Top Deer-Resistant Plants of the Southwest

A word of warning before you start through this slideshow: There are few, if any, plants you can really call deer proof. We've pulled together a selection of plants that deer often avoid. We hope the plants will help you create the garden of your dreams.

Add incredible structure and drama to your yard with agaves. Besides being beautiful, the plants are low-care, taking heat and drought well. For extra interest, choose types that have variegated foliage (a favorite around here is the Queen Victoria selection). Pick your varieties carefully -- some have dangerously sharp edges.

Plant Name: Agave selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 6 feet tall and wide

Zones: 6-10, depending on type

We love the way this tough little perennial blooms and blooms all summer long and then into autumn. The bright red, yellow, or orange flowers are great for cutting -- and will bring many butterflies to your yard.

Plant Name: Gaillardia selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall and 2 feet wide

Zones: 3-8

California fuchsia is a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds thanks to the masses of tubular red flowers it produces starting in summer and continuing through fall. It's also a tough-as-nails native plant, requiring virtually no watering during the growing season.

Plant Name: Zauschneria californica

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 1 foot tall and 2 feet wide

Zones: 8-10

As you'd expect from a cactus, this plant is covered in prickly spines, making it a good bet for gardens where deer tend to frequent. It's also an attractive, easy-growing plant that bears bright clusters of pink, purple, white, yellow, red, or orange flowers in early summer.

Plant Name: Echinocereus selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 2 feet tall and wide

Zones: 9-10, depending on type

A favorite of gardeners everywhere, lavender is one of the best-smelling plants you can grow. (Plant it next to pathways where you can brush by and enjoy the relaxing scent.) It's also one of the prettiest garden plants, bedecked in silvery foliage and gorgeous purple blooms.

Plant Name: Lavandula selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet all and 4 feet wide, depending on type

Zones: 5-10, depending on type

This low-care ground cover offers beautiful evergreen silvery, aromatic foliage. In summer, lavender cotton bears stalks of bright yellow flowers, but the real attraction is the foliage. It's often used to edge herb gardens.

Plant Name: Santolina chamaecyparissus

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide

Zones: 6-9

Give your garden a burst of spring color from the crepe-paper-like flowers of Oriental poppy. This slow-spreading beauty blooms in shades of orange, pink, purple, and red. Because Oriental poppies often go dormant by midsummer, it's helpful to plant them with a partner such as salvia so you won't have a bare spot in your garden.

Plant Name: Papaver orientale

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 feet tall and wide

Zones: 4-9

Fill your garden with the scent of the Mediterranean with rosemary. This versatile evergreen shrub bears leathery leaves that deer don't touch. Harvest the leaves and add them as you cook to imbue your food with fresh, herbal flavor all year long.

Plant Name: Rosmarinus officinalis

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 5 feet tall and wide

Zones: 8-10

This long-blooming perennial deserves more attention. Soapwort puts on a respectable show with its clusters pink or white flowers all summer long. Plus, it doesn't need any special pampering to stay looking good.

Plant Name: Saponaria selections

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: From 6 to 24 inches tall and wide, depending on type

Zones: 3-9, depending on type

White and silver are classic colors in the garden because they go well with everything. So plant this easy-care ground cover with just about anything for a stunning plant combination.

Plant Name: Cerastium tomentosum

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 3 inches tall and spreading to several feet wide

Zones: 3-7

Little purple globes of flowers, like miniature alliums, float over grassy leaves in summer and fall giving society garlic its good looks. This clump-forming perennial spreads slowly, so it's an attractive edger for herb gardens. Society garlic is also a top pick for containers.

Plant Name: Tulbaghia violacea

Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil

Size: To 2 feet

Zones: 7-10