Today I bought a Billbergia nutans 'Queen's Tears', and I'm wondering if I could plant it outside the fenced area of my yard, where the deer eat everything (even extremely toxic plants). I have no doubt they would skip over the tough foliage in favor of the more tender poisonous plants, but I'm wondering if the blooms of the bromeliad are deer resistant. I know they are supposed to bloom in early spring when the deer still have plenty of plants in the forest to eat, but it would be nice if the inflorescence was tough like the foliage just to discourage any deer that happened to drop by. Does anyone here grow Billbergia nutans? How tough are the inflorescences and have you had any problems with deer or other animals eating them? Thanks!
This message was edited Oct 13, 2011 3:49 PM
Are bromeliad inflorescences deer resistant?
There are years when the deer eat most everything in sight but I don't believe I have ever seen them eat bilbergia flowers. It may be that they sense everything about the plant is rough like the foliage and leave them alone. My B. nutans blooms several times throughout the year.
I don't have any deer, but I do have broms in bloom right now, and I can tell you that the flower is not nearly as tough as the leaves are. It is fleshy and crisp, just like a deer salad . . . darn it! To be on the safe side, I'd assume they will eat the flowers.
LOL, I didn't mean I thought the flowers were tough, I meant the deer might think that. You never know what will appeal to a hungry deer.
Thanks for the input, I think I'll plant them in the fenced area just to be safe.