Welcome! This article contains affiliate links, meaning I get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
Thyme is an exceptionally valuable herb to grow in your garden. If you love using and growing thyme, you may wonder: Do deer eat thyme? And do deer eat creeping thyme? Let’s dive in!
Firstly, let’s take a look at the differences between thyme and creeping thyme. Thyme, also known as English thyme, is Thymus vulgaris. Creeping thyme, also known as Breckland thyme and wild thyme, is Thymus serpyllum.
Do Deer Eat Thyme (Thymus vulgaris)?
No, deer do not prefer to eat thyme. Thyme plants are rarely damaged by deer. Deer do not like to eat plants with pungent scents or fuzzy foliage. Thyme contains volatile oils that are quite repellent to deer.
The same scents that entice us when we are cooking with herbs often deter deer. Other great herbs that aren’t a deer’s favorite food are sage, rosemary, oregano, and mint.
Thyme is, in fact, such a great plant to grow in your deer resistant garden that it made it into our list of the top 15 best plants that repel deer.
Do Deer Eat Creeping Thyme (Thymus serpyllum)?
So, do deer eat creeping thyme? No, creeping thyme is not a deer’s favorite food. Creeping thyme is a great addition to the deer resistant garden!
Not only does it create a lovely, flowering border – it may also serve as a repellent barrier to keep deer away from other plants in your garden. Plant it around your other garden plants to try and dissuade deer away from them.
Creeping thyme’s strong scent and volatile oils may well steer a deer away to more enticing food elsewhere.
How to Grow Thyme
Thyme is a wonderful herb to grow in zones 4 to 9 of the United States. It grows as tall as 16 inches and will spread up to 12 inches wide.
Thyme’s favorite position is in full sun, which is where it develops the strongest essential oils. This plant needs exceptional drainage as it performs poorly in heavy soils, like clay. It does not cope well in hot or humid climates.
If you’d like to harvest thyme for cooking or medicinal purposes, pick the leaves when the flowers are just starting to bud.
Creeping thyme grows to less than 1 inch tall and it is a wonderful ground cover for the deer resistant garden. It is excellent in containers, in your rock garden, or as a garden path border plant. It makes for a good lawn replacement too, as it can handle some foot traffic and only grows to a short height! No need for mowing.
Lemon thyme is another great herb that deer do not like to eat. It has a fresh, lemony fragrance that is lovely for us – but not a deer’s favorite!
Thyme FAQ
Do deer eat thyme?
No, deer no not like to eat thyme. Thyme’s strong scent is a good deer repellent. However much we may enjoy using this herb for cooking, it is not on a deer’s favorite food list!
Do deer eat creeping thyme?
No, this beautiful, low-growing herb is not a deer’s favorite food. Creeping thyme is a great plant for borders and rockeries. It can also be used as a deer repellent ground cover to try and repel deer from other areas of your garden.
Do deer eat lemon thyme?
Lemon thyme is not something a deer prefers to eat. This herb will be relatively safe in your garden, although it is important to remember that no plant is truly deer-proof! If a deer is hungry enough, it will eat just about anything.
Verdict: Is Thyme Deer Resistant?
No plant is truly deer resistant because they will eat just about anything if they’re hungry and the food supply is short. However, as far as deer resistant plants go, thyme is one of the best. Deer rarely damage your thyme plants so it’s a safe bet for your garden!
Keep reading!
