Do deer eat daffodils?

When we first moved part-time to Denman Island, we naively planted a garden of peas, corn, rhubarb, an apple tree, and some flower pots. In one night, while we dreamed of our summer harvest, the local deer said, "Yummmm, thank you very much!" and --except for the rhubarb --not a single sprout remained. The Denman deer must love new residents and rookie gardeners who spread out such extravagant buffets of new plants -- perfect pleasers for the discerning deer's palatte.

When we sang our surprising-to-no-one lament about our ravished garden, our wise neighbours counselled us to plant daffodils because "deer don't eat daffodils." Eager to be once again be communing with the land, we planted three varieties of daffodils. What success! We are happy to say that every year the daffodils come up wearing their glorious colours and celebrating the arrival of each new Spring; and as far as we have observed these beautiful sign posts that Winter is truly over steadfastly remain in their pots and not in the belly's of hungry deer.

So now we successfully grow daffodils, dandelions, and rhubarb -- not the crop I imagined when starting my Island garden but one that has been approved in negotiations with the local deer committee. We have since discovered that not every Denman Island daffodil gardener is so lucky. Ask around the Island and it is not hard to find stories of deer eating daffodils. So "do deer eat daffodils?" ...the inquiry continues ... but in the meantime we have discovered that asking the question is good grist for deep philosophical debate amoungst Denman Island folks.

Stayed tuned for our next rookie Island gardeners inquiry into, "Do deer think rhubarb is rhubbish?"

Read a plaintiff letter to tulip-eating-deer at http://librarianavengers.org/2006/04/06/letter-to-the-deer-that-ate-my-tulips/

Read about varieties of deer resistant plants at http://www.deer-resistant-plants.com/

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Photo credits: Photos by Jessica at Oceanwood.

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