If you’re an avid gardener, you may have bougainvillea in your garden or yard. Bougainvillea are beautiful flowers that add a touch of elegance to any garden. But do deer eat bougainvillea?
Deer do not usually eat bougainvillea. Bougainvillea is deer-resistant because of it’s strong scent and bitter taste. But a hungry deer will eat almost anything, which may include bougainvillea plants.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating bougainvillea can really do some serious damage to your garden!
In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop deer from eating your bougainvillea, and keep them healthy and beautiful all season long.
Why Do Deer Eat Bougainvillea?
As we covered, deer usually stay away from bougainvillea thanks to their strong scent and bitter taste.
Deer are most likely to eat bougainvillea during spring because they’re hungry after a long winter, or if it’s late in fall and other food sources have been depleted.
Your bougainvillea are less susceptible to deer damage later in summer when many other food sources they prefer are available.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of bougainvillea in a single sitting if they’re hungry enough!
This was confirmed in a 1999 study on deer plant eating habits by Cornell University.
And don’t think that your newer bougainvillea are safer either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Are Bougainvillea Deer Resistant?
Bougainvillea are regarded as deer resistant thanks to their taste and scent, both of which deer do not like.
The bitter taste of the flowers and leaves usually keep deer away.
Deer have a keen sense of smell, and the strong scent of bougainvillea also repels them.
As we mentioned earlier, just because bougainvillea are deer resistant doesn’t mean they are completely safe from being eaten by deer.
You should always take additional steps to deter deer from your bougainvillea and other plants and flowers.
Read on to learn more.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Bougainvillea?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting bougainvillea from hungry 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 Bougainvillea Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Fortunately, bougainvillea can bounce back from browsing by deer if given some care, attention, and time.
Bougainvillea are considered perennials in warm climates, meaning they’ll come back each season.
They have hardy root systems that deer usually don’t bother digging up.
So unless a deer ate your bougainvillea plants all the way down to the ground and damaged the roots, they should grow back.
Do Deer Eat Bougainvillea? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat bougainvillea?
Not usually, but they will if they’re hungry enough.
Deer will usually stay away from bougainvillea, but may eat them during spring when they’re hungry after a long winter or in late fall when other food sources have been depleted.
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:
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