My Deer Garden

Plant record · Perennial

Is White Snakeroot deer resistant?

Ageratina altissima

Fluffy white snakeroot flower heads
Photo by Sten Porse, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 2 of 4 · Seldom Severely Damaged

Mostly. Light browsing at worst; rarely ruined.

Type
Perennial
Hardiness
Zones 3–9
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
24–60 in
Bloom
Summer and Fall
Maintenance
Moderate
Native range
38 US states
Toxic to
horses

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

About White Snakeroot

Fluffy white flowers in fall shade, and the dark-leaved cultivars are genuinely good. It is also seriously toxic: cattle that graze it pass the poison into milk, which killed settlers in the nineteenth century. Keep it away from grazing land, and expect it to self-sow.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 7
Drainage
Consistently moist
Water
Moderate
Spacing
18 to 24 in apart
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Moderate

Similar to White Snakeroot

Other perennials with the same deer rating.

Where White Snakeroot grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone, and native to 38 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 — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — native, and hardy. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — native, and hardy. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — native, and hardy. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — native, and hardy. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. 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 White Snakeroot

Is White Snakeroot deer resistant?
White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) 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 White Snakeroot grow in?
White Snakeroot is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does White Snakeroot grow in shade?
Yes. White Snakeroot tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does White Snakeroot get?
Mature height is roughly 24–60 in. Growth rate is fast.
Is White Snakeroot toxic to dogs or cats?
Not to dogs or cats — the ASPCA lists White Snakeroot as toxic to horses only. The ASPCA does not list it as a risk to dogs or cats.

Browse from here

Every list White Snakeroot belongs to.

All perennials·Seldom damaged·Shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

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 .