Is Pansy deer resistant?
Viola x wittrockiana
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About Pansy
Eaten readily, and worst in early spring when almost nothing else is green. Pansies planted in March in a deer garden are effectively bait. That timing is the whole problem. They are sold as the first colour of the season, which is precisely the hungry gap between the last of the winter browse and the first real growth, when a deer will eat things it would ignore in June. They are also a cool-season plant that most people misuse. Pansies want spring and autumn, not summer: they stretch, go leggy and stop flowering once nights stay warm. In the south they are a winter bedding plant. Deadhead constantly and they flower far longer.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Moderate
- Fertility
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 6 to 8 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Tolerances and uses
- Drought
- Low
- Salt
- Low
- Pollinators
- Low
- Containers
Deer-resistant alternatives to Pansy
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If Pansy keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to Pansy
Other annuals with the same deer rating.
- Annual GeraniumPelargonium x hortorumGrown as an annual, any zoneOccasionally damaged
- 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
Protecting Pansy
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 Pansy 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 Pansy belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Pansy
- Is Pansy deer resistant?
- Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does Pansy grow in?
- Pansy is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Pansy grow in shade?
- Yes. Pansy tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Pansy get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–10 in. Growth rate is moderate.
- When does Pansy bloom?
- Pansy flowers from March–June.