When you see nibbled hydrangeas, the suspected perpetrators are quickly identified. Uninvited guests from fields and forests are the focus of the investigation. You can find out here whether deer are among the culprits. Read these useful tips against deer browsing in the garden.
Do deer eat hydrangeas?
Yes, deer eat hydrangeas because they need protein-rich food from March to July and hydrangeas have dense foliage from March/April. To prevent deer browsing, you can use protective measures such as browsing protection cuffs or thorn hedges.
Do deer eat hydrangeas?
Anyone who lives on the edge of the forest can tell you a thing or two: at dawn, deer come to the garden and nibble on perennials and trees. Hydrangeas do not disdain gourmets and for good reason:
From March to July, deer gain weight in order to be prepared for the summer rut. At this time, a 20 kilogram deer needs up to4 kilograms of green matter per day From March/April, hydrangeas have dense foliage and are very valued as protein-rich foraging plants.
What does deer browsing look like on hydrangeas?
Deer leave unmistakable damage on hydrangeas. Individual shoots are missing, as if someone had tampered with them with secateurs. In fact, deer browsing on hydrangeas looks likesmoothly cut.
Can I stop deer from eating hydrangeas?
Deer driven by hunger forget their natural shyness, invade the garden and eat hydrangeas. There are numerous recipes for home remedies and deterrents circulating, most of which do not have a lasting effect. To prevent deer from eating your hydrangeas, we recommend theseproven methods:
- Planting hydrangeas with browsing protection sleeve.
- Enclose a bed or garden with a thorn hedge, for example hawthorn or firethorn.
- Plant ornamental plants that deer don't eat (read the selection list in the next section).
- Getting a dog.
Which plants do deer not eat?
Deer love to eat tender buds, juicy herbs and young deciduous trees. However, wild animals becomechoosy when there is an abundance of food available. If these plants green your garden, the uninvited guests will lose their appetite:
- Perennials: cyclamen, dahlia, monkshood, foxglove, goldenrod, helleborus, catnip, crocus, lily, narcissus, poppy, peony, phlox, delphinium, snowdrop, iris, coneflower
- Herbs: garlic, tansy, rosemary, sage, thyme
- Woods: Lilac, elderberry, lavender, privet, Pfaffenhütchen, rhododendron, buddleia,
Tip
Pranicle hydrangeas come back after deer bite
Pranicle hydrangeas can withstand deer browsing without lasting damage. Hydrangea paniculata quickly replaces shoots eaten by hungry deer with fresh shoots with leaves and new flower buds. In contrast, farmer's hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) only bloom on two-year-old wood. New, thin shoots after deer browsing produce foliage, but no flowers. An exception applies to the remontant farmer's hydrangeas from the Endless Summer collection.
