Is Trout Lily deer resistant?
Erythronium sp.
Plant typePerennialHardinessZones 3–8, genus rangeLightFull shade to part shade
MaintenanceLow, mostly leave it alone
Toxic to cats and dogs if eaten
About Trout Lily
Named for the mottled leaves, which look like the flank of a brook trout. A spring ephemeral that vanishes entirely by early summer. Plant the bulbs deep in leafy woodland soil and leave them undisturbed.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5 to 6.5
- Drainage
- Consistently moist
- Water
- Moderate
- Spacing
- 6 to 10 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Similar to Trout Lily
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 Trout Lily 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
- 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
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Every list Trout Lily belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about Trout Lily
- Is Trout Lily deer resistant?
- Trout Lily (Erythronium sp.) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
- What hardiness zones does Trout Lily grow in?
- Trout Lily is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat. That is the range across the genus, so a named species or cultivar may be narrower.
- Does Trout Lily grow in shade?
- Yes. Trout Lily tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
- Is Trout Lily toxic to dogs or cats?
- Yes. The ASPCA lists Trout Lily as toxic to dogs and cats. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.