Deers harm plants and leave to eat them. Meanwhile, they also trample over plants if they do not find the plants as significant.
Saving the trees from the harm of the deer is tough. Far now, there are some plants that are regarded as deer-resistant to some extent.
Following the below tips and information regarding salvia and if deers eat salvia or not would give you an idea of if it is suitable for your yard or not.
Deer eat salvia
Deer do not eat salvia. Salvia is one of the plants which are considered deer-resistant. Moreover, they would not even dare to touch salvia even when they are hungry. Though there is a slight chance that the plants might get harmed. The smell and taste of salvia are not suitable for the deers.
Table of Contents
Deers love to eat plants, herbs, flowers, and even leaves. Deers mostly damage the leaves and flowers and eat the bushes instead. There are few plants that can repel deers. Well, it is very difficult to find a plant which is completely deer-resistant.
Salvia nemorosa:
Salvia nemorosa requires low maintenance to grow properly. Even sunlight is required for the salvia to grow. You can keep them around as the plant is deer-resistant. They can grow up to a lower height.
Salvia guarantica:
Salvia guarantica is a deer resistant salvia. It is a bushy plant. Well, deer love bushes to eat. Yet, in the case of salvia, they would resist themselves.
These purple color plants are best grown under sunlight. Moreover, the plants can even withstand heat and drought.
Salvia hispanica:
Salvia hispanica is one of the effective plants which are good for health. The seeds of Salvia hispanica are known as chia seeds. The plants are deer-resistant and even the seeds.
Apart from that, the seeds can work for maintaining good health. Keeping them around would benefit anyone.
Annual salvia:
Annual salvia grows best under 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Salvia mainly grows annually and less care is required. It is good to resist deer in the garden but if the deer invades, the plant is most likely to get eaten.
Purple salvia:
Purple salvia has a beautiful color which would suit a garden. Even though it has more bushes, due to the smell of the leaves and flowers it would keep away the deer.
They can also repel insects so that plants are not affected.
Red salvia:
Apart from having purple color salvia, there is also red salvia. Red salvia can protect the garden from the deers.
Even the flowers would add a remark to the garden. Different color vibes would enhance the beauty of the yard.
Do deer eat salvia plants and flowers?
No, deer do not eat salvia plants and neither do their flowers. Deers usually have all types of plants, shrubs, and flowers. If they cannot have the plants, they would go trampling them.
Well, there are some plants that are also ignored by the deers. Deers do not waste their efforts on plants that they do not like.
Salvia plants and flowers do not go with the taste of the deers. Deers do not eat salvia plants and flowers, even would ignore the plants if they find any.
Salvia has a strong odor. Meanwhile, deers do not like strong smells at all. Does not matter if it is a scented fragrance or not.
Salvia spreads its fragrance all over the place. That’s why deers also ignore them. Moreover, salvia does not appear as delicious to the deers.
Deers would not eat something distasteful. They might chew the flowers out of curiosity and throw them away.
Do deer like to eat salvias?
No, deers do not like to eat salvia at all. Deers also have preferences to eat foods. They do not like to eat everything especially when they are not hungry.
Deers can almost eat anything while they are hungry but would choose food if they have options to eat.
But they would not eat salvia, even if there is plenty of salvias present around them. They do not like to eat foods that do not taste good. Moreover, the strong fragrance of the purple color salvia flowers would keep the deers a mile away.
Deers are sensitive to smell and cannot have foods that have a strong odor. They would not even go near those plants with a strong odor. And salvia is one of those flowers which can repel deer.
3 reasons why deer will not eat salvia
Deers cannot resist plants and shrubs. Salvia is a violet-colored flower plant that can spread throughout the field. Well, it requires proper sunlight to grow.
Even if you plant salvia in an open field still deer would not look at them. Certain reasons for deer not eating salvia are given below.
Smell:
Salvia has a strong smell and you can sense it from away. The fragrance might seem approachable to humans but to deers, the odor is toxic and creates discomfort.
Deers do not like plants with a strong smell. They take those plants as toxic. Deers become uncomfortable due to the smell of the plants.
As a result, they always keep themselves away from such plants. The strong smell of salvia is a reason why deers keep them away from salvia.
Taste:
Deers do not eat plants that they do not like. Sometimes, they would chew the plants and throw them away as it does not taste well. Apart from that, they would also trample the plants if the plants are of lower height.
Apparently, salvia is not of good taste to them. They would not take salvia even if they are spread all over as distasteful foods are not their choice.
Not hungry:
Deers would almost eat anything, even the deer-resistant plant, if they are hungry. Starving deer is dangerous. Though there is a little chance that deer would eat salvia if they are hungry. Mostly they would not go near the salvia plants.
Are all salvias deer resistant?
Almost all the salvias are deer resistant. Salvia mostly comes in violet or purple color. Apart from that, there are also red and blue color salvia which can work as a deer repellent.
Salvia is known to have a strong smell. Though the odor might look like a fragrance to humans, it can be disgusting to the deer.
Deers are usually sensitive to the smell and always ignore the plants which have a strong smell. Even if they are hungry they would try to keep themselves away from those plants. If the foods are hardly available, there might be some exceptions.
Some of the tender plants can be eaten by deer. Deer would have tender tips and bushes. They would definitely keep themselves away unless they are too hungry.
What salvia is deer resistant?
Almost all the salvia are deer resistant. You can pick any salvia and it would protect the rest of the plants from the deers.
Salvia nemorosa:
Deers eat tender tips, bushes, flowers, and even the leaves of the plants. Salvia is full of bushes and newly planted salvia is also edible for deers.
Salvia guarantica:
The strong smell would not let the deer come near the salvia.
Salvia hispanica:
Deers would not go near Salvia hispanica as the sages might taste bitter to them.
Annual salvia:
Annual salvia is most fragile as they have a tender structure. In the worst cases, they can get devoured.
Purple salvia:
The most common salvia which keeps deers away.
Red salvia:
Deer would rather like to keep them away. Still, when there is a scarcity of food, they would have the salvia as there is no choice left.
Final Thoughts
Overall, saliva is deer resistant. Almost all of them have a strong fragrance which is enough to drive the deers away. One can plant salvia along with other plants to keep the deer away. Moreover, the colorful flowers would go along in the yard and the yard would be safe from deers.