Beautiful flower, vegetable and fruit
gardens can become deer buffets unless you take steps to make your garden
unappetizing, and use some method of keeping the garden sheltered and safe. The
dog is almost always the best natural deterrent. Choose perennial plants that grow and thrive in your hardiness zone. Regions that are
too cold or too hot for your choice of plants will kill your plants. A great
idea would be to chat with your gardening neighbors when choosing plants that will
thrive also in your garden.
There are hundreds of plants that
are deer resistant, so you'll have no trouble designing a beautiful
garden that will be offensive to deer. Below is an in-depth listing of
deer resistant landscape plants that will at least seem undesirable to
deer.
Grow the suggested plants in any of the
design themes on this site in-ground or in pots, or both. I prefer pots. It's
easy to move a plant that's being ravaged by creatures and move it
somewhere safe. Especially expensive dwarf trees and other high end
plantings. Grow the deer resistant plants and trees in these pots for
mobility and more planting space.
If you
live in an urban setting where soil is almost or thoroughly non-existent, a deer
resistant garden grown in pots is the way to go. I can move entire garden themes all over the yard according
to my whims. So don't let the lack of space or soil stop you. You can grow this
theme as a vertical garden if you have only a balcony or small courtyard to
plant in. Use tiered garden shelves, trellises and hanging pots. Whatever size
or configuration that works for you will be beautiful. I have converted most of
my small space into a garden featuring planters, trellises, shelves arches,
ornamental fencing for vines, and I use hanging baskets. My ornamental dwarf
trees and fruit trees are the focus in the centers, or the sides, of my designs.
I won't be able to have as many trees and shrubs if I didn't grow in decorative
pots. Deterring deer adds a higher level of thought when planting.
Deer
have become a major pest of gardens throughout North America,
from rural farms to urban parks. People and deer share habitats, due to over-development
and humans encroaching upon wildlife areas. Deer are creatures of habit. Once
they find a route with lots of tasty treats, they follow it. Your
objective is to either block that path, or give them reasons to move to
another area. Fencing helps, but is expensive and not always possible.
Sprays that smell or taste bad to deer often work, but need to be
reapplied frequently to be effective. One of the best ways to avoid
feeding them is to grow their least-favorite foods. And get a dog.
A lot
will depend on the other food options in the area, the competition for
food, and the eating habits of the deer. No plant is 100 percent resistant to any hungry
animal. Once it’s finished off its favorites, the critter will move on
to the next least-offensive-tasting plant. The key is to create a garden
that contains very few of their favorites.
When
trying to repel any pest or nuisance animal, learn about its habits,
likes, and dislikes. Deer have long been a problem for gardeners and
farmers.
There are fewer predators than years ago, and many gardeners have moved
out into country areas where deer have long roamed freely.
Deer in rural areas are often more
timid of human presence and activity than those in urban areas, so
different control methods may be effective. Your county agricultural
extension service or local wildlife management office can give you the
most accurate information about deer activity in your area. I have
friends who live in a rural area near a wooded area. There's a rhododendron
feeding frenzy every spring. They had several in their landscape. I noticed a
type of rhododendron on the list of plants they're not very fond of..... so
there you have it. The deer generally eat what they find when grazing, but there
are some varieties of the plants you love that are resistant.
Assess your site. If your landscape
is large, with many prized and widely-spaced plantings, your choice of
deterrents may differ from those of a gardener with only one or two
areas susceptible to damage. A repellent that must be reapplied
frequently may be more cost-effective for large landscapes, whereas a
couple of small barrier fences could work fine for an area with small
gardens or just a few fruit trees. Deterrants may need to be changed out
as well, once deer figure out a way around it.
Vary your use of control options.
When using repellent products and/or tools designed to scare wildlife,
don't use any one method for too long, or the deer, rabbits, and other
midnight munchers will catch on to your
game. Mixing methods can keep them guessing for a while. Work with your neighbors. If an
entire neighborhood can get together to make the area unpleasant for deer,
they'll have more incentive to move elsewhere.
Repellents
- There are quite a few products with flavors and odors offensive to
deer that gardeners can spray on plants or spread on the soil.
Some (fermented egg yolks) offend deer's sense of smell; others
(predator urines) frighten them. More of these products are
licensed for use on ornamental plants than on food plants; follow
directions for application. Home remedies can be used as well,
including cayenne, hot-pepper sauce, talcum powder, blood meal,
dog hair, and deodorant soap. I use Irish Spring soap after
reading about it on a blog - I can't stand the smell of it myself - I buy by
the case, chop it up and scatter it around the gardens. I don't have deer, but the rabbits disappeared. Blood
meal doesn't seem to work for me on any pests.Install
a fence if you can. If you've thought about building a pretty picket
or privacy fence before, asap's the time to do it. Plastic
screen netting is cheaper and easier to install than fencing. But
I find it ugly in urban neighborhood settings. It may be okay in outer
suburbia, rural areas, and for vegetable gardens, but I think it's an
eyesore around a beautifully designed ornamental garden. Deer can and
will jump fences, so it's not foolproof, just a pain for them to have
to do it. Things can be hung on or around a fence to keep them away.
And yes, do get a dog if you love them - that will scare them
and leave a scent of danger on your property. Deer aren't dumb, but
rabbits are one of the dumbest of destructive animals. The critters
stand still and look at you while you get something to scat them with.
They always wait til I get close before scramming. If i were a hunter,
the crockpot would be full.
Caging tree saplings and young
shrubs is a good option. Once
trees are older, they'll be more resistant to browsing deer. Fabric row covers supported with
hoops can protect vegetable beds. "Invisible" mesh netting
can be erected over ornamentals to allow viewing but not chewing. I
use them to keep birds and insect pests away from my dwarf fruit
trees. Mine are like big sacks with drawstrings that you put over the
tree. Effective, but kinda ugly unless you use it in the backyard.
They come in a fine mesh, and many brands carry green bags, so it
doesn't look like you have rows of ghosts in your landscape. those can
be used in a front yard for a while. If you don't think deer will
browse a neighborhood's front yards, you are very wrong.
A single
strand of fishing line strung across a deer path creates an
invisible force that can confuse the creatures enough to detour them
around your garden. I'm not sure I'd do that because of other animals,
birds or humans getting injured. Birds won't see them until they fly
into them and are garroted. But I am here to tell you what your
options are.
Plant
choices
Food
preferences of deer vary, based on populations and available
choices. Here is where information about local herds comes in handy.
There is probably a list of plants that deer don't care to eat in your area. In
general, deer tend to pass on ferns and ornamental grasses, plants
with fuzzy foliage, and plants that taste of lemon, mint, or sage,
very fragrant (sweet or spicy) plants, and
those that are bitter and pungent (hot and spicy).
Feel
free to print out this page for reference.
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