Is Rock-Cress deer resistant?
Arabis caucasica
Plant typePerennialHardinessZones 4–7LightFull sunMature height6–12 inBloomSpring
MaintenanceModerate
Native range7 US states
About Rock-Cress
White spring flowers over gray mats, for wall tops and gravel. Rots quickly in heavy wet soil, so drainage matters more than feeding.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 6 to 7.5
- Drainage
- Sharp, gritty. Will rot in wet soil
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 10 to 14 in apart
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Moderate
Similar to Rock-Cress
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- Anise HyssopAgastache sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeRarely damaged
- Basket of GoldAurinia saxatilisZones 3–7Rarely damaged
- Bearded IrisIris germanicaZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Bigleaf GoldenrayLigularia dentataZones 4–8Rarely damaged
- Bleeding HeartLamprocapnos spectabilisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
- Butter and EggsLinaria vulgarisZones 3–9Rarely damaged
Where Rock-Cress grows
Hardy across 48 states on zone range alone, and native to 7 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 Rock-Cress belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Rock-Cress
- Is Rock-Cress deer resistant?
- Rock-Cress (Arabis caucasica) is rated Rarely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Deer almost always leave this alone.
- What hardiness zones does Rock-Cress grow in?
- Rock-Cress is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Rock-Cress grow in shade?
- No. Rock-Cress wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does Rock-Cress get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–12 in. Growth rate is moderate.