Is Dame's Rocket deer resistant?
Hesperis matronalis
Plant typePerennialHardinessZones 3–8LightPart shadeMature height12–36 inBloomSpring
MaintenanceHigh, wants regular attention
About Dame's Rocket
Scented in the evening and easy from seed, but it self-sows hard and is invasive across much of North America. Check your state before planting.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Average garden soil
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- High
Similar to Dame's Rocket
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- Anise HyssopAgastache sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Basket of GoldAurinia saxatilisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bearded IrisIris germanicaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Where Dame's Rocket 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
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Every list Dame's Rocket belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Dame's Rocket
- Is Dame's Rocket deer resistant?
- Dame's Rocket (Hesperis matronalis) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Dame's Rocket grow in?
- Dame's Rocket is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Dame's Rocket grow in shade?
- Yes. Dame's Rocket tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Dame's Rocket get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–36 in. Growth rate is fast.