Will Deer Eat Garden Vegetables & Flowers?

Deer graze on a variety of plants.

Deer are herbivores, or plant eaters. They graze mainly at dawn or dusk and are capable of digesting a wide variety of leaves, twigs, fruits, nuts, grass, corn and ornamental plants. They have adapted to residential areas and can damage vegetable and flower gardens.

Theories

Deer are attracted to home landscapes for several reasons. Many homeowners fertilize their plants, so they are especially rich in nutrients. They provide the deer with protein, carbohydrates, minerals and salts. Also, many vegetable and flower gardens are irrigated, making the plants a good source of water for the deer. Also, when a variety of plants are available, deer will seek out the plants they prefer. Because they forage in the same area, a home landscape is often revisited by the same herd.

Diet

According to Paul D. Curtis of the Cornell Cooperative Extension and Milo E. Richmond of the New York Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, "While deer are known to eat more than 500 different kinds of plants, they are often selective feeders that forage or browse on plants and plant parts with considerable discrimination." In a home landscape, deer are more likely to eat young, tender plants. Although deer will eat almost anything, some flowers they prefer are daylilies, garden lilies, hydrangea and impatiens. They also are known to eat white cedar, arrowwood, birch, basswood, yews and dogwoods. Hostas and apples are also preferred plants.

Effects

In addition to damaging gardens by feeding on young plants, flowers and vegetables, deer also can cause damage by rubbing their antlers on tree bark. By rubbing the velvet from his antlers, a buck can remove the bark completely from a tree, eventually causing it to die. They also can trample plants as they forage and damage soil around trees.

Time Frame

Snow can make foraging difficult for deer.

Damage to vegetables and ornamental plantings can occur any time throughout the year. During the spring and summer, deer nutrition needs are great because does are pregnant or nursing and bucks are growing antlers. During the fall and winter, snow can cover the deer's natural food source, making landscape plants a more accessible food supply.

Prevention

Although several deer repellents are available, none is totally effective, according to Curtis and Richmond. They recommend installing a high fence to keep deer from damaging your landscaping. A large dog also can deter deer, but the dog must be outdoors at night when the deer feed.

Another possible deterrent is selecting plants deer typically don't eat, including strong-scented plants, plants with prickly or rough leaves, plants with thorns, and plants with a bitter taste. Some examples of deer-resistant plants include the following: firs and other evergreens; honeysuckle; lilac; potentill; nannyberry virburnum; ural falsespirea; and Anthony waterer spirea.

References

• The University of Georgia: Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants
• Cornell Cooperative Extension: Reducing Deer Damage to Home Gardens and Landscape Plantings
• University of Minnesota Extension Service: Coping with Deer in Home Landscapes
• Oregon State University: Deer-Resistant Ornamental Plants
• Texas A & M University: Deer in the Urban Landscape