Low-Maintenance Deer-Resistant Ground Covers

Ground covers that need little care and mostly escape deer browsing. Compare spread, height, and hardiness zone. Split into narrower lists below.

More specific collections

The front of a border and the top of a bank are both ground cover work, and both are where deer step. These ground covers are also the low-upkeep ones. There are flowering plants here, and most carry the colour through the season. Most keep their leaves through winter, which holds the shape of the planting.

ground covers: 188
hardiness zones: 3 to 12

Annual Vinca

Nasturtium

Sweet Scented Bed Straw

Grape Hyacinth

These ground covers still put on a display, which is the part people expect to lose. You can find ground covers here that flower in spring, summer and late autumn, and the final flowers carry the garden into the cold. Most of the colour is purple and white.

spring: 110
summer: 108
late autumn: 29

A single group, but not a single look: the planting can be put together in almost endless ways. Carex, Thymus and Viola have the most entries, and borders and mass planting are the commonest uses.

borders: 135
mass planting: 121