Lavenders are attractive purple-colored flowers most notably loved for their amazing fragrance, which is why no farmer would ever bear the thought of losing them as prey to animals and pests.
Because of their endearing looks and tempting scent, some animals and pests enjoy eating them, thereby stunting their healthy growth.
But, how about deer? Are they also part of the animals that are attracted to lavender? Do deer eat lavender? That is the key question we’d be addressing in this article.
Fortunately, deer don’t like lavenders; hence, they do not eat them – and this is because of the strong fragrance they release. This explains why lavenders are widely called deer-resistant plants.
Table of Contents
What Is a Lavender?
Botanically called Levandula Angustifolia, a Lavender is an attention-grabbing genus flowering plant among 47 popular species in the mint family, which can be easily recognized by its nice and attractive fragrance.
It has its natural habitat from the Mediterranean border countries, the Middle East, and India and dates back to almost 2,500 years ago.
Many centuries ago, lavender was seen and utilized as a holy herb, as well as used to liven up and provide a fresh scent to different personal materials, including clothes and hair.
It can also be used for making soaps, perfumes, and shampoos. There are different types of lavender plants that can be cultivated in most areas of every zone.
Lavender is often used as a flavor for beverages and candies and herbal purposes, as it can be applied in herbal medicine.
We have the English lavender, French lavender, and woolly lavender, amongst others, which are among the most commonly grown species.
Read Also: Difference Between Russian Sage and Lavender
Do Deer Eat Lavender?
Seeing that the lavender is a purple sensation that has a mind-blowing fragrance, so many pests and animals are drawn to making a feast out of it.
But is deer among these groups of animals that are attracted to lavender or eat it? The simple answer to this is NO; deer do not like or eat lavender.
As we earlier mentioned, lavender is one of the numerous deer-resistant plants out there. The scent from the lavender, like some other deer-resistant plants such as foxgloves, is too strong for it. Therefore, it is very difficult for it to be drawn to lavender, talk more of consuming it.
However, that is not to say you should be overly relaxed because a very hungry deer that can’t find any of its endearing plants to eat may opt to take some bite from your lavender.
Yet, that also is very rare. And even if it does happen, it won’t have any disastrous effect on your plants.
Why Do Deer Not Eat Lavender?
We have mentioned before that deer do not like or eat lavender due to its strong fragrance. The strong smell oozing from these flowers acts as a deterrent to deer, which leads so many people to ask why they dislike or avoid the scent at first?
It is all a natural phenomenon. Generally, some plants that have the same fragrance that is harmful to deer create some kind of feelings in these deer to stay off the source of the fragrance.
In this case, if what produces the fragrance is your lavender, then you have nothing to worry about, as the deer will not go close to or feast on your plant.
It is worth knowing that, despite the fear factor in deer to avoid lavender, the lavender is never a threat to their life. In other words, the lavender is not poisonous to deer and is quite safe, except they decide to consume so much out of the plant.
Again, apart from deer, there are other animals or pets, like rabbits, raccoons, etc., that don’t also eat lavender.
However, if you are planning the safety-first approach, in case these animals decide to change their mind, then we advise you to keep your lavender in an area that won’t be easily reachable or visited frequently by these animals.
Read Also: How to Grow Lavender From Cuttings
What Other Plants Will Deer Not Eat?
Most people confuse certain deer-resistant plants into meaning that deer never consume them. That’s not entirely true, as the concept ‘deer-resistant’ is only used to refer to plants that deer are less attracted to than other of its most preferred options.
So, you shouldn’t be carried away into thinking that deer will not eat it, as they can be tempted to if hungry.
This deer control strategy will let you activate the odds via intelligent plant selection. Growing deer-resistant plants help to prevent the disastrous effects of pests.
We have decided to give you a rundown of deer-resistant perennials, just like lavender, and are hardy plants to USDA zone 4 & 5. The most notable ones include:
1. Marigolds
Marigolds are deer-resistant perennials made up of vibrant flowers and attractive looks. Like lavender, even though it is very beautiful and appealing, pests still wouldn’t come near it.
However, they attract lots of pollinators and can be used for many things.
2. Coneflowers
Also known as Echinacea purpurea or purple coneflowers, coneflowers are mostly ideal to repel deer but also attract pollinators.
Therefore, they are the best option for butterfly gardens. These perennials are also versatile and hardy. They thrive on loamy soil and complete sun.
