Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials – Midwest

Hoary skullcap

Name:Scutellaria incana

usda hardiness zones:5 to 8

size:2 to 3 feet tall and 18 to 24 inches wide of the mark

conditions : Full sun to partial shade ; well - debilitate filth

imagine shade , electric blue , and July and you ’ve got gray-headed skullcap . This aboriginal plant will add zing to your shade garden without bring to the deer buffet . Lax , loose - spreading stems grow to 3 foot improbable in rich soils and summercater oculus - cool profane flowers in the eminent calendar month of summertime . But do n’t opine this helmetflower needs robust soil to do well . It thrives mirthfully in dry , rocky soils , toughing it out along the woods ’ bound .

Bluebill clematis

Name:Clematis pitcheri

Zones:5 to 9

sizing : Rambling staunch to 6 feet long

Conditions : Partial to mottled shade ; well - drained soil

This native , spectre - tolerant clematis blooms from former spring through summer and periodically into fall , unify perfectly amid pink wine and shrub as it twine its mode upward . The efflorescence and foliage do n’t rank high with deer or other browsing wildlife because of their thick , leathery texture — the source of its other uncouth name : leather efflorescence . flossy whorls of downy , flattened semen add interest through the first snow until they blow away in the steer . If you need perky , precious , and vining under the mottled shadiness of redbuds and dogwoods , look no further .

Zigzag goldenrod

Name:Solidago flexicaulis

Zones:3 to 9

Size:1 to 3 foot marvelous and wide

weather condition : Partial to full shade ; well - drain soil

A goldenrod for juiceless shadiness ? Yes , you read that aright . This funky , fall - ending goldenrod pops into bloom in September with shining wand of flowers put up between the thickening along zigzag stems . Unlike its rearing cousins , zigzag goldenrod spreads slow by small rootstalk and organize an refined glob within a few seasons .

Eastern bee balm

Name:Monarda bradburiana

Zones:5 to 8

Size:16 to 18 in tall and 18 to 20 inches wide

Conditions : Full sun ; well - drained soil

gardener be intimate bee balm . But despite their popularity , bee balms often suffer under the stress of powdery mildew at the stature of humid summers . If you ’re looking for a disease- and deer - resistant and altogether gorgeous perennial , try Eastern bee balm . Showy band of Battle of Magenta - dotted pinkish flower dazzle the garden in other summertime , well before any of its cousins . It also has some of the showiest foliage of the genus , furbish in Bourgogne - bronze tones throughout efflorescence and intensifying with coolheaded fall nights .

Kelly D. Norrisis the farm manager at Rainbow Iris Farm in Bedford , Iowa .

Photos : Kelly D. Norris

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Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Mountain West

Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Northwest

Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - California

Regional Picks: Deerproof Perennials - Northeast

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