If you’re an avid gardener, you may have trumpet vine in your outdoor plant collection. Trumpet vines are beautiful flowering vines that add a touch of elegance to any garden or trellis. But do deer eat trumpet vine?
The answer is yes – deer will eat trumpet vine if they can. Deer are attracted to trumpet vine because of their sweet aroma and the fact that they’re usually well-watered and fertilized.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating trumpet vine can really do some serious damage to these plants!
Why Do Deer Eat Trumpet Vine?
As we covered, deer will eat every part of trumpet vine (shoots, leaves, flowers and all) when they’ve got the chance after emerging from a long winter when they’re the hungriest.
But why do they do this?
Deer like lush plants that are well-watered and fertilized, and trumpet vines check every box.
Deer can do some serious damage to a large amount of trumpet vine plants 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 trumpet vine contain water, sugar, protein, and nutrients, which makes them an ideal food source for deer.
And don’t think that newer trumpet vine plants are safe either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Additionally, deer will consume a wide variety of foods like trumpet vine based on opportunity.
They’re planted in the ground and grow easily in many areas, so they’re easy for deer to access.
If you’re not convinced, leave some trumpet vine out or plant some, and wait to see what happens!
Is Trumpet Vine Deer Resistant?
Trumpet vines are not regarded as deer resistant at all, thanks to their taste and scent, both of which deer love.
They were rated as “seldom severely damaged” in a study on deer resistant plants by Rutgers University.
You should always take additional steps to deter deer from your trumpet vine flowers and other plants.
Read on to learn more.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Trumpet Vine?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting trumpet vine 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 Trumpet Vine Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Fortunately, trumpet vines can withstand heavy pruning, allowing up to 95% of the plant to be cut back each year.
So if a deer makes a buffet out of your trumpet vines, don’t worry!
Continue to fertilize, water, and care for your trumpet vine flowers as usual and they should bounce back in time.
Do Deer Eat Trumpet Vine? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat trumpet vine?
The answer is yes!
Deer will eat trumpet vine whenever 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:
