Is Rocky Mountain Zinnia deer resistant?
Zinnia grandiflora
Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Not listed by Rutgers NJAES. Rated deer-resistant by El Paso County CSU Extension, whose list is a single category, mapped conservatively to Seldom Severely Damaged.
About Rocky Mountain Zinnia
Out of flower it reads as moss — a dense mat of tiny needle-like leaves, six or eight inches high at most. In flower, from May right through to October, it disappears under small yellow daisies with a dry, papery feel to them, and deer generally leave it alone. It runs, and that is the thing to know before you plant it. The spread is by rhizome, which is why it gets recommended for holding steep or sandy slopes together, and why something that looked well behaved in year one is past its label size by year three. The other thing it will not take is wet. It comes off dry, chalky, gravelly ground, so irrigation or heavy soil rots the crown out, usually in the first winter and usually with no warning at all. Seed is unreliable — germination rates are often low — so divide young plants in spring instead. Give it a hot bank or the gravel beside a drive, where the running is an asset.
Similar to Rocky Mountain Zinnia
Other shrubs with the same deer rating.
- Antelope BitterbrushPurshia tridentataSeldom damaged
- Anthony Waterer SpireaSpiraea x bumaldaZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Apache PlumeFallugia paradoxaZones 6–10Seldom damaged
- Armstrong JuniperJuniperus chinensis 'Armstrongii'Zones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn OliveElaeagnus umbellataZones 4–9Seldom damaged
- Autumn SageSalvia greggiiZones 6–9Seldom damaged
Where Rocky Mountain Zinnia grows
Hardy across most of these 50 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
- Texasnative
- Coloradonative
- California
- Oregon
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahomanative
- Kansasnative
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyoming
- Idaho
- Utah
- Nevada
- Arizonanative
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 6 US states in total.
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Every list Rocky Mountain Zinnia belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Rocky Mountain Zinnia
- Is Rocky Mountain Zinnia deer resistant?
- Rocky Mountain Zinnia (Zinnia grandiflora) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Rocky Mountain Zinnia grow in?
- Rocky Mountain Zinnia is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Rocky Mountain Zinnia grow in shade?
- Yes. Rocky Mountain Zinnia tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Rocky Mountain Zinnia get?
- Mature height is roughly 6–8 in. Growth rate is moderate.