Is Common Lilac deer resistant?

Needs a genuine cold winter to flower well, so it disappoints in the south. Deadhead as soon as flowering ends and it blooms far better the following year.

Do deer eat lilacs?

Seldom. NC State's entry for Syringa vulgaris lists deer, rabbits and salt among the challenges it resists; Rutgers rates the common lilac Seldom Severely Damaged. What deer take, where they take anything, is the soft new growth and the flower buds on a young plant, and a lilac at 8 to 16 feet, NC State's mature range, keeps most of its buds out of reach after its first few years.

Protecting a young lilac

The first three winters. A cage of welded wire until the shrub is above browse height, or the 20 percent egg spray Colorado State rates High on the tips through spring, renewed at about thirty days. Once established, the rating does the work; the "frequent disease problems" NC State lists, chiefly a powdery mildew that "does little permanent damage to the shrub," are the likelier reason a lilac looks poor in August.

Does a browsed lilac flower?

Not that year on the browsed stems. Lilac sets its flower buds on the previous season's wood, which is why the deadheading above has to follow the flowers immediately; a shoot browsed in winter has lost its buds and regrows leaf for the season. The shrub itself is unharmed and is hardy to zone 3.