Is Lily of the Valley deer resistant?
Convallaria majalis
Plant typeGroundcoverHardinessZones 3–7LightFull shade to part shadeMature height6–10 inBloomSpring and Summer
MaintenanceModerate
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Lily of the Valley
Wonderful scent, seriously toxic, and it spreads by running rhizome into a dense mat. Plant it where you want a permanent colony and nowhere else.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 8 to 12 in apart
- Growth rate
- Fast
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Similar to Lily of the Valley
Other groundcovers with the same deer rating.
- Allegheny SpurgePachysandra procumbensZones 5–9Rarely damaged
- BarrenwortEpimedium sp.Zones 4–8, genus rangeRarely damaged
- BearberryArctostaphylos uva-ursiZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bishop's WeedAegopodium podagrariaZones 3–10Rarely damaged
- BugleweedAjuga reptansZones 3–10Rarely damaged
- PachysandraPachysandra terminalisZones 4–9Rarely damaged
Where Lily of the Valley 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 Lily of the Valley belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Lily of the Valley
- Is Lily of the Valley deer resistant?
- Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Lily of the Valley grow in?
- Lily of the Valley is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Lily of the Valley grow in shade?
- Yes. Lily of the Valley tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Lily of the Valley get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–10 in. Growth rate is fast.
- Is Lily of the Valley toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Lily of the Valley as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.