Is Sticky Purple Geranium deer resistant?
Geranium viscosissimum
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 Sticky Purple Geranium
Every stem, leaf and flower stalk is covered in sticky hairs. That tackiness is the defence, and you notice it the moment you brush past — deer tend to go round it. Do not treat it as a gravel plant. It grows in soils running from dry-mesic to moist and is happiest towards the moist end, which sets it apart from most of what it gets sold alongside; put it in a hot unwatered gravel bed and it sulks. Ordinary garden soil that drains but does not bake is what it is after. It takes part shade and will stand more shade than that, so it is the one to reach for on the north side of a shrub. Two to three feet, flowering from late spring into August. The lobed leaves turn red in autumn — cut it back after they have coloured, not before.
Similar to Sticky Purple Geranium
Other perennials with the same deer rating.
- African LilyAgapanthus sp.Zones 8–11, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AsparagusAsparagus officinalisZones 2–9Seldom damaged
- AsterAster sp.Zones 3–8, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- AstilbeAstilbe x arendsiiZones 3–8Seldom damaged
- Baby's BreathGypsophila sp.Zones 3–9, genus rangeSeldom damaged
- BastardsageEriogonum wrightiiZones 5–10Seldom damaged
Where Sticky Purple Geranium 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
- Texas
- Coloradonative
- Californianative
- Oregonnative
- Washingtonnative
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Maine
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraskanative
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakotanative
- Montananative
- Wyomingnative
- Idahonative
- Utahnative
- Nevadanative
- Arizona
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 12 US states in total.
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Every list Sticky Purple Geranium belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Sticky Purple Geranium
- Is Sticky Purple Geranium deer resistant?
- Sticky Purple Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Sticky Purple Geranium grow in?
- Sticky Purple Geranium is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does Sticky Purple Geranium grow in shade?
- Yes. Sticky Purple Geranium tolerates part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- How big does Sticky Purple Geranium get?
- Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.