If they already munched the ends of the stems, yeah, the damage is severe (but there may be a few buds further down that they missed). The best thing to do is wait & see + consider what measures will prevent a reoccurence of this problem. Some people add tall fences; others get dogs or winter protect the hydrangeas (covering the stems and leaves with mulch/leaves around chicken wire prevents the deer from eating them... as long as the chicken wire and the deer's mouth do not get close to each other); and still others spray the area with all kinds of products. You can even transplant the hydrangeas to a more protected location, assuming you have one.

Deer can munch on hydrangeas at any time but they tend to be especially attracted to their new growth in the Spring and to the leaves in the Fall. In the summer, they are slightly more attracted to fruity/berry things but, when those are gone, they will look at hydrangeas and acorns.

For what it is worth: the hydrangea varieties that I hear the least about (when people complain about deer eating the hydrangeas) are oakleaf hydrangeas and climbing hydrangeas. But take that wth a grain of salt; starving deer will eat anything to survive.

And no, burlap would not run off any flower buds out there.

Just being curious, how close to the house are the shrubs? Are they close to a high transit area like the front door/etc?

This post was edited by luis_pr on Tue, Dec 23, 14 at 3:48

I agree with Luis...spray them with all kinds of repel products. Have you tries Liquid Fence? It sure kept them
from my friends hosta garden that I put in for her. She
was fiscally getting sick. They didn't bother it any more,,,,
she'd spray them lightly every now and then and it
works. Hope that you find something that will help.

Margaret

Thanks for the responses.

The ones that were eaten (about 6) are scattered roughly 40' to 75' from the house. I planted the first one about 8 years ago, and this is the first time the deer hit it or any of the others. The 2 left untouched (so far) are next to the back of the house. I plan to wrap them asap since Luis thinks that would be ok. I have never tried Liquid Fence; actually never heard of it before. I will definitely do that next year, since I can't foresee wrapping all 8 of them, as I already wrap 4 boxwood to protect them from snow damage. (The boxwood are the grandchildren of my Grandmother's boxwood, and are the most precious, sentimentally speaking, things in my garden. They provide continual memories of wonderful visits with a beloved grandma. I'll do most anything to protect THEM. Beyond them, I have my limits!).