As deer populations keep growing, knowing what is poisonous to deer can help you design a landscape and garden that are deer friendly, reduce damage to crops, and protect the population of deer.
While there’s no sure way to keep deer away from your plants, knowing what is poisonous to deer can help. But do you know which common plants and substances deer find toxic or unpalatable?
Deer eat leaves, stems, and even the bark of trees, as well as forbs and grasses. But they often skip certain plants because they are toxic, smell bad, or feel bad. By choosing the right deer-resistant plants, you can protect your garden and enjoy a beautiful, deer-free space.
Introduction to Deer-Resistant Gardening
Deer-resistant gardening means learning about deer’s eating habits. They like to eat leaves, stems, and buds of plants and shrubs. They eat a mix of plants, some of which are toxic or have natural defenses.
Deer can handle some poisonous compounds if they eat just a little. This helps them survive in different environments.
Deer Foraging Habits and the Need for Deer-Proof Plants
Deer eating habits vary by region. Knowing what is poisonous to deer in a particular place might be their favorite elsewhere. It’s important to know these differences when planning a garden that deer won’t like.
Some plants, like holly bushes and lilacs, keep deer away. This is because they have thorns, sharp points, or strong smells.
Regional Variations in Deer Palates
Deer populations have grown after being nearly wiped out in the 20th century. In places like Vermont and Illinois, they were almost gone but were brought back. But now, with fewer big predators, deer are becoming a problem again for gardeners.
To keep deer out of your garden, know what is poisonous to deer and pick the right plants they don’t like in your area. Using deer-proof plants can help you have a beautiful garden, even with lots of deer around.
What Is Poisonous To Deer: Herbal And Fuzzy Plants
Creating a garden that deer won’t bother is easier if you know what they dislike. Many plants are safe or unattractive to deer because of their special traits.
Plants With An Herbal Scent That Deter Deer
Herbs and plants with a strong smell, like catmint, bee balm, lavender, sage, thyme, and yarrow, are safe for gardens. These plants keep deer away because of their strong smells. Research shows up to 73% of these fragrant plants are deer-resistant.
Plants With Fuzzy Foliage That Deer Tend To Avoid
Deer also dislike plants with fuzzy or scratchy foliage. Examples include heartleaf brunnera, lungwort, lamb’s ear, and wormwood. While they might eat these if they have to, they usually prefer tastier plants.
Adding deer-resistant plants with herbal scents and fuzzy foliage to your garden helps protect it from deer. This way, you can enjoy a beautiful, safe garden.
Poisonous Plants And Deer Diet
Deer eat a wide variety of plants, even those toxic to humans. They can handle small amounts of toxins in their food. Deer know which plants are safe and which ones to avoid.
But, they might eat poisonous plants if they’re very hungry or if their usual food is hard to find. For example, they avoid vinca (periwinkle) and lily-of-the-valley because they can make deer sick. Deer also don’t like pokeweed, poison ivy, bittersweet, and daffodils.
Some plants, like tomatoes and nightshades, are poisonous to many animals but not to deer. This shows deer know which plants are safe for them.
What deer prefer can change by region. In the South Fork area, they don’t like some wildflowers like asters and goldenrods. But in other places, these flowers might be more appealing to them.
Gardeners and landowners can use this knowledge to pick plants deer won’t eat. This helps make gardens more deer-resistant and protects valuable plants from damage.
Plants With Fine Texture Overlooked By Deer
Creating a deer-resistant garden can be easy with plants that have fine-textured foliage or wispy blooms. Deer usually ignore these delicate plants, choosing bigger, tastier plants instead.
Finely Textured Plants That Deer Ignore
Plants like blue star (Amsonia), pinks (Dianthus), tickseed (Coreopsis), clematis, ferns, and boxwood are often ignored by deer. They don’t offer enough food for deer, so they prefer other plants.
Adding these fine-textured plants to your garden makes it deer-resistant. Their delicate look adds beauty and keeps deer away. By placing them smartly, you can have a garden deer don’t like.
- Ornamental grasses, such as little bluestem and purple fountain grass
- Lace-leaf Japanese maples
- Carex sedges
- Threadleaf coreopsis
- Lavender
By adding these deer-resistant plants to your garden, you can have a beautiful, safe space. You won’t worry about deer damaging your garden.
Conclusion
Keeping your garden safe from deer can be tough, but knowing what they like to eat helps. Planting certain types of plants can keep deer away. These include plants with strong smells, soft leaves, fine texture, or that are a bit poisonous.
But remember, deer tastes can change by where you live. So, it’s smart to talk to local experts to find the best plants that deer won’t eat in your area.
This article shows how deer and other animals adapt to eat plants that are toxic. They are careful about what they eat and have ways to make those plants safe for them. By learning about deer-resistant gardening, you can make a garden that keeps your plants safe and still lets deer live nearby.
To make your garden deer-resistant, you need to think about what plants grow well in your area and how deer and plants interact. Being informed and flexible will help you create a garden that looks great and keeps deer away. This way, you can enjoy your garden and live in harmony with wildlife.
