Low-Maintenance Deer-Resistant Ground Covers for Slopes in Full Sun

Ground covers picked to hold soil on sunny banks, with deer damage rated for each one. Compare spread, water needs, and hardiness zone.

Moses in the Basket

Moss Rose

Breckland Thyme

Devil's Tongue

A slope loses soil faster than flat ground, so the roots matter as much as the top growth. The plants below are hand picked rather than filtered, and all of them are rarely damaged. There are low-upkeep options here, and most need little once they are in the ground. Most are grown for their flowers. Plant a bank from the top down and water through the first season until the roots knit.

plants: 42
hardiness zones: 3 to 11

Creeping Phlox

Lodden Lily

Scotch Heather

Deer leave these plants alone, and they still flower. There are plants flowering in spring through to late autumn, and the final flowers carry the garden into the cold. Most of the colour is purple and pink.

spring: 25
summer: 26
late autumn: 9

Biting Stonecrop

Forget-Me-Not

Coral Honeysuckle

Winter-Flowered Jasmine

Ground covers and perennials do most of the work here, and there is enough variety to mix and match without repeating yourself. Sedum has the most entries, and banks and borders are the commonest uses.

ground covers: 42
banks: 42
borders: 36