Welcome to the colorful world of hibiscus! These vibrant blooms are a sight to behold in any garden. If you share your green space with the deer, you might wonder if these flowers will survive. In our blog “Are Hibiscus Deer Resistant? Let’s Find Out!”, we dive into the heart of the matter.
Join us as we explore whether these striking flowers are just a tasty snack for Bambi, or if they have a fighting chance to grace your garden with their presence all season long. 🌺🦌
Contents
Is Hibiscus Deer Resistant?
Hibiscus plants are generally considered to be deer-resistant. However, this doesn’t mean they are completely immune to deer. For example, the Rose of Sharon variety is seldom severely damaged by deer, while the hardy hibiscus can occasionally be severely damaged. Deer might nibble on the flowers and leaves of hibiscus plants, especially in harsh conditions or when food is scarce.
To protect your hibiscus, plant deer-resistant foliage around them, use repellents, or even build a fence if necessary.
How to Stop Deer From Eating Hibiscus?
1. Choose Deer Resistant Garden Plants
To protect your hibiscus plants and garden from deer, we recommend you plant deer-resistant plants that can act as a natural deterrent. As we know, hibiscus plants are generally deer-resistant, but, may still be nibbled on occasionally. So, if you surround your hibiscus with plants like coneflowers, snapdragon, daffodils, lavender, and poppies can help keep deer at bay.
Note: Avoid planting roses, daylilies, azaleas, and pansies near your hibiscus, as these can attract deer.
2. Scatter Human Hair Clippings Around Hibiscus Plants
This may sound weird, but, it’s one of the useful tricks to keep deer out of your garden. All you need to do is scatter hair clippings around your hibiscus plants or garden beds. Deer don’t like the scent of human hair clipping, it’s unpleasant for them, and they generally avoid places occupied by humans. So, we recommend you collect hair clippings from the salon, and, place them near your plants, it will help to deter deer, and, save your garden without using any chemicals.
Remember to replace hair clippings on a regular time basis, because the scent might diminish over a certain period of time.
3. Scare Deer to Keep Them Away From Your Garden
There are many ways to scare deer or other animals, to keep them out of reach of hibiscus plants and your garden beds. If you are a pet parent, it is advisable to designate your dog to deter deer from entering your garden. This is because their scent glands can spread throughout the garden, thereby reducing deer confidence in coming near your hibiscus plant.
Apart from this, you can also use wind chime sound to scare them off and hang pie plates or CDs around your plants, it will help you to keep deer out of the garden. Or, another best option is to install a solar ultrasonic animal repeller in your garden. The moment deer will enter and come near plants, they will reflect lights and sound. It will scare them off, and eventually, they will avoid coming back.
These scare tricks will surely save your hibiscus plant and garden from getting damaged by deer attacks.
4. Use Soap to Deter Deer Away From Your Garden
Well, the deer-smelling potential is nine times more powerful than humans, they can easily smell anything from a half mile away. So, you can easily use this as your benefit point.
Didn’t get me?🤔 No worries, allow me to explain to you with a quick trick😉
Firstly, you need to choose a strong deodorant soap bar. After that, start placing them around your hibiscus plants, garden beds, vegetable beds, or flower beds. Additionally, you can make a hole in soap bars and hang them with the help of string around your plants. In this way, you can give full safeguard to your garden.
Once you are done with your task, wait for the deer to come. Soon, you will observe they will avoid coming back to your yard, or near your hibiscus plant because deer cannot withstand the smell of the soap odor.
This simple trick helped you accomplish your goal.🧼
Read; Keeping rabbits out of garden!; How to get rid of ants in potted plants?
Will Hibiscus Come Back After Deer Eat Them?
Yes, my pal! Your hibiscus plant will come back again, but, there is no guarantee. The regrowth largely depends on the extent of damage caused by deer or other animals. Moreover, the hibiscus plant is also known for its resilience. If any greenery is left in the soil, then it has a chance to grow back.
As we know, deer are fond of eating hibiscus leaves and flowers. If they have consumed everything, the chances of the plant thriving again are slim. It’s important to protect your garden and hibiscus plants from deer.
Now that you’re well-informed about the various tips and tricks to safeguard your hibiscus plants from deer, go ahead and secure your garden.
Read more; 7 Best Ways to Keep Birds off Porch!; How do you keep raccoons out of your yard?
FAQs
What plants do deer hate the most?
Deer avoid strong fragrance plants such as coneflower, bleeding heart, marigolds, lavender, mint, oregano, poppies, rosemary, thyme, sage, etc…
What animals are attracted to hibiscus?
Animals that enjoy eating hibiscus plants are; deer, groundhogs, squirrels, insects, rabbits, iguanas, etc… To protect your plant, you need to try tricks like using fencing, and repellents, or planting them alongside plants that these animals don’t find appealing.
Are hibiscus pest resistant?
The hibiscus plant is a tempting target for many pests. It encounters common issues including root rot, leaf spot, powdery mildew, botrytis blight, rust, and wilt disease. Additionally, aphids and whiteflies are among the pests that can affect hibiscus, causing damage such as leaf curling and stunted growth.
Do deer or rabbits eat hibiscus?
Oh, yes! Both deer and rabbits like to eat hibiscus plants. It has been observed that deer likes long leaves and eat foliage and flowers. On the other hand, these hibiscus leaves act as a tasty treat for rabbits due to their bright colors and sweet-tangy flavors. So, if you want to protect your garden from these animals, then go for the fencing trick, it will surely give you a positive outcome in keeping deer, and rabbits out of your garden.
What is eating my hibiscus at night?
Most probably, caterpillars, slugs, grasshoppers, or beetles are chewing your hibiscus at night. They like nibbling new young leaves of hibiscus. It is advisable to regularly clean your garden, handpick pests, or use pest repellent to keep them away from your gardening beds.
Hello, I’m Rose Lehman, the content writer of cozynest. I have been a gardener for over 5 years, and I have a certificate in master gardening from the Oregon State University Extension Service. I enjoy writing about all aspects of gardening, from the basics to the advanced, and from the practical to the creative. I also love to explore different types of gardens, cultures, and styles, and share them with our readers. My goal is to inspire and inform our audience, and help them grow their own cozynest.
