Is Barrenwort deer resistant?
Epimedium sp.
Plant typeGroundcoverHardinessZones 4–8, genus rangeLightFull shade to part shade
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
About Barrenwort
Wiry stems and leathery leaves deer ignore, and one of the very few things that will actually thrive in dry shade under established trees.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Barrenwort
Other groundcovers with the same deer rating.
- Allegheny SpurgePachysandra procumbensZones 5–9Rarely damaged
- BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursiZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bishop's WeedAegopodium podagrariaZones 3–10Rarely damaged
- BugleweedAjuga reptansZones 3–10Rarely damaged
- Lily of the ValleyConvallaria majalisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- PachysandraPachysandra terminalisZones 4–9Rarely damaged
Where Barrenwort grows
Hardy across most of these 50 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Colorado
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizona
- New Mexico
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Browse from here
Every list Barrenwort belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Barrenwort
- Is Barrenwort deer resistant?
- Barrenwort (Epimedium sp.) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Barrenwort grow in?
- Barrenwort is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Barrenwort grow in shade?
- Yes. Barrenwort tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.