Sun Loving Annuals Deer Do Not Eat
How Frustrating. You spend hours of valuable free time (not to mention a few hard-earned bucks) picking out annuals, preparing the garden bed, planting the annuals, mulching them in, and watering them, only to have them munched down to the ground before the next morning. Frustrating is the polite way of saying how you fell upon discovery. Deer do not care how hard you worked or how much you spent. All they see is a nicely laid out salad bar to feast upon.
Besides installing an 8′ fence or constantly applying deer repellents, what can you do?
The fact of the matter is, you planted what they like to eat. Sorry, the truth hurts. Choosing the correct plants is a key to having successful annual flowers in deer populated areas. Although no list is fool-proof (deer will eat anything if they are hungry enough), the following sun loving annuals have been fairly reliable to gardeners over the years.
A Few Things To Keep In Mind When Planting Annuals In Deer Populated Areas
1. Even though deer may not prefer a particular plant, they may choose to taste it in passing. Do not be alarmed if you notice some bites taken out of a plant or two. If they liked it, they would have eaten the whole plant.
2. Deer lift their head when they chew in order to keep an eye out for predators (ironic, the only predators in most areas are Fords and Chevrolets). You may find some plants left sitting on top of the ground when the deer decided it was not a tasty plant. Simply tuck the plant snuggly back into the ground and water it.
3. It is always a good idea to apply some deer repellent on newly planted plants. This helps train the deer to stay away.
