So you want to know – Is Mandevilla deer resistant? If you’re new to gardening, you may have heard that certain plants are deer-resistant. But what does that mean? And why is it important?

Deer can be a severe problem for gardeners—especially beginning ones. They can eat your plants down to the ground and leave them looking like a tornado hit them.

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When you’re just starting, the last thing you want to do is spend hundreds of dollars on new plants only to watch them get eaten.

That’s why it’s so important to know which plants are deer-resistant, so you don’t have to start from scratch every year!

What Does Deer-Resistant Mean?

Deer-resistant plants are plants that deer don’t like to eat. This can be due to the texture or taste of the plant or because the plant contains chemicals that make it distasteful to deer.

This is not a 100% guarantee that they won’t eat them because food scarcity changes things. But they will avoid plants in this category in favor of other things.

Mandevilla and Dipladenia are two of the best plants for growing in your garden because they’re both beautiful, colorful, and resistant to deer. 

Both of these plants are in the same family. Mandevilla is a vine with large leaves and small white flowers, while Dipladenia is more of an upright shrub with purple flowers.

Both are very low-maintenance plants that can add some color to your yard without compromising the safety of your garden!

Mandevilla

Mandevilla is a genus of about 250 species of flowering plants in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. They are native to tropical regions of the Americas and Africa, Mexico, the West Indies, and South America, with the highest diversity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dipladenia

Dipladenia is a genus of flowering plants in the family Apocynaceae, native to South America. Also known as Rocktrumpet or Butterfly Vine, Dipladenia will spread over an area if left alone. It is deer resistant and produces fragrant white flowers that attract butterflies and bees.

More Plants That Are Deer Resistant

  • Daffodils
  • Peonies
  • Poppy
  • Lamb’s Ear
  • English Ivy
  • Butterfly bush
  • Asparagus Ferns
  • Black-eyed Susan
  • Purple Coneflower

The most common types of deer-resistant plants are:

  • Vines and climbers
  • Plants with spiky foliage (e.g., rosary vine)
  • Spikey plants (e.g., yucca)
  • Brambles bushes (e.g., blackberry)

Why Do Deers Avoid These Plants?

Deer-resistant plants can be divided into three categories:

  • Plants with thick, spiny leaves
  • Plants that are toxic to deer
  • Plants with sharp thorns or spikes on their stems or leaves
  • Plants with Spiny Leaves

Plants with spiny leaves include many common ornamental plants such as barberry, cotoneaster, juniper, holly, and yew. These plants are generally evergreen and proliferate to protect from deer throughout the winter when other plantings may be dormant.

Plants That Are Toxic to Deer

Some popular plants can be toxic if eaten in significant quantities by animals such as dogs and cats and in small amounts by humans. These include Mandevilla, azalea, rhododendron, oleander, and mistletoe. These plants contain chemicals called glycosides, which can cause stomach irritation or death in larger doses.

Thorny, Spiky Plants

Plants with sharp thorns or spikes on their stems or leaves are often the first choice for deer-proof landscaping. The pointed, sturdy needles of holly and boxwood make them a tough, prickly, plant for deer to munch on.

Deer Feeding Habits

Deer are herbivores and eat a variety of plants. They feed on grasses and other vegetation but consume the leaves, flowers, and fruits of many species of trees and shrubs.

Deer will eat the bark from trees, mainly ash, oak, and beech trees. These animals also eat acorns from oak trees as a source of protein in the fall when food is scarce.

The white-tail deer is the most common species found in North America. It can be found throughout the continental United States and Canada as well as in Mexico and northern South America. The white-tail deer feeds on acorns, berries, and other types of vegetation found in its habitat.

These include grasses and leaves from shrubs such as dogwoods and sumac trees.

You can learn a lot about deer behavior by observing them in their natural habitat. You can also find out a lot by studying the plants they eat.

Several factors influence what deer eat:

  • Food availability: If preferred foods are available, deer will eat less of other forage.
  • Food preference: Many plants have developed defenses against being eaten by deer (thorns, spikes, unpleasant taste, strong odor)
  • Hunting pressure: High hunting pressure can reduce the number of deer and impact their feeding habits.

Protecting Your Garden from Deer

The most effective way to protect your garden from deer is by fencing the entire perimeter of your property. Fences can be made of wood or metal, but if you choose metal, make sure it’s a high-quality type that won’t rust easily, so it lasts longer.

Adult deer can jump over fences as tall as six feet, so make sure the wall is at least seven feet tall if possible. Fences should also be built at least three feet deep into the ground so that deer cannot dig under them easily.

Another option is mesh fencing, sometimes called deer netting or deer fencing. This type of fence is made of fine mesh material that allows light and air but blocks most plant-eating animals, such as rabbits and deer.

To protect your garden from deer, you need to create an environment that deer don’t like. This means choosing plants that deer don’t want to eat (or don’t like as much as other plants), planting them correctly, and providing food for wildlife that will keep the deer away from your garden.

Plant sage or lavender near the entrance of your garden. Deer dislike certain plant smells and tastes, such as those that are bitter or spicy. Planting spicy peppers, garlic, and other strong-smelling plants may be enough to deter them from eating other plants in your garden.

So, as mentioned above, Mandevilla and Dipladenia are deer-resistant plants. If you plant these in your garden, it is doubtful that deer will eat them due to the stomach upset they cause. To protect the other plants in your garden, follow the suggestions above.

Gary Antosh

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