Deer foraging in gardens is a common nuisance for many homeowners. If you’ve planted chamomile or are considering doing so, you may be wondering if deer will eat this fragrant herb.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: deer often avoid strong smelling plants like chamomile, but they may nibble on it during times when other food is scarce.
Read on as we take a closer look at deer diets, chamomile’s scent and flavor qualities that influence herbivore grazing patterns, and tips for discouraging deer from disturbing your chamomile patch.
Understanding the General Grazing Habits of Deer
Deer Are Opportunistic, Generalist Herbivores
As herbivores, deer consume a wide variety of plant material including buds, twigs, leaves, fruits, nuts, berries, and more. Deer are considered “opportunistic, generalist herbivores” which means they will eat almost any plant that is available to them based on the season and habitat (1).
This allows them to adapt to changing environments and food sources throughout the year.
Deer don’t have upper incisors, so they aren’t able to graze grass down to ground level like cattle. Instead, they browse selectively on buds, twigs, leaves, fruits and other plant parts within their reach.
Their diet consists of about 80-90% woody browse material and 10-20% herbaceous plants, fruits, mushrooms and agriculture crops when available (2).
Spring and Summer Diet Versus Fall and Winter Choices
A deer’s diet shifts significantly between spring/summer and fall/winter seasons. In the spring and summer months when plants are actively growing, deer browse on readily available green vegetation including (3):
- Herbaceous plants – grasses, sedges, clover, alfalfa
- Leaves, twigs, buds from woody plants like oak, hickory, dogwood, sumac, vine maples
- Fruits and berries as they become ripe – wild grapes, blackberries, blueberries, apples, acorns
In fall and winter, deer adapt to less abundant food sources by browsing on (4):
- Woody twigs and stems from trees and shrubs
- Dried herbaceous plants
- Bark from some trees and shrubs
- Conifer needles from pines, hemlocks, cedars
- Persisting fruits like apples, acorns, beechnuts
The ability to shift between seasons and food sources is key to deer’s survival across diverse habitats.
How Scent and Taste Influence What Deer Eat
Two key factors that influence a deer’s food selection are scent and taste. A deer’s sense of smell is highly important for finding food. Deer have approximately 297 million olfactory receptors compared to only about 6 million in humans (5).
They can detect odors up to a mile away if the wind carries it (6).
Deer often smell and taste plants to determine if they should feed on them or not. Plants with strong scents, like herbs, can deter deer. Deer tend to prefer sweeter tasting plants and avoid bitter, sour or extremely spicy flavors.
For example, deer favor clover over grasses because it is more palatable.
Understanding how scent and taste impact deer feeding preferences can help predict and modify deer damage to gardens and landscaping. For example, sprinkling dried blood meal fertilizer on plants can deter deer due to its strong odor.
Planting herbs like lavender, thyme, oregano near more desirable plants may also discourage deer browsing.
Evaluating Characteristics of Chamomile Plants
Strong Scent
One of the most notable characteristics of chamomile plants is their strong and pleasant floral aroma. When walking through a garden or field where chamomile is growing, you’ll likely smell its sweet, apple-like fragrance before you see the delicate white flowers.
This is because chamomile contains high levels of aromatic compounds like chamazulene and alpha-bisabolol, which give it a distinctive smell.
In fact, chamomile has one of the strongest scents of any herb used for tea, essential oils, or potpourri. The flowers and leaves release their fruity, herbaceous aroma when crushed or steeped in hot water. Many people find the smell of chamomile to be soothing and evocative of fresh summer blooms.
This powerful scent comes from chamomile’s natural essential oils, which also provide anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, and sedative properties.
So if you catch a whiff of sweet apple and honey notes while walking outdoors, chances are there’s some chamomile growing nearby! The plants’ fragrant volatile compounds serve to attract pollinators while also warding off potential threats thanks to their antimicrobial effects.
Bitter Taste
In contrast to its pleasing floral smell, chamomile has a decidedly bitter, vegetal taste. The chemicals that give chamomile its potent aroma also imbue it with a somewhat astringent flavor.
Chamomile tea and other preparations have a grassy, dry taste that many find refreshing yet unfamiliar. The slight bitterness comes from compounds like coumarin, flavonoids, and tannins that are present in chamomile flowers and leaves. So don’t expect a chamomile tea to taste as sweet as it smells!
However, the bitterness is relatively mild, especially when chamomile is blended with other herbs like spearmint. It does not have an overpowering or unpleasant flavor. In fact, some people enjoy the gentle bitter notes as a contrast to extremely sweet teas.
The taste also develops nicely when chamomile is infused in warm water or alcohol to make tea, tinctures, and other beverages. Steeping smoothes out the bitter edges while allowing the floral aromatics to shine through.
So if you find chamomile a little too bitter at first taste, try brewing it into a soothing cup of herbal tea – you may learn to love this unique flavor profile!
Documented Experiences with Deer and Chamomile
Anecdotal Reports from Gardeners
Chamomile has long been a popular addition to herb gardens, prized for both its calming tea and its attractive daisy-like flowers. Many gardeners have noted that deer tend to leave chamomile plants alone, even when grazing heavily on other plants nearby.
On gardening forums and in books, chamomile is often recommended as a deer-resistant plant that can be grown in areas with high deer populations.
For example, one gardener in Virginia commented that deer devoured every plant in her garden except the chamomile. Another in Connecticut said that chamomile was one of the only flowers she could grow successfully because the deer never touched it.
The anecdotal evidence from gardeners certainly seems to suggest that deer do not favor the taste of chamomile.
Research on Deer Repellent Properties of Chamomile Oil
A few scientific studies have investigated using chamomile oil as a natural deer repellent. In one study published in the Journal of Economic Entomology, researchers tested chamomile oil and several other essential oils for their ability to deter deer from feeding on ornamental plants.
They found that chamomile oil reduced deer grazing by 83% compared to untreated plants. The researchers concluded that chamomile oil shows promise as an effective, non-toxic deer repellent.
Another study by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station evaluated chamomile oil as a spray repellent for protecting plantings. When sprayed on foliage, chamomile oil significantly reduced deer browsing for up to 3 days compared to untreated plants.
The results provide additional evidence that the strong aroma of chamomile oil acts as a feeding deterrent for deer.
While more research is still needed, the initial studies suggest that chamomile contains compounds that deer find unpalatable. The oil may irritate or overwhelm the senses of deer, causing them to avoid plants that have been treated with it.
The use of chamomile oil as a natural repellent could provide gardeners and farmers with a safe, environmentally-friendly alternative to synthetic chemical deterrents.
Deterring Deer from Chamomile Plantings
Companion Plantings
Deer tend to avoid certain strong-smelling or prickly plants. Interplanting chamomile with these “companion plants” can help deter deer from feeding on the chamomile (extension.psu.edu). Some examples include:
- Lavender
- Sage
- Daffodils
- Alliums
Research shows chamomile planted with these companions had a 32% reduction in deer browsing compared to chamomile planted alone.
Physical Barriers
Installing fences or other barriers around the chamomile garden can effectively block deer access. Some options are:
- Mesh or wire fences at least 8 feet tall
- Solid wooden fences 6 feet tall
- Thorny shrubs planted densely around the garden perimeter
A study found that fenced chamomile plots sustained no deer damage at all, while unfenced plots saw up to 30% of plants browsed.
Repellents
Applying deer repellents to the chamomile may make the plants unpalatable. Both commercial repellents and homemade remedies can be used:
| Type | Examples |
| Commercial repellents | Deer Off, Bobbex Deer Repellant |
| Homemade repellents | Hot sauce and water spray, garlic and chili pepper solution, human hair clippings spread around plants |
In trails, deer caused over 80% less damage to chamomile plants sprayed with commercial deer repellant compared to unsprayed plants.
Conclusion
While deer aren’t highly attracted to chamomile’s strong fragrance and bitter notes, nibbling or damage may occur when faced with few other options. Implementing multiple deterrent strategies reduces temptation of accessible herbs.
Monitor plantings and remain vigilant protecting your chamomile patch from four-legged visitors.
