Creating a garden with a spinal column of coloured , interesting foliageensures interest even when nothing is in bloom or if questioning cervid adjudicate to taste - test the flower bud . variegate thetextureand height of plants also disguises any indiscriminate munching that would be very obvious in a monoculture . This garden expose those precept while also utilize a selection ofdeer - repellent plantsto keep the infinite wait good twelvemonth - round despite plague pressure . Here are some of the key plants that bind this design together .
1. Wine & Roses®weigela
Name : Weigelaflorida‘Alexandra ’
Zones:4–8
Size:4 to 5 foot tall and wide

condition : Full sun to partial shade ; well - drained stain
aboriginal mountain range : Korea , Japan , northerly China
This shrub is double-dyed for the back of the border , offering height , screening , colorful foliage , vibrant flowers , and authentic cervid resistivity .

To learn more about Wine & Roses ® weigela , and discover more cervid - immune plants to interchange usual deer favorites , check out32 plant for Sun and Shade That the Deer Wo n’t Devour
2. Lady’s mantle
Name : Alchemillamollis
Zones:3–8
Size:1 to 1½ feet grandiloquent and 1½ to 2 feet wide

Conditions : Partial tad ; moist , well - drained grease
Native range of a function : Eastern Europe
Lady ’s Mickey Mantle has seduced many a gardener with its froth of diminutive yellowish green bloom and softly pleated leaves . It ’s a mythic addition to the cut - flower garden as well as ornamental border . This perennial is not for the faint of centre , however , as it self - seeds with abandon and may demand regular thinning out .

3. ‘Palace Purple’ heuchera
Name : Heuchera‘Palace Purple ’
Zones:4–9
Size:1 to 2 foundation tall and wide

aboriginal range of mountains : Hybrid
It ’s not the previous or greatest , but this heuchera may well be the toughest of them all . ‘ Palace Purple ’ has large , shiny , bronze - regal leaves and marvellous creamy - white-hot flower scapes . Although rabbits and deer often favour heuchera , this selection will excite them less than most .
4. ‘Caesar’s Brother’ Siberian iris
Name : Iris sibirica‘Caesar ’s Brother ’
Size:3 to 3½ feet grandiloquent and 1½ to 2 feet broad
Conditions : Full sun to partial nuance ; moist soil

Native range : Northeastern Europe , central Asia
The strap - like foliage of ‘ Caesar ’s Brother ’ Siberian iris provide worthful texture , while the classic blue flowers flower well in both full sun and fond shade . Unlike bearded iris , Siberian iris prefers wet - retentive grunge and even tolerates pie-eyed condition .
5. Giant allium
Name : Alliumgiganteum
Zones:5–8
Size:3 to 5 pes grandiloquent and 1½ to 2 feet wide

Photo: Karen Chapman
Conditions : Full Lord’s Day to fond shade ; medium to dry , well - drained soil
Native range : primal and southwesterly Asia
Rising to 5 feet improbable with ball-shaped blooms the size of softballs , this ornamental onion plant make a statement in former summer . Because of their stature the prow may need staking , so planting them in an area with aegis from strong twist is counsel .
6. ‘Victoria’ weigela
Name : Weigela‘Victoria ’
Size:4 to 6 foot tall and across-the-board
‘ Victoria ’ is a compendious variety show of weigela that sport dour leaf and hot - pinkish tubular efflorescence hummingbirds delight . Like all weigelas , it conform to a variety of grunge types and thrive in full sunlight .

7. ‘Husker Red’ penstemon
Name : Penstemondigitalis‘Husker Red ’
Size:2 to 3 feet grandiloquent and 1 to 2 feet wide
condition : Full sunlight ; medium to wry , well - drained soil
Native range : Eastern North America
Even without flowers , this penstemon would be suitable of inclusion in the garden for its drought tolerance , cervid resistance , and richly colourize leaves . Yet the tall spires of snowy , tubelike flowers that blossom in spring are a bonus appreciated by hummingbirds and bees .
8. Bearded iris
Name : Iriscv .
Zones:3–9
Size:2 to 4 feet magniloquent and 2 feet wide
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Conditions : Full sun ; well - drained grease
aboriginal range : Central and southerly Europe
Thriving in full sun , bearded iris offer sheer leafage that contrast with the oval-shaped leaf manakin of many shrubs and perennials . The prime come in a wide array of colors , including multihued one . The jaundiced bloom in this planting add a stunning pop of color . Plant the rootstock with the “ knuckle duster ” viewing ; plant too late can cause decompose and reduce flower yield .
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Karen Chapman is a landscape painting intriguer in Duvall , Washington , and the writer ofDeer - immune innovation : Fence - Free Gardens That Thrive Despite the Deer .
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