Here’s a list of plants that will do well in Iowa and are both rabbit-resistant and deer-resistant. Those marked with an asterisk (*) are also slug-resistant.
PERENNIALS/BULBS/ANNUALS
Beard-tongue (Penstemon)*
Begonia (Begonia)*
Black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta)*
Bleeding heart (Dicentra )*
Candytuft (Iberis)*
Columbine (Aquilegia)*
Cranesbill (Geranium)*
Daffodil (Narcissus)*
Dead nettle (Lamium maculatum)*
False spiraea (Astilbe )*
Forget-me-not (Myosotis scorpioides)*
Impatiens (Impatiens)*
Lamb’s-ears (Stachys byzantina)*
Moss Pink (Phlox subulata)*
Oregano (Origanum)*
Oriental poppy (Papaver)*
Pincushion flower (Scabiosa)*
Pink sea thrift (Armeria )*
Sage (Artemisia)*
Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)*
Speedwell (Veronica)*
GROUND COVERS & VINES
Carpet bugle (Ajuga)
Dwarf lumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides)
English ivy (Hedera helix)*
Japanese spurge (Pachysandra terminalis)
Periwinkle (Vinca)*
Virgina creeper (Parthenocissus)
Wisteria (Wisteria)
SHRUBS
Boxwood (Buxus)
Butterfly bush (Buddleia)
Cinquefoil (Potentilla)*
Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster)
Holly (Ilex)*
Juniper (Juniperus)
Lantana (Lantana)*
Lavender (Lavandula)*
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)*
Sage (Salvia)
Sumac (Rhus)
Viburnum (Viburnum)*
TREES
Ash (Fraxinus)
Cedar (Cedrus)
Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
Fir (Abies)
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
Maidenhair tree (Ginkgo biloba)
Oak (Quercus)
Pine (Pinus)
Redbud (Cercis)
Spruce (Picea)
Source: This list of plants that are resistant to deer, rabbits, and slugs is an edited version from the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension Service.
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