The Best Drought Tolerant & Deer Resistant Plants for Landscaping
It’s no secret that landscaping and Texas Summers don’t exactly get along. With the high heat and dry weather, our plants take a toll. The deer also get more desperate for food and venture into yards for snacking. This can be especially frustrating if your trying to sell your home and need your landscaping to be on point. Battle the deer and the heat by using drought tolerant and deer resistant plants to keep that curb appeal.
Perennials & Annuals
Lantana
Lantana thrives in places with full sun and lots of warmth. These colorful flowers need little moisture and are perfect if you are trying to attract butterflies and hummingbirds! Lantana is also great for ground cover!
Blackfoot Daisy
Blackfoot Daisies can survive in full sun or partial shade with little water. Since these flowers love soil that drains well, they are perfect for rock gardens, mulch and edges.
Damianita
Damianita is a vibrant yellow, flowering plant that tolerates, full sun, extreme heat and poor soil. Perfect for South Texas, right?! If you have a spot with full sun and well draining soil, this plant is perfect.
Zinnia
Zinnia’s have big, beautiful blooms and are easy and fast to grow. They love full sun, dry weather and come in a variety of different colors.
Dusty Miller
Dusty Miller is known for its popular silver-gray color and makes a great addition to any garden. The leaves have a fuzzy, felt-like texture making it unappealing to deer.
Shrubs and Bushes
Rosemary
Rosemary grows best in full sun and can commonly reach 3-5 feet in height. These drought-tolerant plants don’t need much water and are susceptible to root rot if watered too much, making them perfect for south Texas summers. Rosemary also is a natural mosquito repellent!
Oleander
Oleander is a large and fast-growing shrub. They are very heat and drought tolerant and love full sun. They produce beautiful flowers during the summer. Oleander can reach 8-15 feet tall, so make sure you give these guys plenty of space. Be mindful that this beauty is poisonous use caution if you have small children or pets.
Mexican Feather Grass
Mexican Feather Grass is popular for landscaping due to it’s delicate, thread-like leaves that billow gracefully in the wind. With well draining soil and lots of sunlight, these plants can grow up to 3 feet tall and 3 feet wide.
Texas Mountain Laurel
The Texas Mountain Laurel is a desert native plant, thriving in warm, sunny, arid environments. Slow growing, it will eventually reach 15-20 ft tall and it’s fragrant, purple flowers bloom in the spring. Once established, the Texas Mountain Laurel becomes very drought tolerant.
Boxwood
Boxwoods come in numerous shapes and sizes and prune extremely well making them perfect for hedges, topiaries, and borders. They have been a longtime staple for deer resistant landscaping and gardening.
Vines & Ground Cover
Purple Heart
The Purple Heart, also known as the Wandering Jew, has beautiful purple stems and leaves. It does well in both shade and sun with little to moderate water and is ideal for ground cover, containers and hanging baskets.
Queen’s Wreath
The Queen’s Wreath, or Coral Vine is a fast growing vine that produces beautiful, pink flowers from July all the way until the first freeze. It need’s frequent watering to get established. Once established, though, it becomes drought tolerant.
Lamb’s Ear
This plant has soft, fuzzy leaves, hence the name. Lamb’s ear can be a vigorous grower and does best in dry conditions and poor soil. It cannot tolerate standing water, however. Plant in part or full sun. Lamb’s Ear will also produce purple, white, red or pink blooms.
The Best Drought Tolerant & Deer Resistant Plants for Landscaping
