Native Plants
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Saturday - June 09, 2012
From: Oxford, MI
Region: Southeast
Topic: Deer Resistant, Groundcovers
Title: Deer proof ground cover for sunny area in Mississippi
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
I am looking for a low ground cover that will thrive in a sunny location and is deer proofANSWER:
In the first place, there are no "deer proof" plants. There are plants that are deer resistant—usually. However, when times get tough for deer, they will sometimes eat those plants that they formerly avoided. In general, aromatic plants like those in the Family Lamiaceae (Mint Family) are avoided by deer, but there are others. Here are a few that are native to Mississippi, evergreen or semi-evergreen, love the sun and are low ground covers that deer avoid:
Phlox subulata (Moss phlox), according to Harding's Gardens (Ithaca, NY) and Missouri Botanical Gardens, it is deer resistant.
Carex texensis (Texas sedge) does well in sun and part shade.
Phyla nodiflora (Texas frogfruit) is semi-evergreen, but grows in sun and part shade.
Salvia lyrata (Lyreleaf sage) is evergreen with blue flowers.
You can see more deer resistant plants in our list Deer Resistant Species list. You can use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option to select "Mississippi" from Select State or Province to see those plants on the list that are native to Mississippi.
From the Image Gallery
More Deer Resistant Questions
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Use of Gaura by deer as a food source
March 05, 2006 - I live in North Central Texas and am considering planting some Gaura plants in my backyard. However, we have a large deer population in the area. Are deer generally drawn to Gaura as a food source?
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Is Smooth Sumac deer resistant
September 01, 2008 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I noticed there was no deer resistant rating for smooth sumac in your plant data base. Aromatic sumac is rated as 'high'.
Do you have an opinion on deer resistance for smo...
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Flowering Deer Resistant Ground Cover for Dry Rocky Soil: Alabama
March 26, 2012 - My question has been partially answered in the FAQ but I live in Birmingham where the soil is clay and rocky so it's a little different. I want to plant on a rocky slope (small rocks like the size of...
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Non-native mimosa as deer food in Colerain, NC
June 20, 2009 - I was wondering if deer eat any part of the mimosa tree? I have three good sized trees in my yard with seedlings popping up everywhere. Would it be profitable to transplant for deer habitat?
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