Are False Indigo Deer-Resistant?

Deer tend to find false blue indigo unpalatable.

No plant is completely safe from hungry, marauding deer, but some offer more resistance than others. Plants with a bitter taste, strong smell or rough foliage tend to be less palatable. False blue indigo can deter deer.

Deer Repellent

False blue indigo, also known as rattleweed, wild indigo and Baptisia australis, contains bitter-tasting alkaloids that can repel deer. Both the University of Georgia and Rutgers University rate false blue indigo among plants rarely damaged or browsed by deer.

Features

False blue indigo, a perennial, can grow up to 4 feet tall. The plant produces 10- to 12-inch long spikes of blue flowers and black, rattling seed pods that the University of Illinois Extension describes as dramatic. Foliage is blue-green and mounding.

Habitat

False indigo prefers full sun, but can also grow in partial shade. This hardy plant is drought-resistant and can tolerate a range of soils. A long-lived perennial, false blue indigo should be divided every three to four years.

References

• University of Georgia: Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
• University of Illinois Extension: 2010 Perennial Plant of the Year
• University of Illinois Extension: The Drama of False Blue Indigo
• Rutgers University: Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance

Resources

• U.S. Department of Agriculture, Plants Profile: Baptista Australis