# Plants to Attract Deer
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Perennial Plants
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Deer like browsing on sedum. Deer tend to prefer plants with thick succulent stems, possibly because of the additional water these stems contain. Sedums, such as Autumn Joy, hostas, perennial garden phlox, tulips and fall-blooming asters, such as the New England aster, are tops on the list for deer until about mid-June. After that time, the deer will quit feeding on them. Growing these plants in a bed of their own will prevent damage to your other flower beds. Give the deer some spring food and stop the need for you to trim these plants back.
Food Crops
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Apple trees attract deer early in the season and again when they produce. Acorns, corn, apples, peaches and soybeans are among a deer's favorite fruits and vegetables. They will trample a crop such as corn or soybeans, ruining what they don't eat. Planting a separate food crop close to areas where the deer frequent may deter them from entering and destroying the crops you are growing for yourself. So if your goal is to attract deer, always plant extra so you are sure to have enough to harvest for your own use after the deer eat what they want.
Forage Crops
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Situate forage crops in an area where wild deer are safe to roam and graze. Orchardgrass, peas, red clover, lespedezas and ladino clover are ideal forage crops for attracting deer. Locate the forage crops about one-half mile away from any crops you are growing for your own use whether they are edible or ornamental. It's also a good idea to locate these types of plantings away from roadways or other areas where deer could potentially create a problem or unexpectedly encounter humans. Remember that the deer will continue to graze the area once it's established, and if they do not find food will seek out a source of food, so be sure you are doing something you intend to continue to do.
Woody Ornamentals
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Flowering dogwoods produce white or pink flowers in early spring. Redbuds (Cercis), dogwoods (Cornus), apples, cherries and rhodendrons attract deer. Bucks, which are the male deer, rub their large antlers against the bark of trees. This breaks lower limbs, tears the bark off and often disfigures the trees or shrubs. Deer like to nibble on the lush foliage and flowers of trees and shrubs as well. Once these plants produce fruit, the deer will come back to eat whatever they can easily reach.
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