Deer Resistant Plants

The stiff ferny fronds are adorned with numerous thick leathery medium to deep green leaflets often with a bronze tinge and emerge from what becomes an underground trunk. The Coontie, Zamia integrifolia (a.k.a Z. pumila), is a small tough southeastern native Cycad that eventually develops an underground trunk that will branch with age creating a dense 24-36" high cover of the soft to medium textured fronds. It is resistant to drought, tolerates high heat and humidity, sun or shade, and is a very low maintainence addition to the landscape. In areas that experience hard freezes, like zone 8, the foliage may freeze back but a new flush readily returns in spring. Makes an easy bonsai and a low maintenance container plant. Item# 12729

Huge 18-24" long spikes of deep coral-red to red-orange, 2" long pea-like flowers are produced in cycles throughout the warmer months of the year on new growth. The specialized flowers are designed for hummingbird pollination but may also be visited by larger bees and occasional butterflies. The Crybaby or Cockspur Coral Tree, Erythrina crista-galli, is considered to be one of the most cold hardy and free flowering of the Coral Trees. This is a rarely available and highly desirable fast-growing, heat and sunloving, deciduous tropical tropical tree to large shrub growing to about 15-20' high in zones 9B-10 but is typically closer to 10' high in zones 8B-9A. Once well-established, the plants are somewhat drought resistant and are slightly salt tolerant. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in an average moist to moist , fertile soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Protect young plants from harsh freezing temperatures until the trunk becomes woody and has grown to about 5-6" diameter if planting out in zone 8B-9A. Young plants can be overwintered indoors in a warm sunny window until they get to an appropriate size for planting out. The huge flower clusters are utilized as cutflowers in its native range and it is also the national tree of Argentina, the national flower of both Uruguay and Argentina, and is the city tree of Los Angeles as it makes a fantastic, low-maintenance street tree. A Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit Award winner for its reliablity and flower power. Item# 9137

The large billowy double pink flowers are randomly streaked and flecked with contrasting red and are centered by a boss of contrasting yellow stamens that are produced in mid to late season or January to April. Dad's Pink Camellia is a vigorous growing large evergreen shrub with a somewhat upright habit becoming rounded at maturity. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Item# 12997

The large to very large white semi-double flowers with ruffled petals that surround a boss of gold tipped stamens that shine against the backdrop of rich dark green foliage. Daijokhan Camellia flowers in midseason (Feb-Mar) and develops into a large evergreen shrub with a naturally upright to rounded habit. Image courtesy of Bobby Green and Green's Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 11824

Dallas Red Lantana has long been popular for its profusion of flowers that open a dark orange and fade to a brilliant red. This is certainly on of the best larger growing red flowered Lantana cultivars. An excellent choice for attracting butterflies and other pollinators to your garden. Item# 9946.

Dense whorls of nectar rich, purple to dark blue-purple, tubular flowers seemingly cover up the upper most portions of the plant for weeks beginning in mid to late summer and continuing into fall. Dark Knight Bluebeard, a.k.a. Black Knight, is a vigorous and easy sunloving free-flowering clump forming shrub-like perennial that quickly develops into a dense mound of fragrant and deer resistant gray-green foliage. In zones 5-6 it tends to act more like a clump forming die-back perennial and becomes more shrub-like where winters are milder although it benefits from hard late winter or early spring pruning since it flowers on new growth. Somewhat drought resistant once well-established and prefers a sunny site in a well-drained soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 12117

A profusion of golden orange-yellow dark eyed daisies are produced in mid to late summer and into fall atop tall sturdy stems and attract a myriad of smaller pollinators and garden beneficials. Deam's Black-Eyed Susan, Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii, is different from Goldstrum by having a clump forming habit, slightly larger flowers, and overall taller plants with better resistance to powdery mildew. Its reliability has garnered this US native perennial the coveted RHS Award of Garden Merit. Provide Deam's Black-Eyed Susan with a full to mostly sunny site in average to well-drained soils. Songbirds enjoy the ripe seed heads and it may reseed under good conditions on exposed soils making it a good addition to cottage gardens, meadows, prairies, and other naturalistic and informal settings. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, all rights reserved. Item# 12115

A Camellia Hall of Fame Award winner! One of the longest flowering Camellias in our garden beginning early in the season with flowers into late season. Debutante produces frilly double (peony form) medium pink 3-4" wide flowers showing few, if any, yellow anthers. This is an exceptionally vigorous Camellia and is considered by some to be one of the few large flowered Japonicas that can tolerate full sun. Item# 3153

"An unusually beautiful and unique flower color as well as densely branched foliage set this new variety apart. Deep maroon buds open to bicolor maroon and yellow flowers held on strong scapes above the blue-green foliage in late spring to early summer. Secondary branching on the flower stems makes this variety especially floriferous. As the flowers age, they turn gold." - Walter's Gardens, Inc. DECADENCE® Cherries Jubilee Baptisia, a hybrid cultivar of our native species (a.k.a. nativar), has a slightly more compact habit than the others in this series as well as foliage that lasts through summer. It was selected as one of the top ten in the 2012-15 Baptisia Trials at Mount Cuba Center and is reported to produce over 270 flowering stems on mature plants! These are easy and low-maintenance, deer resistant, long-lived, taprooted perennials that produce more and more flowering spikes with each passing year. Considered a must for the cutflower garden as the spikes have an excellent vase life. Provide Baptisias with a full to mostly sunny site in a soil with average or better drainage and moderate fertility. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 12665

The tall flower spikes are adorned with deep blue to blue-purple, pea-like flowers that are produced in summer and are held above the dense mounds of lush green foliage. The flowers attract a variety of bee species. DECADENCE® Periwinkle Popsicle Baptisia or False Indigo, a hybrid cultivar of our native species (a.k.a. nativar), has excellent vigor and a neat vase-shaped habit topping out at about 4 to 4-1/2 feet high and 3 to 3-1/2 feet wide. This large growing cultivar begins flowering after most cultivars have finished for the season. These are easy and low-maintenance, deer resistant, long-lived, taprooted perennials that produce more and more flowering spikes with each passing year with some plants producing over a 100 spikes on mature plants. Considered a must for the cutflower garden as the spikes have an excellent vase life. Provide Baptisias with a full to mostly sunny site in a soil with average or better drainage and moderate fertility. Images courtesy of Walter's Gardens, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13144

An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner! Medium-sized, creamy white to very pale pink, formal double, a.k.a. rose or perfect form, flowers are edged in sweetly contrasting deep pink and are produced over an extended period in mid and late season, January to April. Desire Camellia is a large flowered Japonica with a vigorous, densely branching, initially upright growth habit becoming rounded at maturity and developing into a large evergreen shrub to about 10-12'H x 6-8'W. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13215

Vivid red tubular flowers emerge from dark colored calyxes on lax spikes from late spring to fall on a compact plant with rich deep green foliage. The two creamy yellow anthers that emerge from the top of the red tubular flowers explain the cultivar name. Diablo Eyelash-Leaved Sage, often shortened to simply Diablo Salvia, makes a great addition to the hummingbird garden or its compact and full habit lends it to use in small to medium sized containers. This neat and free flowering perennial, slowly spreading Salvia hails from Mexico and was introduced by Yucca Do Nursery. Item# 11179

A Camellia Hall of Fame Award winner! The 3-4" wide, semi-double, rich pink flowers, often with a hint of purple, of Donation are born over an extended period in late winter and spring and show off a boss of yellow stamens. This is a large and vigorous, free flowering, upright growing Camellia hybrid with rich dark green, Sasanqua-like foliage. Item# 10632.

An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner! The medium to large, semi-double, red to rose red flowers are blotched and marbled with starkly contrasting white and are centered by a boss of contrasting gold tipped stamens atop white filaments. Flowering occurs in midseason, January to February, and the pollen laden flowers attract bees and other pollinators on warm winter days. Donckelarii Camellia is a prized heirloom, large flowered Japonica with a dense habit and somewhat slow rate of growth making this a good candidate for container culture or bonsai as well as a useful large evergreen specimen plant in the garden and landscape. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13216

Large to very large, deep red, billowy, semi-double flowers are centered by a large contrasting boss of gold tipped stamens and produced over an extended period from mid to late season, January to April. The pollen laden flowers attract bees and various other pollinators. Don-Mac Camellia is a large flowered Japonica type with a moderate rate of growth eventually maturing into a large rounded evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13217

The branching, spike-like flower clusters are adorned with purple to blue, 1" long, tubular, hooded flowers with a prominent bright white bee guide on the lower lip and are held atop sturdy 24-36" high stems. Flowering begins as early as late spring in warmer regions to midsummer in colder climates. The flowers attract mainly bees, flower flies, and smaller butterflies. Downy Skullcap, Scutellaria incana, is a rhizomatous, clump forming, native, herbaceous perennial found in open forests, forest margins, and along streams in the eastern US. In nature, it is typically found in partially shaded average moist to dryish soils but will happily accept rich, moist soils with good drainage and can tolerate *full sun in cooler summer climates. Use this tough and easy, deer and rabbit resistant perennial in naturalistic settings like roadside plantings, meadows, and prairies or add it to the cottage garden for weeks of color in summer. This species was selected as the 2014 North Carolina Wildflower of the Year. Item# 13401

Very large, bright red to orange-red, loose anemone form flowers typically showing at least some contrasting yellow stamens are produced in midseason, January to February. Named for the esteemed director of what is now the JC Raulston Arboretum, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Dr. JC Raulston Camellia is a large flowered Japonica with a vigorous, densely branching, upright to rounded growth habit and is cloaked in glossy, deep green foliage. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13251

This is a large to very large purple fig with good flavor. An heirloom fig that was brought to the US from Italy via Dr. Sam Monticello's grandmother. The soon to be Mrs. Decarlo was a 16 years old bride and on her way to meet her new husband. She wrapped the cuttings in newspaper to get them here as she traveled to the new world aboard ship. Dr. Monticello, a Lake Charles Master Gardener and retired physician, says that they have been grown in this area from the time his grandmother arrived here as well as in Kansas where part of their family migrated to. Caterpillar host: Ruddy Daggerwing.

An RHS Award of Garden Merit winner! The elegant formal-looking, medium-sized, semi-double, white to very pale pink flowers deepen to pink at their out edges and are centered by a boss of gold tipped stamens on white filaments. Flowering occurs in mid to late season, January to April, and the pollen laden flowers are sure to attract bees and other pollinators. Dr. Tinsley Camellia is a large flowered Japonica type with a moderate rate of growth and a densley branching habit and develops into a large evergreen shrub. Provide Camellias with a fertile soil rich in organic matter, with average moisture, and an organic mulch. Images courtesy of Cam Too Camellia Nursery, all rights reserved. Item# 13218

Masses of deep brick red trumpet shaped flowers nearly cover up this vine in spring or early summer just in time for arriving hummingbirds. It's almost like the two coordinate it or something! The red Dragon Lady Crossvine is a vigorous evergreen to semi-evergreen clinging vine(it does so via pads on the end of its tendrils and so is not destructive to brickwork and masonry) that can easily clamber up or along masonry, tree bark, fences, or other structural supports on its own. Crossvines are a low maintenance choice for fences, posts, arbors, and larger trellises. The deep red trumpet shaped flowers attract hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. The foliage takes on purple and burgundy coloration throughout the cooler months when grown in full to mostly sunny conditions. Dragon Lady Crossvine is reported to be a slightly more cold hardy selection and was chosen as the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society's Gold Medal Award winner in 2003. Item# 391