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- Brighten the landscape with deer-resistant periwinkle flowers.Periwinkle image by Jeffrey Banke from Fotolia.com
Growing certain plants can attract wildlife to your garden, but in central Texas, wildlife in the form of deer have become a problem in populated areas. Deer eat a little bit from many plants as they browse their way through your garden. New, tender plant growth is their favorite food. To prevent deer from using your garden as a grocery store, grow plants with strong aromas, foliage that's rough or prickly, bad tasting or that oozes sap. - The hot, humid summer days in central Texas can sap your energy, but the common zinnia, known as Zinnia elegans, thrives in temperatures that can make other plants wilt. It's a bushy, upright annual with small, coarse leaves that feel like sandpaper. The rough foliage deters deer who are looking for a tasty snack. Common zinnia reaches a height of about 18 inches feet when grown in the sun in loamy, well-drained soil that's rich in organic matter. The purple flower petals surrounding a yellow and black center bloom on the end of long stems all summer, attracting birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.
- The fragrance of sage fills the air when you use mealy blue sage as an annual bedding plant. You may enjoy the pleasant aroma of sage, but deer find it unpleasant and steer clear of these plants. Wildlife you'll enjoy visiting mealy sage include hummingbirds and butterflies. It typically reaches a height of three to four feet in central Texas. The light-green to gray-green foliage grows in clusters with smooth or rough edges. White to dark-blue flowers grow in dense clusters on three to nine-inch flower spikes from April to September, blooming continuously through the hottest Texas weather. Soil doesn't need to be fertile, it prefers an average soil, as long as it's well-drained. Give it morning sun and afternoon shade, along with supplemental watering during extended dry spells.
- Heliotrope is doubly deer resistant with small, hairy, wrinkled leaves and strong fragrance. The flower clusters of this 12- to 18-inch-tall bushy annual are white or purple to violet-purple. The white variety of flowers have been described as smelling like baby powder or a combination of almond and vanilla. The purple flowers may smell like cherries, vanilla or a mix of cinnamon and vanilla. Heliotrope needs full sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon in central Texas and an abundance of water during dry periods. Supervise children and pets around this sweet smelling plant, because all parts of the plant are poisonous if eaten. Anyone with sensitivities may find that heliotrope irritates the skin and eyes.
- Poor soil and high summer temperatures can cause some plants to wilt or die, but Madagascar periwinkle thrives in these adverse conditions. They need well-drained soil located in full sun to partial shade and can resist drought conditions once established in the flower bed. Under these conditions, evergreen perennial periwinkles brighten the landscape with non-stop flowering in a rainbow of colors, such as purple, pink, white, red and rose-pink. They typically reach a height of two to three feet. On dry, hot days the glossy, green leaves may curl up slightly, but unfurl when the sun goes down in the late afternoon. Deer avoid this colorful bedding plant due to the white, milky sap that oozes from the stems when they're broken.
Common Zinnia
Mealy Blue Sage
Heliotrope
Madagascar Periwinkle
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