If you’re like most gardeners, you probably have at least a few azaleas in your yard. azaleas are beautiful flowers that add a touch of elegance to any garden. But do deer eat azaleas?
The answer is yes – deer will eat the buds, blooms, leaves, and even the stems of azaleas. Deer are attracted to azaleas because they’re usually well-watered, fertilized, and are tasty to them.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating azaleas can really do some serious damage to your garden!
In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop deer from eating your azaleas, and keep them healthy and beautiful all season long.
Why Do Deer Eat Azaleas?
As we covered, deer will eat every part of an azalea bush (stem, leaves, and all) when they’ve got the chance.
But why do they do this?
Deer like lush plants that are well-watered and fertilized, and azalea bushes check every box.
Also they are most likely to mow down your plants during spring because they’re really hungry after a long winter.
Your azaleas are less susceptible to deer damage later in summer when the plants have thicker stems and are matured.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of azalea bushes in a single sitting if they’re hungry enough!
This was confirmed in a 1999 study on deer plant eating habits by Cornell University.
Plants like azaleas contain water, sugar, protein, and nutrients, which makes them an ideal food source for deer.
And don’t think that your newer azalea plants are safe either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like azaleas based on opportunity.
Azaleas attract deer because they are planted in the ground or in pots, so they’re easy to access.
If you’re not convinced, leave some azaleas out or plant some, and wait to see what happens!
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Azaleas?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting your azaleas from ravenous deer: their habits, your scent, repellent options, and when you plant them.
Deer will eat nearly anything if they’re hungry enough, so your main goal is making your garden as least inviting to deer as possible.
Check out our guide on how to keep deer from eating plants where we cover 25 quick and easy tips for keeping hungry deer out of your garden.
Will My Azaleas Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Fortunately, azaleas can bounce back from winter browsing by deer if given some care, attention, and time.
If deer happen to munch down your azalea bushes, continue regular care of your plants including watering and fertilizer as necessary until it’s back to good health.
You should see them regrow by early summer, but they may not bloom if the deer ate the buds off of them.
If they’re not regrowing by early summer then you may need to replace them.
Are Azaleas Good For Deer?
There are no nutritional studies or facts available on azaleas in terms of vitamins and nutrients that they contain.
However, azaleas are typically used for arthritis and injury recovery, and it is believed that these benefits may translate to deer eating azaleas as well.
Do Deer Eat Azaleas? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat azalea plants?
The answer is yes!
Deer will eat all the azaleas they can, especially during spring when they’re hungry after a long winter and the buds, stems, and leaves are the most tender.
Have any observations to add to the discussion? Be sure to let us know in the comments below.
Check our our other helpful wildlife guides while you’re here: