Do Deer Eat Echinacea?

Do Deer eat Echinacea? No, in truth, Echinacea is a deer-resistant herb. However, deer can indeed feed on them depending on the situation. In this article, we will unravel when you should choose these sunny plant species to keep deer away.

For many gardeners, deer can be an awful pest destroying our gorgeous gardens in just a day. A hungry deer can eat all the shrubs and flowers in a garden overnight, reducing your once loved space into a horror film scene. Luckily, you can use unpalatable plants to deter deer from your gardens. So the question in your heart is this – Is Echinacea an excellent repellent?

Do deer eat Echinacea?

An Effective Deer Deterrent? The Echinacea is a herb found around the eastern areas of the Rocky Mountains. It is not just an excellent deer-resistant plant; it is equally beautiful. Even more, it has a wide variety of stunning blooms and fragrances that can transform your space. And the good part, all species of Echinacea are useful deer-resistant summer-blooming flowers. This is because the aroma and spiny center of the Echinacea plants is unpalatable to a selective deer. So whether you select the traditional purple coneflower, or hybrid varieties offering astonishing color variants, you will be protected.

Deer proofing your garden

To improve your Echinacea’s deer-resistance, consider surrounding them with plants with a more pungent smell and fuzzy or prickly leaves. Chives, roses, and clematis are excellent for this purpose. Besides Echinacea, you can also try other summer-blooming varieties such as coreopsis, Iris, yarrow, balloon flower, or herbs like oregano and lavender. Amsonia, bugbane, butterfly weed, columbine, and evening primrose are also excellent deer-resistant plants that are perfect for your gardens’ borders.

When Coneflower are not resistant

There are times when the Echinacea or any other plant you use will not entirely repel deer from your garden. These usually happen if your plants are highly fertilized and watered, making them rich in nitrogen and protein, and therefore, attractants for deer. Secondly, during the harsh winters, a hungry deer will eat just about anything and without prejudice. Furthermore, deer can feed on young coneflowers, even as it does not prefer mature coneflowers.

Therefore, you must know that deer-resistant flowers and plants aren’t the complete solutions to your deer problem. Consider adding other methods to repel deer from your gardens, such as

Home repellents

You can consider using repellents, but some of them have harsh smells that might ruin the ambiance around your gardens. However, you can also try using garlic, human hair, or silvers of soap. Nevertheless, in recent times, many people have complained that these methods don’t work that well, especially around places with higher deer volume. Hence, we recommend that you use at least two repellents and rotate them every few days to keep deer from becoming familiar with them.

Fencing

You can consider adding an eight-foot fence around your garden. This is the most effective way to keep deer entirely out of your garden. However, this method is not always feasible. So, we recommend using two parallel fences, the size of a standard garden fence. Depending on your location and the regulations in place, you can also consider using a single garden fence with electric wire at the top.

Concluding thoughts

Do deer eat Echinacea? It depends. Echinacea can be used as useful deer-resistant plants. It would still help if you combined these plants with other deer-resistant plants because there is no perfect deer-proofing plant. You should equally consider installing a fence or using repellents to prevent deer from making your garden a short work.

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