The Purple Perennial To Grow To Keep Deer And Rabbits Out Of Your Garden

It's discouraging to add beautiful flowering plants to your landscape, only to see them devoured by deer, rabbits, or both. Next time you need to replace a deer- or rabbit-ravaged plant, consider one that not only resists both animals, but has several other advantages as well. How about a gorgeous, perennial, purple-flowering plant that is also drought tolerant, low-maintenance, and has minimal disease and pest issues? As a bonus, pollinators love this plant, too. 

Such a plant is the hardy geranium (Geranium spp.), also known as cranesbill. This is not to be confused with the annual geranium (Pelargonium). While their spicy scent is usually pleasant to humans, both the smell and leathery or hairy foliage texture of hardy geraniums make them unappealing to deer and rabbits. In addition, rabbits dislike the taste. 

You'll have 300 species and many cultivars to choose from with these beauties. Hardy geranium color choices include purple, pink, magenta, violet, blue, or even white. A species considered to be especially deer resistant is Geranium macrorrhizum, also known as bigroot cranesbill, while particularly deer- and rabbit-resistant cultivars include Geranium 'Ann Folkard' and Geranium 'Patricia'. 

If you're sold on hardy geraniums to keep the deer and rabbits at bay, you can plant them in fertile, moist, and well-drained soil. Place them in light conditions ranging from full sun to partial shade as they are hardy in USDA zones 5 through 8. An effective use of hardy geraniums would be as a ground cover to plant with flower bulbs in the fall while you wait for spring blooms. And there's a good chance your hardy geraniums will live a long time in your yard, where they can serve as ground cover perfect for covering exposed tree roots.

Expect two to four weeks of bloom time in the last spring. You can make your hardy geraniums bloom again with one quick and easy gardening tip – cutting them all the way back to basal foliage after blooming. Deadheading is another option if you're not quite brave enough to cut back that far. With varying bloom times of the different varieties, you could choose several cultivars, so you have hardy geraniums in bloom throughout the growing season. Even when not blooming, these perennials offer stunning foliage that, in some species, changes color in the fall. Propagate these plants by dividing or with root or stem cuttings. Since leaf texture and the compounds that make hardy geraniums smell and taste unpleasant are limited to foliage, these plants are just as resistant to deer and rabbits when they're not blooming as when they are.