Do Deer Eat Euonymus?

Do Deer eat euonymus? Sadly, yes, so in this blog post, we will talk about the implications of cultivating this plant in deer country.

If you live in deer country, then you may have to be extra careful about the plants you cultivate. Your diligence will save you a lot of headaches, anger, and frustrations. Deer are known for their incredibly versatile palate, which means they can feed on just about anything in their path if the situations are right. However, there are some plants you should never cultivate, as these are the most favorite treats and may become a source of frustrations for you. Knowing, this, one of the questions you may have in your heart is this – do deer eat Euonymus?

Euonymus; a favorite dinner recipe Sadly, Euonymus (Euonymus sp.) are a preferred meal of choice for deer. Euonymus (burning bush, wintercreeper, spindle) are woody plants with over 130 species comprising small trees, shrubs and deciduous trees. Many Euonymus species have everything a deer loves – from tasty fruits to flowers, leaves, to stem. Deer will likely eat them during the winter, so the chances of deer leaving your euonymous alone are non-existent, except you have measures in place to deter them.

How to keep deer from eating your Euonymus plants

If you wish to keep your euonymus plants from becoming a favorite candy for deer in the area. In that case, you can consider using odor and taste repellents. Many of these products will not harm your plants, but will effectively keep them away. However, you may consider rotating these products, so the deer in the vicinity do not get so used to them that they become ineffective.

Another way to keep deer away is by planting deer-resistant species to protect your euonymus plants. Some of these deer-resistant plants include American Holly, Boxwood Varieties, lavender, Bald Cypress, Eastern Red cedar, and many more.

Motion-activated sprinklers are also effective deterrents. These sprinklers will detect movement using infrared technology at any time of the day. Hence, they will startle these animals by releasing a blast of water. However, if you plan on using this method, ensure that your plants have sufficient drainage to prevent other issues.

Invisible black netting is also excellent for protecting them from deer. These will provide adequate coverage, especially in winter and prevent deer from browsing through them.

Finally, erecting an 8-foot fence is the most effective way to keep deer out of your gardens. However, anything shorter than that (except a slanted or double fence) will not keep them out. This is because deer can jump about 6 foot high and even stand on their hind legs to attain about 7 foot higher.

When deer proofing may not provide the complete solution

Many growers have lamented using one deer proofing method or the next, without getting better outcomes. The reality is that these methods might be accurate, but the approach is usually wrong. It would be helpful always to remember that, “no one method is entirely the complete solution to keeping deer away from your gardens”. Therefore, you need to combine at least two or three methods for better results.

Final thoughts

Do deer eat Euonymus? Euonymous plants are a favorite woody plant for deer. Therefore, if you plan on cultivating them, ensure you can invest more efforts to keep deer away from them. However, if you leave within neighborhoods with enormous deer issues, you might consider planting something else. Cultivating euonymous plants in deer country requires a great deal of patience to handle the challenges that come with it.

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