Marigolds do not have the same scent – some are mild, while others have a strong scent. Marigold flowers are made up of 50 different species, with new varieties and hybrids being developed all the time.
To ascertain if deer will eat marigolds, we suggest you plant one marigold in a deer visited area to test their taste buds. If in a couple of weeks, there are no bites, go ahead and plant more.