Some hydrangea species are more resistant to deer than others. Particularly climbing and oakleaf hydrangeas are not as tasty to deer. If you reside in a region where there is a high deer population, we advise planting these types.
You can cover hydrangeas in the winter to stop deer from nibbling on the branches. The plants should benefit from additional winter protection as a result of this. Deer prefer to nibble on the bark of hydrangea trees, so be sure to cover the “trunk” of the plant.
Additionally, you can purchase deer repellent spray to spray on hydrangea branches and foliage. Typically, to keep your protection, you must reapply every 30 days. This is the simplest method for keeping deer away from your hydrangeas.
Hydrangeas are undoubtedly not a deer favorite in general. However, we would never classify hydrangeas as being deer resistant or proof against deer. You shouldn’t be discouraged from trying to cultivate hydrangeas in your garden if you need to take extra precautions to keep deer from devouring your lovely shrubs.
Agricultural Experiment Station in New Jersey, “Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance,” 2018
Links to Amazon products are affiliate links on this website. For purchases made using these links, we might get paid.
How can I keep deer away from my oakleaf hydrangea?
The best defense against deer damage to attractive plants like hydrangeas is a physical barrier. You can employ a variety of physical obstacles, including fencing, deer or bird netting, and chicken wire. Consider using a piece of chicken wire, netting, or a chicken wire cloche for small or recently planted hydrangeas. They can be hung on poles or draped over top of plants. It’s a fantastic technique to safeguard plants, especially when they’re at their most susceptible, such while flowerbuds are developing.
A fence is a more durable and expensive kind of physical barrier. I’ve tried a number of different sorts of fences over the years, and there are many different ways to keep deer out. I used to use 7 foot tall deer netting supported on 8 foot tall posts. This was an effective approach to prevent deer from eating my crops and delicate plants like hydrangeas. I needed a different kind of fence since there were times when deer ran right through the netting or leaped over it. Currently, my backyard is enclosed by an electric fence. It has been quite successful in keeping deer away from my flowers, bushes, and vegetable garden.
Fences made of wood or chain link are also useful for avoiding deer damage. If you garden on a tight budget, you might want to look for another deer damage repair option because they can be rather expensive. A few years back, I went to see a friend who had a cunning strategy for keeping deer away from her shrubs and perennials. She created a medium-sized gravel border 8 feet wide and installed it around the outside of her backyard. The deer avoided her yard because they disliked stepping on the uneven stones. Jumping was discouraged by the rock barrier’s 8-foot breadth. It was an imperceptible fence that worked well!
What hydrangea oakleaf is being eaten by?
Adult Japanese beetles and rose chafers consume the leaves and flowers of hydrangeas, with the Japanese beetles favoring oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). Rose chafers are reddish-brown, 1/3 inch long beetles with thick, yellow hairs covering their wing covers. Japanese beetles have coppery brown wing covers with a length of 3/8 inches. They are green and iridescent. Early summer is a good time to hand-pick both types of adult beetles as soon as they emerge and place them into a container of soapy water, which will kill them. If you leave the leaves they were feeding on, additional beetles will come looking for them. In USDA zones 5 through 9, oakleaf hydrangea can survive.
Are hydrangeas a draw for deer?
Deer do, in fact, enjoy eating hydrangeas, as you are now presumably aware. These plants’ gorgeous foliage is what draws them in the most. Therefore, if you reside in a region where deer are a common sight, your flowers may be in danger of being trampled by deer.
Deer will frequently approach your property in search of food before they see the lovely leaves of your plant. Then they’ll try to take the plants off right away so they can eat them. Naturally, this has an impact on young plants that are only a few weeks or months old. Others, especially the elderly, are able to endure the harm and live.
Are all hydrangeas eaten by deer?
regrettably, absolutely. The fragile, newly growing hydrangea plant tips are particularly beloved by deer. The elder leaves normally don’t attract them, but if they’re extremely hungry, they’ll eat even those.
Put wire cages over the smaller plants to safeguard them if you want to give your hydrangeas a greater chance of surviving but don’t want to erect a full-on fence.
Another tip I picked up this year for our garden was to place the hydrangeas in close proximity to other green plants so that they blend in and take up little space. You will benefit from the fact that deer won’t enter a small area.
Are hydrangeas immune to deer and rabbits?
If I had a nickel for every time someone questioned whether or not hydrangeas are immune to deer, I could afford to build a fence high enough to keep deer out of my yard and start growing hydrangeas once more. Hydrangeas are one of the least deer-resistant plants you’ll find at the garden center, therefore the answer to this question is obviously no.
The story is more complicated than that, though. It is true that hydrangea stems and leaves are “seldom severely destroyed” by deer, contrary to what some authority claim. This ignores the fact that they particularly like eating flowers and frequently do so when they are still tiny buds and not even visible to the human eye. Deer won’t necessarily kill or badly alter a hydrangea plant, but they won’t produce flowers, and let’s be honest: you’re definitely not planting hydrangeas for their leaves. So what should a homeowner who like hydrangeas do? You can choose from a few choices.
This would include a completely impassable fence, but it might be too costly and excessive (not to mention prohibited by a lot of building codes in residential areas due to the height required). But it might also be as easy as covering the plant with deer netting. Due to its thin threads and dark hue, this plastic mesh prevents eating and is almost invisible. In order to take into consideration the growth the plant has accumulated over the previous season, deer netting will need to be repositioned in late autumn, when the plant is entirely dormant. Due to the fact that the flower buds for the following season are already on the plant and the deer are particularly ravenous, this is especially important for old-wood blooming hydrangeas.
Repellant sprays typically deter deer from reaching the plant in the first place and, should they give it a try, prevent harm with their unpleasant taste. They are typically created out of foul-smelling substances like putrified egg solids and dried blood. Unfortunately, this also means that they frequently smell really bad to both people and animals. Usually, the smell goes away 24 hours after application. Quality repellents stay for a long time, but they do need to be reapplied as the plant grows new growth. You should be very cautious in the late spring when the buds start to form and throughout the entire flowering period. There are numerous effective repellents on the market, but Plantskydd and Liquid Fence have worked well for me.
There may be non-mixing, non-spraying repellant grains available, but in my experience with extremely high deer pressure, these are ineffective. In addition, your neighborhood garden center might sell coyote urine as a deer deterrent. Although it only works when it is freshly administered, this can be beneficial in the short term but wears off soon. Additionally, deer may not be at danger from coyotes’ inferred presence if they are already active in your region.
Finally, there are numerous more allegedly straightforward methods that, depending on how intense the deer pressure is, may or may not work, or work just momentarily. These techniques include depositing hair from a salon or barbershop among your plants, or hanging Irish Spring soap about your yard. Although I tried, neither of these have had any effect on my garden. However, I live in a fairly residential neighborhood and deer are very brave. Some people believe that having a dog or outdoor cat can provide protection, but neither of these has stopped deer from visiting my yard. In fact, they frequently jump my neighbor’s five-foot-tall picket fence to eat her hydrangeas and rosebushes, even though there are two dogs who frequently use the area and a number of neighborhood cats who occasionally stop by. In spite of everything, it’s always a good idea to start with the most straightforward approach and see if it works. For you and your deer, hopefully!
What creatures consume oak-leaf hydrangeas?
When I looked out of my front window yesterday, I saw that my oakleaf hydrangeas had lately sustained significant damage from rabbits, who had gnawed the branches to a length of about one foot on average. Will they make it? A serviceberry tree, lacecap hydrangea, rose of Sharon, and blue muffin arrowwood viburnum were all planted last year. Do I need to be concerned that the bunnies will eat these as well?
Your oakleaf hydrangea is going to make it. Simply inspect the plant’s base when the snow melts. Voles can be feasting in the surroundings as well. Even though the plant won’t flower this season if it gets eaten to the ground, it should sprout new growth. Hydrangeas with oakleaf and lace caps bloom on growth that develops from old wood. Even without flowers, oakleaf hydrangea is a delightful addition to the landscape because to its attractive bark, lovely leaves, and stunning fall color. Watch out for your other plants. These have also been observed being consumed by rabbits and voles. And in winter, they might further widen their feeding range due to the frigid weather and snow cover. To safeguard your landscape, think about spraying the plants with an animal deterrent and putting clanging pans or other fright mechanisms. Consider surrounding this and other new plantings with a 4-foot-tall hardware cloth cylinder next fall. To prevent voles and rabbits from eating the roots of the plants, bury the bottom few inches of the plant in the soil.
Is oakleaf hydrangea resistant to rabbits?
Although it can be challenging, there are several methods, such as using fence or repellents, to stop rabbits from eating your hydrangeas.
Grow Oakleaf Hydrangea Instead
Although no hydrangea is resistant to rabbits, cultivating kinds like oakleaf and climbing hydrangeas can help protect your plants because they are less appealing to rabbits.
One of the rabbit-resistant (remember, not rabbit-proof!) hydrangea cultivars is oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). With their white blossoms, they are just as attractive to the eye as many other species, but while seeking for a meal, rabbits favor other sorts.
Fencing
One of the greatest ways to prevent rabbits from eating your hydrangeas is with a fence. Since they can’t jump very high, a small fence should be sufficient to keep wild rabbits from eating your hydrangeas if that is the only animal involved.
However, one species that consumes hydrangeas is the rabbit. A simple fence around your hydrangeas won’t do much to protect them from deer because deer also enjoy eating hydrangeas.
You may get chicken wire from your neighborhood garden center, or you might already have some on hand.
Rabbits may be deterred by placing wire fencing around your plants, but you’ll need a way to fasten the bottom of it so they can’t dig beneath it. To keep them out, another choice is to install chicken wire with a lattice-style bottom.
Recall the following:
- Verify that the fence’s bottom is firmly planted and does not have any openings that rabbits could burrow through to pass through.
- Instead of only using pickets, ensure that the lowest foot or two are covered with chicken wire or welded wire.
Because they are intelligent and determined animals, rabbits might try to get over your barrier in other ways. Going through the pickets on wooden fences is one of their favorite stunts.
Motion Activated Sprinkler
Rabbits dislike abruptly getting wet. Keep rabbits, as well as deer, squirrels, raccoons, and other animals, out of your garden and away from your shrubs by using a motion-activated sprinkler.
This sprinkler is fantastic and performs exactly as it says—it turns on when it detects movement. Additionally, I urge you to purchase a trail camera so you may record this funny behavior.
Pro Tip: If you are going close to your hydrangeas, turn the sprinkler off. Additionally, if you don’t remember to turn it off, give me the video. I apologize, but that is amusing material.
Do rabbits in the wild eat hydrangeas?
Jackrabbits are born with a complete coat of hair and open eyes, and they only spend one day in the nest before they start foraging. While baby bunnies may appear adorable, keep this in mind. Cottontails are less precocious, yet they can live (and reproduce) their entire lives in a single suburban backyard. Throughout their lives, rabbits will naturally gravitate toward their preferred flowering plants, enjoying pansies, tulips, and oakleaf hydrangea in the spring, nibbling on impatiens, hybrid lilies, and oakleaf hydrangea in the summer, and enjoying a harvest of asters in the fall in September and October.
When in need, rabbits and deer both have flexible appetites, although they tend to stay away from plants with leaves or growth that is hairy, bitter, spicy, rough, woody, spiky, or toxic. These seven flowering plants may make your rabbits look for grazier lands.