That beautiful face, those big eyes, those long eye lashes, those ears – so beguiling, so appealing, and so very hungry! Yes, they are what have been called by one gardener “the cloven hooved minions of the devil.” Deer! To be fair, they were here first and we have taken over their land. The problem is that with few natural predators and our lovely gardens providing a nourishing food source, the deer population is increasing rapidly. Some communities have begun state regulated culling which, as much as I get angry at deer, I do not like to think about.
So, lets look at deer behavior and how we can make our gardens NOT their favorite place to dine.
Deer have poor eyesight, but a good sense of smell. They also react to movement more than an inert object. They are opportunistic browsers which means that if a food source is easily available, they will eat it. Your job is to make your garden as difficult to access and as unappealing as possible. Blocking access can be done with something as simple as fishing wire strung low around the perimeter of your yard or vegetable garden. A barrier of thickly planted shrubs can also be a deterrent. Deer do not like their little legs to get hung up in anything. Because I grow English roses, one of their favorite foods, I have a short electric fence. They could certainly jump over it, but I have it strung between shrubs so that there is no clear landing area for them should they try jumping. I did have one deer limbo under the fence to get to a sweet potato vine – another favorite food.
If a fence is not feasible, you can use chemical barriers to make your garden stinky and disagreeable. Don’t worry, after short while, you will not be able to smell it.
I like Deer Stopper, but Deer Scram (a granular) and Bobbex have also worked for many gardeners. A new product on the market is called “I Must Garden” and I have had very good luck with this. It seems to last longer than other deer sprays. These products are safe as they contain natural ingredients such as hot sauce, putrid eggs, and strong herbs such as rosemary. The trick is to spray your plants the minute the sprouts appear in the spring and to be consistent. Spray frequently, as much as every 4-5 days, while things are getting started growing to help train deer to avoid your yard. In Ohio, I would watch the herd of 20+ deer walk around my yard containing 200 hostas and go over to my neighbors. They simply ignored my salad bar.
You can also plant barriers of things that Deer do not like such as Society Garlic
(Tulbaghia violacesa), Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus – new name), and Marigolds
(Tagetes spp). Salvias are a great garden plant with flowers in many different colors and I have not had a deer munch on them – yet. As far as shade plants go shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) and Farfugiums (we call them tractor seats) are apparently deer resistant. The rule of thumb is that deer do not like to nibble on strong smelling or rough leaved plants, although they love holly – go figure. You can google deer resistant plants, but keep in mind that deer can change their mind. There really is no such thing as a totally deer resistant plant. They will even try things that are known to be poisonous. Sometimes if they do not like something, they will pull it out of the ground and throw it. I have had that happen a number of times. It is as if they are teaching me a lesson.
There are also motion sensitive devices that some people have luck with. One such is a water sprinkler on a stand that is activated by movement. Deer do not like to be sprayed with water. There are also flashing lights that can be activated by animal movement and this can scare deer away. I had one friend who tied white handkerchiefs on poles around his property. In the breeze these mimic the white tail of a deer and can cause deer to take flight because that white tail is a danger signal. A combination of physical barriers, chemical barriers, and motion can sometimes be an effective deterrent. Deer can be determined though. A really hungry deer can be motivated to look for food despite our best efforts to keep them away. Bad Bambi!
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