Is Goat's Beard deer resistant?
Aruncus sp.
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Goat's Beard
Looks like a giant astilbe and reaches six feet in moist shade, which makes it one of the best large perennials for a woodland edge. Male plants have showier plumes than female ones. It resents dry soil and full sun in hot regions.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 35 to 47 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Deer-resistant alternatives to Goat's Beard
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Goat's Beard keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- ButtercupRanunculus sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Dame's RocketHesperis matronalisZones 3–8Rarely damaged
- Forget-Me-NotMyosotis sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Fringed Bleeding HeartDicentra eximiaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Lemon BalmMelissa officinalisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
Similar to Goat's Beard
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 Goat's Beard
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 Goat's Beard grows
Hardy across most of these 48 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
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- 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 Goat's Beard belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Goat's Beard
- Is Goat's Beard deer resistant?
- Goat's Beard (Aruncus sp.) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Goat's Beard grow in?
- Goat's Beard is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. 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 Goat's Beard grow in shade?
- Yes. Goat's Beard tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.