Is Verbena deer resistant?

Rough stems and leaves that deer leave alone, on a plant that is mostly stem: tall, see-through, and useful for putting height at the front of a bed without hiding what is behind it.

Hardy to about zone 7. North of that it behaves as an annual, but it self-sows so freely that a planting often persists for years anyway, moving around the bed as it goes.

That freedom is a real caution in mild climates. It is listed as invasive in parts of the west and in warm regions generally, seeding well beyond where it was planted. Where it is hardy, deadhead before seed sets if there is wild land nearby.

Do deer eat verbena?

Seldom. Rutgers rates verbena Seldom Severely Damaged, B, and NC State tags tall verbena, Verbena bonariensis, deer and rabbit resistant, with drought, dry soil and poor soil on the same list. The stems are rough and there is almost no leaf to take; a deer under pressure nips the flower heads and leaves the rest standing.

Where it grows

NC State: zones 7a to 11b, 2 to 5 feet, full sun or partial shade, flowering summer into fall. The warning is the plant's own success: "It is a weed that spreads by volunteer seedlings," "Some sources have labeled it 'invasive,'" and "Do not allow this species to spread into natural areas and become a problem." Where it is hardy and wild land is near, deadhead before the seed sets. The bedding verbena, annual verbena, is a different plant with the same rating.

Protecting verbena

Nothing, in most gardens. Where heads are being taken, one application of the 20 percent egg spray Colorado State rates High covers a month of bloom on a plant that flowers for four.

If it is browsed

It branches below the bite and flowers again within weeks, and the seedlings around it are the next plants regardless. North of zone 7 it is an annual either way.