My Deer Garden

Plant record · Perennial

Is Wild Ginger deer resistant?

Asarum canadense

Heart-shaped leaves of wild ginger
Photo by Fritzflohrreynolds, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 1 of 4 · Rarely Damaged

Yes. Deer almost always leave this alone.

Type
Perennial
Hardiness
Zones 4–6
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
6–12 in
Bloom
Spring
Maintenance
Low
Native range
35 US states

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

About Wild Ginger

Heart-shaped leaves forming a dense native carpet in shade. The brown flowers sit at ground level under the foliage and are pollinated by crawling insects, so you will rarely notice them.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5 to 6.5
Drainage
Consistently moist
Water
Moderate
Spacing
12 to 18 in apart
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low

Similar to Wild Ginger

Other perennials with the same deer rating.

Where Wild Ginger grows

Hardy across 41 states on zone range alone, and native to 28 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 — not hardy here. 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 — not hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — not hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — not hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — not hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — not hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — not 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 — not hardy here. 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 — not hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — native, and hardy. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. 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 — not hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — native, and hardy. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — native, and hardy. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. 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 Wild Ginger

Is Wild Ginger deer resistant?
Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) is rated Rarely Damaged, step 1 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Deer almost always leave this alone.
What hardiness zones does Wild Ginger grow in?
Wild Ginger is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 6. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Wild Ginger grow in shade?
Yes. Wild Ginger tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Wild Ginger get?
Mature height is roughly 6–12 in. Growth rate is slow.

Browse from here

Every list Wild Ginger belongs to.

All perennials·Rarely damaged·Shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6

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 .