Dianthus is considered a deer resistant plant. Deer do not like the texture or the taste of the blue-green leaves. They also find the sweet spicy scent of the bright pink flowers not appealing, so if you have an area of your yard or other flowers that you wish to protect from deer damage, you may want to consider planting dianthus near them along with other deer resistant plants. Many landscape designers often design flower bed borders with dianthus for this reason.
According to Rutgers University, the plants are listed as “Seldom Severely Damaged” on a scale from rarely to frequently damaged.
| Rarely Damaged |
| Seldom Severely Damaged |
| Occasionally Severely Damaged |
| Frequently Severely Damaged |
How To Keep Deer Away From Dianthus?
You do not have to take any special actions or use deer repellent to protect dianthus from deer damage. They rarely will even go near the plant as they are turned off by the scent of the flower blooms and do not find the texture of the leaves appealing to eat.
Will Dianthus Come Back After Deer Eat Them?
Because deer will often just take a few nibbles of your dianthus plant before moving on to a more appealing plant, they are rarely damaged. If your plants are eaten by a few roaming deer or other wildlife, just cut back or prune any damaged branches, and your plant should be just fine.
Sources: Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station ‘Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance’ 2018
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Author Janice Cox - Published 12-15-2021 |