My Deer Garden

Plant record · Perennial

Is Sticky Purple Geranium deer resistant?

Geranium viscosissimum

Sticky Purple Geranium
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Perennial
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Light
Part shade
Height
36–36 in
Bloom
Spring and Summer
Maintenance
Moderate
Native range
12 US states

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Sticky Purple Geranium

Every stem, leaf and flower stalk is covered in sticky hairs. That tackiness is the defense, 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 toward 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 fall — cut it back after they have colored, not before.

Similar to Sticky Purple Geranium

Other perennials with the same deer rating.

Where Sticky Purple Geranium grows

Hardy across 50 states on zone range alone, and native to 12 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.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — not hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.
Native and hardyHardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Sticky Purple Geranium

Is Sticky Purple Geranium deer resistant?
Sticky Purple Geranium (Geranium viscosissimum) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged, step 2 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. 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.

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Every list Sticky Purple Geranium belongs to.

All perennials·Seldom damaged·Part shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .