How Deer Resistant are Crocus?

I'm making plans for where to plant saffron crocus. The description says they're deer resistant, but I'd like to hear firsthand experience about how true that is.

I no longer believe the lists of deer resistant plants after deer decimated my sedum, walking onion, and paw paw trees, all of which are supposedly distasteful to them.

They're the fall crocus? I've had no deer issues with those, but most of my deer trouble the last several years happens during the spring annual garden. By the time I'm starting the summer plants they've found easier food I guess.

K Kaba wrote:They're the fall crocus? I've had no deer issues with those, but most of my deer trouble the last several years happens during the spring annual garden. By the time I'm starting the summer plants they've found easier food I guess.

They are fall blooming crocus, and that's a good point. Much of our deer damage is done in the spring and summer, as long as we have our usual fall rains.

I know we're (South east Texas) having an oddly dry autumn, which doesn't make for a good entrance to winter. I'm preparing for an influx of hungry wild critters during the winter/early spring.
I hadn't thought about that from the direction of deciding what to plant, yet. Thank you for bringing this to my attention!

Depends on the crocus and depends on how hungry the deer are. Lol. But, truly, some crocus are more deer resistant than others. And my "deer resistant" crocus do come back the following year even when eaten.

Funny thing about deer. I've had plenty of stuff eaten that they aren't supposed to like, including sedum. They seem to like the young, tender, new plants a lot more than the older plants. I remember reading about some of the plants I chose that deer will eat them the first year, but not after that. Seemed pretty wierd to me at the time, but it has proven true for many of the "deer resistant" plants I've put in the ground - even for plants that die to the ground in winter and look no different the next year to me than they did the year before.

I'd say, give it a shot. Crocus are truly lovely and come up early in the spring before most everything else does. I'm so happy to see them when they arrive after the dismal winter!

My attempt at saffron crocus was wrecked by squirrels - they dug up the bulbs and ate them :(

No deer her,  but there are other things to worry about.

To deter squirrels and other critters who want to eat your crocus bulbs, try putting hardware cloth over your crocus when you plant them. I did that and they've never been dug up.

Tommasinianus is the most deer-resistant crocus available to gardeners. While other crocus species and varieties are not reliably resistant to deer, tommies are one species that's known to be disliked by chipmunks and voles, in addition to deer.

After all of my "deer-resistant" plants have been eaten by the deer, I use the plant some for the deer method.

If the Crocus tommasinianus is actually something they do not like, my suggestion would be to plant the saffron crocus in the middle of a clump of Tommies.

The way I look at most plants is if I want to eat it so will the deer.

Deer munched down all my saffron crocus in the deep Winter. They haven't seemed to touch them since. I'm going to relocate them this year.
While the deer were at it they also ate some of my garlic leaves and walking onion.
And this Spring they are completely every leaf off one of my young elders and ate every leaf off my flowering strawberry bed.

Seems you never know what they'll eat!