My Deer Garden

Plant record · Shrub

Is Leadplant deer resistant?

Amorpha canescens

Leadplant
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Shrub
Hardiness
Zones 2–9
Light
Part shade
Height
36–36 in
Bloom
Summer
Maintenance
Moderate
Native range
19 US states

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Leadplant

Fine gray hair covers the stems and the small divided leaves, which is where the silvered look comes from; short spikes of tiny purple flowers open along the top in June and July, on a shrub of one to three feet.

The grazing literature is worth reading before you panic about it. Leadplant is rated highly nutritive and palatable, and commonly selected over other species — but that verdict comes off cattle range, and it is cattle that strip it out. Where deer specifically were watched, the results went the other way: white-tailed deer did not browse it in a Black Hills study, and deer, rabbits and rodents all left it alone in a Minnesota restoration.

Everything about it is slow and deep. The roots run seven to twenty feet down, and one seven-year-old plant measured 16.5 feet, so put it where it can stay. Fire only top-kills it — it sprouts again from the root crown, which is why a hard spring cut does it no harm.

Similar to Leadplant

Other shrubs with the same deer rating.

Where Leadplant grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone, and native to 19 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.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — native, and hardy. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Leadplant

Is Leadplant deer resistant?
Leadplant (Amorpha canescens) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
What hardiness zones does Leadplant grow in?
Leadplant is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Leadplant grow in shade?
Yes. Leadplant tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Leadplant get?
Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.

Browse from here

Every list Leadplant belongs to.

All shrubs·Seldom damaged·Part shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .