Deer Resistant plants for Butterflies?

I have a large area for planting a butterfly garden, other than my yard, but would need deer resistant plants. Suggestions>
Kathy

Lantana
Butterfly bush
Caryoptyris (heavenly scent)
Agastache ( fragrant when brushed or rained upon )

I have never seen deer damage any of the milkweeds or purple coneflowers.

We have a deer problem, too so I frequently look for more plant info. I found this web site a few days ago that has great info and it has several other links in it. Happy gardening.

birdsnbee......did you forget the link?

I have heard that mints and oregano etc that have scents are good to plant around the borders of beds to discourage deer.

There are lots of flowering herbs that are magnets for butterflies and other helpful pollinators, that repel deer and other critters. Most strong, aromatic herbs tend to keep out insects and harmful pests like deer. Some of our favorites are:

Rue (Ruta graveolens)- Has beautiful yellow blooms that butterflies love, but deters deer with its pungent scent. A lovely ornamental!

Roman and Common Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis and Chamaemelum nobilis)- Pretty, daisy-like blooms for butterflies but deters deer. A lovely medicinal herb that makes a calming tea, Chamomile also makes a great companion plant for Basil, Onions and Cabbage.

Germander 'Upright' (Teucrium chamaedrys) - A beautiful purple-blooming shrubby herb that deters deer and can be planted in hedges or on hillsides to prevent erosion.

Hyssop (Hyssop officinalis) - Beautiful flower spikes with a sweet aroma that will attract swarms of butterflies while keeping deer out!


These are just a handful of herb plants you could try, but consider incorporating flowering herbs into your landscape or use them to create a border to pests out and give butterflies something to enjoy. They're a great investment since many are perennial and you can use them for culinary or medicinal purposes too!

Excellent - then to keep groundhogs away too! Thanks for the list!
Kathy

I grow the rue because it is a main host plant for the Black Swallowtails and the Giant Swallowtail caterpillars that I raise. I don't have a deer problem, but there isn't any around here. LOL!

Parsley
Ironweed
Joe pye
And helianthus work fairly well in our garden.

Thanks Tabasco - I never thought of parsley. I have some joe pye that needs to be thinned out. I can move it to the garden lot.

Kathy