Is Hard Rush deer resistant?
Juncus effusus
Plant typeOrnamental grassHardinessZones 4–9LightPart shadeBloomSummer
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
Native range47 US states
About Hard Rush
Stiff vertical stems for pond margins and boggy ground where most of this list would drown. Tolerates standing water indefinitely.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 7
- Drainage
- Tolerates wet feet
- Water
- High
- Spacing
- 18 to 24 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Hard Rush
Other ornamental grasss with the same deer rating.
- Big BluestemAndropogon sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Blue FescueFestuca glaucaZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Blue Oat GrassHelictotrichon sempervirensZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Clump BambooFargesia sp.Zones 5–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Feather Reed GrassCalamagrostis sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Fountain GrassPennisetum alopecuroidesZones 6–9Rarely damaged
Where Hard Rush grows
Hardy across every state on zone range alone, and native to 47 of them. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone
- 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 Hard Rush belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Hard Rush
- Is Hard Rush deer resistant?
- Hard Rush (Juncus effusus) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Hard Rush grow in?
- Hard Rush is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Hard Rush grow in shade?
- Yes. Hard Rush tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.