Deer-Resistant Annuals for Containers in Full Sun

Annuals for sunny spots in pots that deer usually leave alone. Check mature height, water needs, and how long each one flowers.

Creeping Zinnia

Anet

Cockscombs

Bottlestopper

Annuals flower in their first year and get replanted each spring, so a bad deer season costs one summer. These are the ones for pots. There are drought-tolerant plants here, and some of them take the heat once established. Most earn their place on the flowers.

annuals: 95
hardiness zones: 2 to 13

A pot does not have to mean a plain planting. These annuals flower in spring, summer and late autumn, and the last of them hold long after the first flush. Most of the colour is purple, white and pink.

spring: 37
summer: 90
late autumn: 51

The variety runs deeper than the type suggests: there are annuals here for borders and mass planting. Dianthus, Tagetes and Zinnia have the most entries.

borders: 76
mass planting: 58