Many gardeners start out wanting to garden for wildlife and have a garden where all creatures feel welcome. The first time deer come to a garden is a must see experience as they gracefully walk towards the garden. Then they eat all the flowers and the romance is over!
Keeping deer out of the garden can be difficult once they develop a taste for the plants or habitually visit the bird feeders. 10 ft fencing might not even be tall enough to stop a deer. One gardener I know keeps deer out by having two rows of fencing 6 ft apart. The deer do not have a clear landing area after they jump the first fence and can’t jump far enough to clear both fences at once. Another method is to use an electrified wire. Using a thin wire that the deer have trouble seeing but they will still hit with their bodies as they walk towards the garden will spook them. Individual trees can be protected from deer rubbing by placing several metal stakes around the trunk to intercept the horns before they get to the bark. There are also many deer repelling sprays that can be sprayed around the perimeter of the garden or directly on the plants. The problem with many of these sprays is that it also repels people and washes away with the first rain. Hanging bars of Irish spring soap around the garden works for some gardeners.
Planting plants that are deer resistant can be a trial and error experience. Individual deer seem to develop a preference for different plants and tastes will also change depending on the season and how hungry the deer are. In general deer do not like strongly scented plants and plants with thorns. Deer have a very sensitive sense of smell and are offended by many odoriferous plants. Try plants such as mints, bee balm, yarrow, lizards tail, hyssop, onions, garlic and other plants that have a scent when the leaves are crushed. Deer also avoid milkweeds, dog banes, and blue stars that make an unpalatable sap. Cactus tend to be avoided by deer as well as plants that are hairy or very course like rattlesnake master, ferns, hibiscus, senna, and verbena.
Outsmarting a deer in the garden may be almost impossible. Many times it is best to plant a variety of species, see what the deer leave alone, and use those species as the foundation of the garden. Special plants can be tucked away among plants the deer avoid or brought up close to the house for protection. Sometimes a garden will only need temporary protection until the plants get established by using fencing and sprays for the first year or two. Most native plants will tolerate deer brows, even being eaten down to the ground, as long as the plant has been able to establish a strong root system. Using a variety of deterrents to keep the deer on their toes and feeling unwelcome in the garden is the best long term way to deal with deer.
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