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Hostas are beautiful perennials that have gained a flock of popularity due to their shade tolerance . However , where there are big plant , there are often significant pestilence , and deer are a common threat to many gardens .
Do love eat hostas ? How resistant are they , and what can you do if one of your plants is lunch or attacked ?
Photo Credit: Instagram @milieulandscape
Do Deer Eat Hostas?
Unfortunately , cervid are cognize to eathostasand can do some severe damage . The good news is several ways to reduce the risk of cervid break after your hostas .
The Truth About Resistant Plants
You ’ll often see plants number as “ cervid immune , ” but what does this mean ? Let ’s apply Canis familiaris kibble as an doctrine of analogy .
Which would you clean if you had a selection between dry domestic dog solid food and a overnice chicken salad ?
Deer prefer more stamp plant , so anything with thorns or thorny branches wo n’t be their first choice . Some plants also savour pretty terrible . Thus , a deer will choose something legal tender and tasty over a cervid - resistant industrial plant any daytime .
But what pass if that dog kibble was the only thing available ?
Given no well-to-do alternative , would you opt to rust the frank nutrient , or would you favour to hunger ?
It does n’t matter how terrible something might taste or how unattractive it is ; when there ’s no alternative due to drought , hoar , or other conditions , a deer will eat just about anything .
relate : What Are Some Hosta Garden Companion Plants ?
Why are Hostas Attractive to Deer?
cervid do n’t like strong - smelling plants and will always go for plants with slight fragrance .
The etymon system is shallow enough to appropriate a cervid to rip the plant right out of the ground , making it easier to glean . Even more remarkable is that the leafage are tender and plentiful , and this leaf is perhaps the big tie for deer .
Hosta Damage Caused by Deer
Unfortunately , cervid find hostas rather attractive food sources and are n’t very gentle when they decide to munch on one . Their jaws are potent enough to jerk the stem off , and they ’ll then munch on the branches and leaves .
If your hosta is in peak , they ’ll also nosh on the flowers . The aftermath can be pretty roughshod , with torn bow and broken branches . But fear not ; this is n’t inevitably the destruction .
Can Hostas Recover from Deer Attacks?
The salutary news is that your hostas can bounce back , although they can use a little assistance .
Get some sharp , aseptic pruning shear and cut any damaged stems back to the ground . You will see Modern growth within a few months if done early in the growing season .
However , you might not see this young growth until the take after outpouring if it ’s recently in the growing season .
Ways To Keep Deer From Your Hostas
So what can you do to keep deer from trying to eat your Funka ( or the rest of your garden , for that subject ) ?
Thankfully , there are some nifty methods you’re able to employ that will have some success on their own but can be highly effective when done together .
Here are some valuable tricks to keep deer and many other with child cuss off from your Funka .
Companion Planting
One of the most visually attractive and practical options is companion planting .
This process necessitate adding plants to your garden distance that have standardised care want as the hostas but are also far less attractive to deer . Strong - scented plants are stark , and kitchen herbs such as mint , salvia , or thyme can all be quite effective .
If you ’d rather have more visual appeal , take the whimsical man of ornamental alliums . These plants await like they came flat out of a Dr. Seuss book and have a garlic or onion smell that wo n’t bother most people but is overcome to a cervid ’s sensitive nose .
Fencing With Angles
This is one of the most in force method but may also be limited by local ordinances .
For a vertical fence to be in full efficient , you will take to build one 10′ to 12′ foot tall . This is due to how high-pitched a deer can rise when it wants to get somewhere . Alternatively , you could utilise two shorter fences with the interior one placed 2 to 3′ feet away from the outer rampart .
The height of these fence should be angle to discourage the deer further .
A third pick is to use a shorter fence but angle the rampart by 60 ° degrees Fahrenheit . The slant can confuse cervid , making it far less likely they ’ll attempt the jump .
Scare Tactics
The third option is to use various tactics design to scare away deer aside .
These manoeuvre wo n’t always work in more urban preferences where deer are used to the great unwashed but can be neat ally in more rural areas .
Of course , no method is without its drawbacks , and there are many more gadget out there besides the ones we ’ve just advert , so be certain to shop around for one that best suits your circumstances .
Season The Salad
One last method can be pretty effective against both large and small garden pests , although you will desire to use it at dusk or dawn to obviate likely impairment to the foliation .
We ’re talk about homemade repellent spraying .
Of course , this is the most basic form of homemade repellent , and there are plenty of recipes for more complex one .
They ’re cheap and effective , but remember to reapply every few days or after it rain down .
