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Is Lavender Deer Resistant? (Explained)

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Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 11:41 am

As a gardener, you’ll notice that pests eat almost anything in your garden. Well, lavender can be an exception to this as it repels most animals.

Nonetheless, if you have wild deer in your neighborhood, you might wonder whether they pose a threat to your lavender.

So, is lavender deer resistant? WellDeer aren’t attracted to the exquisite fragrance of lavender. So, lavender is deer-resistant. Deer hate fragrant blooms. So, they will stay away from herbs like lavender and will never approach sweet-smelling flowers.

Is Lavender Deer And Rabbit Resistant?

Some of us believe that deer and rabbits eat any vegetation within their reach. However, this is not true because deer and rabbits may avoid plants with rough and sticky nature alongside plants with spiny protection like cacti and American Holly.

They also turn down plants with sweet fragrant leaves or blooms. This perennial herb possesses a pleasant fragrance and may smell nice to us, but this same fragrance scares deer and rabbits away. They don’t like the scent. Lavender is deer and rabbit resistant.

Deer don’t like lavender plants and find this herb less attractive compared to other choices. However, lavender is a deer-resistant perennial amongst other plants like salvia, germander, and bearded iris. Mosquitoes also tend to avoid lavenders.

Most Farmers and gardeners tend to appreciate this feature. Deer will not damage the beautiful blooms of most herbs. Nonetheless, deer can have little bits from your lavender plant if it’s starving and has no other choices.

Still, in normal conditions,  the lavender plants are deer resistant. It is also noteworthy that some deer-resistant plants could be poisonous to humans.

Other perennials that are deer and rabbit resistant include anemones, sedum geranium, and allium. Aromatic herbs like lavender with deer and rabbit resistance include catmint and thyme.

They favor our soups but resist rabbits and deer. It’s quite easy for you to ascertain the safety of your lavender bushes. Unfortunately, humans sometimes underrate deer and rabbits. Other animals such as moles and squirrels can also mess up our gardens to a large extent.

Quickly note again that a lavender plant is not fully deer and rabbit proof. Lavender is not just a big part of their diet.

Do Deer And Rabbit Eat Lavender Plants?

Deer and rabbits will choose the tastiest plants in their range or a garden if given many choices around. Nonetheless, they have appetites just like humans, so they can discern certain floras as appetizing and others as awful.

 These two animals, particularly, deer have invaded our farms, gardens, and even landscape over the last few years or decades.

They have engulfed shrubs from the ground level to where they can easily reach. As a result, we have had to protect our shrubs and evergreen.

We are often confused about whether rabbits and deer eat lavender plants because several animals enjoy feasting on lavender plants. They could destroy your lavender shrubs and the ambiance of your garden. Well, deer and rabbits resist lavenders.

 They’re usually not attracted to this scent. It’s a natural odor that deters them away. Deer and rabbits don’t eat lavender plants.

When you plant lavender shrubs, you’re usually a step closer to protecting your plant from deer and rabbits. Lavender bushes cannot satisfy them, so they avoid it. This herb will willingly send them away, and they will not return anytime soon.

You could even use rabbit and deer’s unpalatability to lavender plants as an advantage and trick. Plant lavender bushes or shrubs around your garden of non-resistible deer and rabbit herbs and see how your garden will bloom.

From outside, they’ll feel they’re all lavenders. They’ll the outside lavenders not knowing the inner secret content. Sounds great right

Deer and rabbits don’t eat lavenders and prefer other plants instead of it, that’s right. Although note that if they get too hungry and famine, they’ll eat anything that fills their stomach, even the grasses that biologists say they cannot digest.

Lavenders may be their last option if there’s extreme famine although, this is rare. Deer and rabbits generally don’t eat lavenders.

What Do Deer Hate The Smell Of?

The smell of or from some plants, animals, or any stuff could repel deer. So they’re often called deer repellent or deterrents.

Deer generally hates the putrid smells from chili peppers, eggs, and garlic. Deer consider this smell offensive. They also deter the smell of sulfur-containing compounds like rotten eggs.

 The sniff from blood meals, human hair, fabric softener sheets, creosote, and processed sewage could also repel a deer.

Fragrances from some plants are also offensive to them. These plants are highly aromatic perennials like Artemisia, tansy, and yarrow. The scent of mint, thyme, oregano, and chives could also send them away.

It would you that deer even deters the smell of human urine, yes they do. Peeing from a stand-alone will scare deer away.

The mistake most people make is thinking that all smells that deter deer need to be offensive to humans too. This misconception is false.

You shouldn’t just assume. For example, soaps containing coconut oil could attract them though they also hate the smell of soap.

You could even protect your garden or plants from deer by keeping the scents of these deer deterrents around. But, unfortunately, they’ll not come close.

Conclusion

Even though deer love fruits like apples, blueberries, blackberries, and nuts such as hickory nuts, it often finds lavender unattractive. Lavender is a deer and rabbit perennial herb that scares both rabbits and deer away.

Deer and rabbits may consume lavender plants only if they’re famished and have no other choices. However, this case is rare and uncommon. They don’t eat lavender plants!

Though scents from Apple attract deer, the smell from some aromatic plants like thyme and chive could send them away. They hate it. Smells from rotten eggs, human hair, and bloody meals will do the same.

Human urine will also slightly go in the line. The list is endless.

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