First, I'm very sorry for this. I know how disappointing deer damage can be. It will be difficult to replace the bloom power of roses. If you were a zone warmer, I would have a few more ideas using long-blooming perennials such as salvia greggii, agastache, nepeta and perennial heliotrope. The low-growing buddleia 'Blue Chip' and 'Miss Ruby' would work in your zone and provide repeat bloom with some deadheading. Caryopteris is another one, but it will bloom in late summer and will look like sticks in the winter. 'Mini blue' is the shortest, I think. I have good luck with spirea, but the deer will do some sampling. Another deciduous shrub, so it won't provide interest in winter. Weigela may be an option. I've not tried it here (yet) to say if the deer will eat it. It is on many deer resistant lists. Cameron

Grasses are deer resistant, Why? Deer are browsers, not grazers. So you can plant most any grass without worry about the deer. Other natives. Pressure by deer is extremely high here so I have to choose very carefully. I've also found nothing is 100%, but here are some natives that I have found great plants for deer resistancy: Cassia hebecarpa - Wild Senna Jeffersonia diphillea - Twinleaf (woodland) Podophyllum peltatum - Mayapple (woodland) Arisaema species - Jack in the pulpit species (woodland) Pachysandra procumbens - Alleghany spurge (native pachysandra) Allium species - wild/flowering onions, wild leeks, etc. Arundinaria gigantea - canebrake (our only native) bamboo Asimina triloba - Pawpaw (small tree) Ilex opaca - American Holly These have all proven their worth in my garden and woods. Another shrub/small tree is Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis). They do eat it to some degree, but it's good for other wildlife as well. Good luck!

Please note that those mixtures offered for sale usually include claims such as "mixture of annuals and perennials that deer will not normally eat if other food sources are available". One can safely claim that about most anything, it won't eat it if other food is available. Sure there are some strong smelling herbs and alliums like onions and garlic that deer won't eat unless they are starving but otherwise they will browse just about anything. The wildflowers may be a good way to pretty-up your area but I wouldn't expect them to keep out the deer. Also keep in mind that many of the bulk wildflower mixes are well known for being mostly grasses and non-germinating fillers. Dave

Compiling lists of deer resistant plants is always a challenge........deer don't bother to read them :-) Seriously, deer can nibble on anything at least once and sometimes that's enough to cause serious damage. It depends on how much natural forage is available, regional deer appetites (they do vary widely), how new the plant is to the garden and the age of the deer. Fawns in particular will taste anything to determine if it is something they might like. Hellebores and euphorbias are typically safe as is anything with a lot of essential oils - lavender, salvias, agastache, echinacea, nepeta, bee balm (monarda). And plants with fuzzy foliage like lambs ears, phlomis, verbascum, digitalis. And most ornamental grasses are pretty safe bets as well.