. All of these plants are low-growing and some have colorful flowers. Others have more subtle flowers but interesting foliage. Ferns, of course, have no flowers at all, but deer avoid eating them and they make good groundcovers in moist shade.

Bacopa monnieri (herb of grace)

Callirhoe involucrata (purple poppymallow)

Coreopsis tinctoria (golden tickseed)

Gaillardia pulchella (firewheel)

Hydrocotyle umbellata (manyflower marshpennywort)

Oenothera speciosa (pinkladies)

Phyla nodiflora (turkey tangle fogfruit)

Viola sororia (common blue violet)

Rivina humilis (rougeplant)

Salvia lyrata (lyreleaf sage)

Dryopteris ludoviciana (southern woodfern)

Thelypteris kunthii (Kunth's maiden fern)