If you’re an avid gardener, you may have vinca in your outdoor plant collection. Vinca are beautiful flowers that add a touch of elegance to any garden. But do deer eat vinca?
Deer do not usually eat vinca. Vinca are deer-resistant because of their strong scent and bitter taste. But a hungry deer will eat almost anything, which may include vinca plants.
Considering that a single deer can eat up to ten pounds of plants each day, you can see how deer eating vinca can really do some serious damage to your garden!
In this article, we’ll discuss how to stop deer from eating your vinca, and keep them healthy and beautiful all season long.
Why Do Deer Eat Vinca?
As we covered, deer usually stay away from vinca thanks to their strong scent, texture, and bitter taste.
Deer are most likely to eat vinca 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 vinca 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 vinca 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 vinca are safer either: deer actually prefer new growth because they’re more tender.
Are Vinca Deer Resistant?
Vinca are regarded as deer resistant thanks to their taste and scent, both of which deer do not like.
They were rated as “seldom severely damaged” in a study on deer resistant plants by Rutgers University.
The bitter taste of the flowers and leaves usually keep deer away.
Deer have a keen sense of smell, and the strong scent of vinca also repels them.
As we mentioned earlier, just because vinca 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 vinca and other plants and flowers.
Read on to learn more.
How Do I Keep Deer From Eating My Vinca?
There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re protecting vinca 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 Vinca Grow Back After Deer Eat Them?
Fortunately, vinca can bounce back from browsing by deer if given some care, attention, and time.
Vinca is considered an annual, meaning that it only grows for a single year.
However, vincas are great at self-seeding and you’ll usually see some new growth the following season.
Fortunately, vinca can withstand some cutting and browsing from deer.
If a deer damages your vinca, just cut back to the node of the plant right before the damaged portion.
Continue to care for your vinca including water and fertilization and it should bounce back in time.
Do Deer Eat Vinca? Wrapping Things Up
So, do deer eat vinca?
Not usually, but they will if they’re hungry enough.
Deer will usually stay away from vinca, 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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