My Deer Garden

Is White Sagebrush deer resistant?

Artemisia ludoviciana

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.

About White Sagebrush

Stiff, silvery-white and aromatic, a foot and a half to three feet, densely matted with fine hairs — it is the aroma that keeps deer off, and the colour holds right through a hot summer. It does not die, it escapes. White sagebrush runs from rhizomes and spreads quickly into large colonies, so it belongs on a dry bank, in a gravel garden, or in a strip where running is useful — not in among well-mannered perennials. Fertile, moist soil makes it worse rather than better: it goes leggy, flops open, and runs harder. Watch the name when you buy. The Wildflower Center lists it under white sage, prairie sage, silver sage, Louisiana sage, cudweed sagewort and silver wormwood among others, and several of those names attach to quite different plants in the trade. Buy it as Artemisia ludoviciana and nothing else.

Tolerances and uses

  • Evergreen

Similar to White Sagebrush

Other shrubs with the same deer rating.

Where White Sagebrush grows

Hardy across most of these 51 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.

Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 46 US states in total.

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Every list White Sagebrush belongs to.

Hardy in these zones

Common questions about White Sagebrush

Is White Sagebrush deer resistant?
White Sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana) is rated Seldom Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.
What hardiness zones does White Sagebrush grow in?
White Sagebrush is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 10. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does White Sagebrush grow in shade?
No. White Sagebrush wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
How big does White Sagebrush get?
Mature height is roughly 36–36 in. Growth rate is moderate.