Is Clarke Geranium deer resistant?
Geranium clarkei
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Clarke Geranium
Finely cut leaves and white or violet flowers veined in darker lines, spreading by underground runners into a loose mat. It can travel further than expected in light soil. Cut it back after flowering for fresh foliage.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Low
Deer-resistant alternatives to Clarke Geranium
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Clarke Geranium keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- ButtercupRanunculus sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Dame's RocketHesperis matronalisZones 3–8Rarely damaged
- European GingerAsarum europaeumZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Forget-Me-NotMyosotis sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
Similar to Clarke Geranium
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- AvensGeum sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Balloon FlowerPlatycodon grandiflorusZones 3–8Occasionally damaged
- BellflowerCampanula glomerataZones 3–8Occasionally damaged
- Blanket FlowerGaillardia sp.Zones 3–10, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Bloody CranesbillGeranium sanguineumZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Cambridge GeraniumGeranium x cantabrigienseZones 4–8Occasionally damaged
Protecting Clarke Geranium
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where Clarke Geranium 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 Clarke Geranium belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Clarke Geranium
- Is Clarke Geranium deer resistant?
- Clarke Geranium (Geranium clarkei) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Clarke Geranium grow in?
- Clarke Geranium is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Clarke Geranium grow in shade?
- Yes. Clarke Geranium tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.