Nature is the best provider, which makes it possible for animals to eat food that is agreeable to their tastes. Deers, for instance, are herbivores but they do not eat all plants, instead select the ones they like while avoiding or being resistant to few others.
Are dipladenia & mandevilla deer resistant?
Dipladenia is a plant in the mandevilla plant family and they are both deer resistant. Deers tend to sample every plant in their vicinity to check which ones they prefer and dipladenia and mandevilla are usually ignored by them if other food is available and will only eat them if they are hungry.
What is deer resistance? What makes a plant deer resistant?
Deer resistant is a term that can be used to describe plants which deers will avoid eating. They will only ever eat this if there is no other food available and they are starving. Deers may avoid eating them for various different reasons.
This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if you share your garden or yard with deers. You can plant trees that they are resistant to and this will help deter them from munching on your herbs or shrubs. This way you can keep both your deer and plants in the same place.
One of the main things about a plant that makes deers resistant to them is if they are too fragrant. Plants with strong scents even if it is a pleasant smell can make it unappealing for deers.
Deers find them to be ‘stinky’. Ornamental salvias, lavender, peonies and sage are a few fragrant plants that deers steer clear of due to their smell.
Deers will also happily miss out on eating plants that have thorns in the stems or those who have prickly or furry stems or leaves. The appearances and texture do not prompt deers to eat them. Lamb’s ear is one of those plants that deers avoid.
Lastly, deers are smart enough to stay away from plants that are poisonous or toxic to them for obvious reasons. This includes foxgloves, daffodils and poppies which are toxic to deers.
Will deer eat Dipladenia and Mandevilla plants & flowers?
If food they like to eat is readily available then deers will completely ignore dipladenia or mandevilla plants as they do not like these plants.
However, when their preferred food sources are scarce, they will eventually start to eat dipladenia and mandevilla to fight off hunger but that does not mean they particularly like eating them or will continue to eat them after finding food they like.
Diplandia and mandevilla plants are both deer resistant which makes deers always steer clear of them and only eat them when hungry with no other food around.
Botanists say that deers’ aversion to mandevilla may be due to the fact that it has leaves that are small and less succulent than other plants of the same family.
Dipladenia plants and bushes:
Deers will most likely not eat dipladenia plants or bushes even if it is readily available to them. And will avoid it in favour of other plants such as hostas or daylilies.
Dipladenia flower:
Despite being so beautiful and eye-catching, diplandia flowers are also avoided by deers. Deers will only eat them when they can’t find any other food sources in their vicinity and must eat something to satisfy their hunger.
Rio Dipladenia plants:
Rio dipladenia plants don’t hold much appeal for deers either and mostly get ignored in favour of other plants as deers don’t eat them.
Mandevilla plants and vines:
Mandevilla plants and vines are mostly ignored by deers and they will most likely not eat it, so your beautiful mandevilla plant and vines will be safe from them.
But they might sample it for an initial taste and the plant will most probably recover from that in a few days.
Mandevilla laxa plants:
Mandevilla laxa plants come with leaves that are small in size and also not very succulent, which makes them an unappetizing food for deers.
They will stay away from mandevilla laxa plants until their food runs out and they have nothing else left to gorge on.
Yellow Mandevilla plants:
Yellow mandevilla plants are also protected from deers as they too don’t hold much appeal for deers.
But sometimes deers will wander over and munch on their flowers and leaves if they can’t find any other food which can be bad for the growth of the tree as it has the potential to stunt the growth.
But in most cases they are safe from deers. It is important to keep food that deers like available, so they won’t feel compelled to eat everything in sight.
What is the difference between a Mandevilla and a Dipladenia?
Dipladenia plants are a part of the mandevilla plant family but they come with their own unique features, that are dissimilar to mandevilla plants. Their growth pattern and a few other things are different from mandevilla and makes it easier to identify them.
Growth structure:
Mandevilla and Dipladenia are distinguishable by the structure they take while growing.
Mandevilla will begin to vine and it’s tendrils will reach up a long height with the right support while Dipladenia tends to grow in a bush form and doesn’t vine. The good thing is they can both be potted and kept indoors.
Foliage:
You can tell the two plants apart even before they have begun flowering just by looking at their foliage or leaves.
You will notice that Mandevilla leaves are long and narrow with a rough and textured feel to them while Dipladenia has leaves that are wider and shaped like hearts with a more thick, leather-smooth, glossy finish.
Flowers:
The flowers of diplandia and mandevilla flowers may look the same but if compared to one another they can be distinguished by size and colour.
Dipladenia flowers tend to be a bit smaller than mandevilla flowers and also blooms flowers in a variety of red, white, yellow and pink shades, whereas, you will find that mandevilla flowers are a bit larger and mainly come in varying shades of red depending which stage of their life they are at.
Resilience against temperature:
Temperature plays a huge role in the growth of plants and Dipladenia is a resilient plant that can grow in many different temperatures.
But they mainly thrive in places with warm temperature while Mandevilla also grows well in warm temperature, it does not have the ability to survive in very cold places and can even lose life if the temperature isn’t up to their liking.
Are Dipladenia and Mandevilla poisonous to other animals or pets? Do animals eat them?
Dipladenia and Mandevilla are not poisonous to other animals or pets but there are plants in the mandevilla family that can be poisonous for animals.
However, despite not being poisonous, dipladenia and mandevilla can cause discomfort and stomach issues if ingested, mainly in large quantities by animals. Especially those with pre-existing stomach conditions.
Even though most animals ignore them and don’t think they are appetizing enough to eat them, sometimes pets have a tendency to lick these plants out of sheer curiosity which can be harmful if the leaves or flowers are sprayed with pesticides or insect repellents. This can make them sick.
In order to help keep pets safe, let us look at a list of pets that might try to eat mandevilla or Dipladenia and if it is poisonous to them.
Dogs:
Dipladenia or Mandeville are not plants that should be fed to dogs even though they are not listed as toxic by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Because plants similar to them have been found to contain levels of toxicity in them. Dogs might snife the plants but it is unlikely that they will try to eat them.
Cats:
Mandevilla and Dipladenia plants are not listed as toxic to cats but it is best not to allow them to eat it as it is not exactly an edible food for cats. And cats aren’t known to eat them or care for them much even if they are available.
Chickens:
Neither Mandeville or Dipladenia are known to contain levels of toxicity, so chicken will be safe near them. Chickens might try to pick them up with their peck if they find them on the ground but it is unlikely they will eat these plants.
Rabbits:
Rabbits are naturally resistant to mandevilla or dipladenia, so it is unlikely they will try to eat either of them. And since they are not strongly toxic to rabbits, it is okay to keep them in the same vicinity.
Final Thought:
Dipladenia and Mandevilla are both plants that are deer resistant. Deers are not known to actively seek these out to eat and in most cases will completely ignore them and eat plants with taste that agrees with their taste buds. They might eat these plants only when their favoured food is scarce.