One of my favorite shrubs is spirea 'Neon Flash'. I planted three last summer and they didn't disappoint with the display of pinkish blooms as a partner for the deep pink echinacea blooms. The deer didn't touch the spirea. The first bloom on each echinacea was munched, but then left alone for the rest of the summer and fall.
For a totally deer-resistant combination, I love bee balm (monarda 'Blue Stockings' or 'Marshall's Delight' are good colors) with butterfly bush (buddleia 'Pink Delight').
Lantana 'Miss Huff' does well as a perennial in my garden. The deer don't touch this flowering shrub. Once it starts blooming in early June, it doesn't stop until frost. It blooms and blooms without deadheading. It is a butterfly magnet. I have three of these lantana near our driveway, but I intend to find space in the butterfly garden so that this nectar plant is closer to the host plants for butterflies. I think this shrub with deep pink coneflowers and yellow snapdragons.
Although I can't seem to find a photo of my ice plant (delosperma cooperi), I highly recommend it as a groundcover, evergreen (in zone 7), deer and drought tolerant perennial. It is an easy plant to propagate. Just pinch off a sprig and stick in the ground! The sparkling fushia blooms open during the day and close in the evenings.
Inside the cottage garden fence, I have a few favorite pinks that aren't deer tolerant. Encore Azalea, garden phlox and dianthus provide pink inside the garden fence.
The pale pink dianthus shown in the above photo also edges one of our pathways (in the background). The dianthus provides early spring blooms over a long period of time. The fragrance is very sweet and spicy. I've had trouble growing this outside the fence as either deer or rabbits pull dianthus plants out of the ground.
Happy Gardening!
Cameron
