Creating a Cottage Garden with Deer Resistant Plants
My 5 favorite cottage garden perennials
My first true love in the horticulture world was working with perennials. I wanted one of everything when I worked in the garden center as a teenager. I loved learning when they bloomed, how to care for them, and discovering ways to create continual color in the landscape by planting different types of perennials. I like to think of trees and shrubs as the workhorses of the garden, creating structure and the perennials as the stars.
When I started the farm, I planted predominately annuals since most of the cut flower varieties (zinnias, dahlias, and cosmos, for instance) are traditionally annuals. Over the years, I have gotten back to my horticultural roots and I have begun to incorporate more perennials on the farm.
The top two questions I was asked about perennials when working in the garden center were, ‘Which perennials bloom all summer?” and, “Which perennials are deer resistant?” At 16 years old, I didn’t have all the answers, but my curiosity sparked a fire on my horticultural journey that still burns today. I wanted to soak up all the information I could and pass it along to help guide people in their buying decisions.
Over the years, I have accumulated a list of annuals, perennials, trees, and shrubs that are low maintenance, high impact, and not on the deer lunch menu.
The first thing to consider when looking to add in plants is what is the sun exposure? You can find an explanation for sun requirements in our blog post on Confidence Building Flowers You Can Grow at Home. Once you have established how much sun is required, you can start shopping for plants.
To make my low-maintenance plant list, perennials must pass a pretty extensive list of requirements. Finding a plant that holds up to the following list is one I consider a keeper.
Cold hardy
Deer resistant
Tolerates heat & humidity
Long-lived
High tolerance for insects & disease
Minimal deadheading required
Does not require staking
Drought tolerant
Non-invasive
Does not require frequent division
Soloman’s Seal
Shade gardening can be a challenge, especially to find unique plants other than Azaleas or Hosta to add texture and interest. Often shady locations are dry, as well, making it more challenging to find plants that tolerate low light and dry soil. Let me introduce you to my friend Polygonatum odoratum ‘Variegatum.’ This tough little plant is such a delight for any shady location. Soloman’s seal is extremely versatile growing in dry or moist conditions. It has an arching habit that hides cute bell-shaped flowers underneath its leaves. You’ll spot this foliage in our bouquets as it is one of our favorites.
Yarrow
Achillea millefolium ‘Summer Berries’ is one of my new favorite varieties. I am so impressed by its ability to tolerate full sun and dry soil. It has colorful flowers that float above the soft fern-like foliage. We use lots of Achillea in our mixed bouquets as well as our dried products. Not only is it a friend of butterflies, bees, and birds, but the deer and rabbits don’t bother it either. We had blooms on the farm this year as early as the second week of June and we expect to have them through August. This particular variety grows around 30” tall.
Catmint
Nepeta ‘Walker’s Low’ has been another full-sun favorite of mine for many years. If a plant is added to my landscape it better be tough, and this plant is at the top of my list. I used to joke that you could dig up catmint, set it on the sidewalk for a week without water, and replant it and it would thrive. That might be a stretch but I think it would stand the test. Most people hear mint and immediately think it is invasive but this mint is a clump-forming perennial that won’t take over your garden. Greenish gray foliage with purple flowers growing 3’x3’. Nepeta blooms in late spring, showing color through early summer. To keep the plant looking tidy and to encourage it to re-bloom I cut it back by two-thirds around the end of June. The entire plant will rejuvenate and re-bloom in early August through frost.
Lady’s Mantle
One of my favorite morning activities is to walk around my garden with a cup of coffee and admire the plants. Alchemilla mollis, also known as Lady’s Mantle, is a dainty plant with chartreuse flowers and fuzzy leaves that catch the morning dew. It’s a great border plant to edge a walkway or a nice substitute for Coral Bells. We enjoy using the flowers in floral arrangements or in our dried pieces as well. Once the flowers are done blooming, I like to trim them off to create a more tidy look.
Giant Coneflower
After I stumbled upon Giant Coneflower, Rudbeckia maxima, in a botanical garden in Philadelphia, I was on a mission to find one to plant back home. This giant perennial is a great architectural piece in the landscape. My favorite part is it might grow 6-7’ tall but the base of the plant is only about 24” making it extremely versatile. You can use it as a statement piece or in the back of the garden so the Rudbeckia flowers peek out above other plants. The finches love the seed heads as much as I enjoy watching them. This plant is pretty easy to get along with (short of long walks on the beach!). It likes light shade, heat, some drought, a wide range of soils, and hardly ever asks to be divided.
Here are a few more of our favorites we wanted to share.
Salvia ‘May Night’ (full-sun)
Ostrich fern (shade)
Russian Sage
Hardy Geranium (part to full-sun)
Helleborus (shade)
Astilbe (shade to part-sun)
Siberian Iris (part-sun to full-sun)
Anemone (part-sun to full-sun)
Coral Bells (shade to part-sun)
Brunnera (shade to part-sun)
Dwarf Joe Pye Weed (part-sun to full-sun)
Bee Balm (full-sun)
Hardy Hibiscus (full-sun)
Amsonia
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Be well,
Lyndsay
