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Do Deer Eat Dogwood Trees? (Read This First!)

Generally, deer tend to eat any type of grass, herb, plant, and shrub as they are herbivorous animals. Sometimes they may eat anything that comes their way. In today’s article, we will discuss if deer can eat dogwood trees. 

Do deer eat dogwood trees?  

In general, dogwood trees are considered deer-resistant plants. Although, deer may consider eating the dogwood trees occasionally or rarely. The leafy growth pattern and stocky trunks of dogwood trees attracts the deer. However, most of the dogwood species are considered deer resistant. 

Sometimes you may have seen your well-maintained gardens getting damaged by foraging deer. If you are living in a deer-infested area, deer may often come to your garden in search of food and eat the plants and leaves from the trees from your garden. 

As a result, the plants may sustain serious damage and may not grow back again. That is why it can cause you big trouble and disrupt the growth of the plants. You can try planting dogwood trees because they are considered deer-resistant plants. 

The texture and the fragrance of dogwood are not liked by the deer. There are a variety of species of dogwood trees and most of them are considered deer resistant. 

As a result, if they are in search of food and hungry, they may come to your garden and eat the dogwood trees because of their leafy growth pattern and stalky trunks. 

Below is a brief discussion on a few parts of dogwood, and discussed if they are deer resistant or not:  

Dogwood berries and blooms:

Generally, the deer tends to eat any fruit from a plant that is not too smelly and edible. So, they can eat dogwood berries. But they do not like to eat the blooms if they are not hungry enough.

Dogwood leaves: 

Since the deer is an herbivorous animal, they would like to eat any leaves, shrubs, plants, and fruits. So, dogwood leaves can be considered an ideal option for them to eat.

Young dogwood plants and bushes: 

The deer may only choose to eat dogwood plants and bushes if they are hungry enough. Since the young dogwood plants and bushes do not contain many leaves and shrubs to eat, most of the time the deer avoids them.

Flowering dogwood trees: 

Deer would not like to eat flowering dogwood trees. They usually avoid eating them due to their fragrance, which the deer cannot resist.

Are dogwoods deer resistant? 

Generally, dogwood plants are considered deer resistant as they contain some compounds that help to keep the deer away from your garden.

In addition to that, the dogwood plants are preferred by most homeowners for their garden due to their smelling compound which helps to keep various insects and animals out of the garden. 

This disrupts the growth of the plants as well. So, you can consider planting dogwood plants in your garden to prevent the deer from coming inside of your garden. Below is a brief discussion on whether the other breeds of dogwood are deer-resistant:

Pink dogwood: 

Pink dogwood works great to keep the deer away from your garden because of its smelling compounds. You can simply plant pink dogwood in your garden and the deer will leave the pink dogwood from eating them.

Red twig dogwood: 

Although the red twig dogwood is deer resistant, the shrubs of red twig dogwood are preferred by the deer. Sometimes they may eat the red twig dogwood plants and shrubs of them when they are hungry enough and in search of food.

Red osier dogwood: 

Red osier dogwood is a great deer deterrent plant. You can simply plant the red osier dogwood in your garden to increase the beauty of your garden. 

The shrubs of red osier dogwood reach 6 to 9 feet when mature. Sometimes the deer may consider eating them when they’re hungry.

Kousa dogwood: 

The Kousa dogwood is a deer deterrent and helps to prevent pests from striking on your garden plants. 

It is very easy to maintain the Kousa dogwood. Generally, the deer do not like the Kousa dogwood, but they may eat the Kousa dogwood fruit when they’re hungry.

Silky dogwood: 

Silky dogwood does not help to deter the deer from your garden. The shrubs and the leaves of this plant are a favorite food for the deer. 

Generally, the deer tend to eat the stems and leaves of silky dogwood during winter. You can try planting silky dogwood for the deer so that they do not go for the other trees.

Gray dogwood: 

Gray dogwood is quite helpful to prevent the deer from coming inside your garden. They will also help to prevent the white-tailed deer from getting inside your garden and damaging the other plants along with it. 

Yellow twig dogwood: 

Yellow twig dogwood is an effective deer-resistant plant and can be grown in a wide range of weather conditions. But it is best to grow the plants during the winter.

Pagoda dogwood: 

Generally, the pagoda dogwood is popular for its shape. It is a great deer-resistant plant and can tolerate deer damage from growing back. It will make your garden deer resistant, but not deer-proof. So, it will only keep the deer away

Ivory halo dogwood shrub:

The leaves and flowers of Ivory halo dogwood are deer resistant. The shrubs are also effective to prevent the deer from coming inside your garden and damaging the plant. So, you can use it as a deer repellent.

Do deer like dogwood trees? 

Although the deer do not like the dogwood trees, which makes these plants an effective option to use as a deer-resistant plant in the garden, they may still eat them when they are desperate in search of food and hungry enough. 

They do not like it because of the smelling compounds of the dogwood trees. In addition to that, the deer will only eat the leaves and the shrubs of the dogwood trees when they are hungry enough and in search of food. 

However, not all dogwood species are deer-resistant. The dogwood plants will only make your garden deer-resistant, not deer-proof. 

How do I protect my dogwood trees from deer? 

Generally, the dogwood trees are considered deer-resistant plants, sometimes they may come to your garden and eat the dogwood plants if they are hungry enough and in search of food. 

If you are living in a deer-infested area, you may face the deer invasion in your garden very frequently. As a result, the plants in your garden may get damaged and this will disrupt the growth of the plants. 

That is why many gardeners prefer to plant dogwood trees in their garden to prevent the deer from coming inside it. In addition to that, there are some benefits of planting dogwood trees in your garden. 

If the deer likes to eat the leaves and shrubs from the dogwood trees, it will help you to save the other plants from the deer invasion. Not all dogwood species are deer-resistant. 

Some of them are liked by the deer. In addition to that, most gardeners prefer to plant dogwood trees in their garden for many reasons apart from deer resistance. 

In case you are willing to protect the dogwood plant in your garden from the deer, you can simply follow the tips mentioned below to keep the deer away from your garden & plants: 

Make physical barriers: 

The best way to prevent the deer from coming inside of your garden and damaging the dogwood trees is to make physical barriers or fences around them. 

Your fences should reach a certain height which makes it difficult for the deer to climb them. 

So, you can encircle your garden by applying chicken mesh wire fences that are 48 to 60 inches high. This will help you to prevent the deer from coming inside your garden and damaging the dogwood trees.

Apply deer repellent: 

Whenever there is a problem with the deer invasion in your garden, applying deer repellents will provide you with the best solution. 

There are many natural and homemade deer repellents, such as egg white, essential oils, and smelling compounds that are sprinkled all over the garden to keep the deer away from your garden and prevent them from coming inside of it. 

Mass planting in the garden: 

Mass planting is another idea that you can apply to keep the deer away from your garden. 

You can plant a variety of trees that will keep no room for the deer to enter your garden. This is how you can stop them from coming inside of your garden and damaging the dogwood trees by eating them.

Final Thoughts:

Generally, the dogwood trees are a great option to use as deer-resistant plants and save the other plants in the garden. However, the smelling compound in the dogwood flowers prevents the deer from coming inside. But the shrubs and leaves of dogwood plants are preferred by the deer.