Is Annual Geranium deer resistant?
Pelargonium x hortorum
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Annual Geranium
Sometimes browsed, which surprises people who bought it as deer-resistant bedding. The scented-leaf zonal pelargonium is aromatic enough to put most deer off, but under pressure it gets eaten. The confusion is in the name. What everyone calls a geranium is Pelargonium, a tender South African plant grown as summer bedding. True hardy Geranium, the cranesbills, is a different genus entirely, perennial to zone 3 or 4, and considerably more deer-resistant. If you want the reliable version, ask for cranesbill or hardy geranium by name. Bloody cranesbill and the Rozanne types are ignored almost completely and come back every year. Pelargoniums overwinter indoors easily if you cut them back hard and keep them nearly dry.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 12 to 18 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Moderate
- Salt
- Moderate
- Pollinators
- Low
- Containers
Deer-resistant alternatives to Annual Geranium
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Annual Geranium keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Annual Geranium
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- ColeusColeus sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- CosmosCosmos sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- DahliaDahlia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Garden BalsamImpatiens balsaminaGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Garden PetuniaPetunia sp.Grown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- Gerbera DaisyGerbera jamesoniiGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
Protecting Annual 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.
- Fencing a raised bedA deer jumps from ground level, so measure the barrier from the ground and not from the top of the bed.
- 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 Annual Geranium grows
Hardy across most of these 51 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
- Hawaii
Browse from here
Every list Annual Geranium belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Annual Geranium
- Is Annual Geranium deer resistant?
- Annual Geranium (Pelargonium x hortorum) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Annual Geranium grow in?
- Annual Geranium is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Annual Geranium grow in shade?
- Yes. Annual Geranium tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Annual Geranium get?
- Mature height is roughly 12–24 in. Growth rate is fast.
- When does Annual Geranium bloom?
- Annual Geranium flowers from May–October.
- Is Annual Geranium toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Annual Geranium as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.