Low-Maintenance Deer-Resistant Ground Covers for Slopes in Partial Shade

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

Moses in the Basket

Forget-Me-Not

Coral Honeysuckle

Creeping Phlox

On a bank the rain runs off before it soaks in, which is what takes the bare patches with it. 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 earn their place on the flowers. Plant a bank from the top down and water through the first season until the roots knit.

plants: 33
hardiness zones: 3 to 11

These plants still put on a display, which is the part people expect to lose. There are plants flowering in spring and summer, and the last of them hold when most of the border has gone over. Most of the colour is white and purple.

spring: 20
summer: 17

Winter-Flowered Jasmine

Carpet Box

Carpet Daisy

Blue Leadwort

Ground covers and perennials do most of the work here, and the range leaves room for almost endless combinations in a border. Banks and borders are the commonest uses.

ground covers: 33
banks: 33
borders: 29