@%*&(^#$^!* Deer!

I saw a bunch of huge deer footprints in my sun garden earlier today. I had expanded it a bit this spring, so there's quite a bit of soft, bare earth waiting for new plants. Since it's freshly dug, it shows tracks very well. No question that it's deer.

I didn't immediately notice the damage, but I just took another look and realized that the top halves of all of my very bushy Silene regias have been nipped off. I suppose they'll just send up more branches and will bloom anyway, but yikes! These are a huge favorite of my hummingbirds, and I was looking forward to a nice, healthy crop of flowers. I guess the lush foliage was irresistible. Do you folks think they'll still bloom? I'm in zone 6A, and they were maybe a foot tall, but not really near blooming--just leaves as far as I could see. I can't rule out there were developing flower buds hidden inside those leafy stalks.

I'm breathing a huge sigh of relief that my Penstemons were unharmed, especially my single P. eatonii that I'm anxious to see in bloom. Of course, they may be back tonight and chomp that one off, too. I think it was spared because it doesn't have lush leaves like the Silenes.

This is the earliest the deer have been at stuff. Usually, they wait until the summer to mow down my Impatiens and Hostas.

You can add Silene regia to the list of plants that deer will happily munch on!