My Deer Garden

Is Rubber Rabbitbrush deer resistant?

Ericameria nauseosa

Seldom damaged

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.

Plant typeShrubLightFull sun
Mature height12–90 in
BloomWinter and Spring and Summer
MaintenanceModerate
Native range10 US states

About Rubber Rabbitbrush

Felted grey-white stems, leaves like threads, and a smother of small yellow flower clusters from August into November. The deer claim needs qualifying here: mule deer in Montana and Wyoming feed on it heavily from October through the winter, and in Wyoming in summer as well, so treat it as a shrub they overlook in a good year rather than one they refuse. It colonises. On the open, gravelly, disturbed ground it likes best it seeds about and can turn aggressive, which is a problem in a gravel garden and no problem at all in turf. Cut the heads off before the seed flies if that matters to you. Flowers come on new growth, so hard pruning costs nothing. Take it back to a low framework in April; left alone it goes bare and woody through the middle and does not fill in again.

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Common questions about Rubber Rabbitbrush

Is Rubber Rabbitbrush deer resistant?
Rubber Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
Does Rubber Rabbitbrush grow in shade?
No. Rubber Rabbitbrush wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
How big does Rubber Rabbitbrush get?
Mature height is roughly 12–90 in. Growth rate is moderate.