Deer Fencing (photo by AmericanNettings.com)
To discourage deer from eating your garden, you have have five basic options:
1. Fence the deer out.
Although fencing your property or garden area takes time and money, this is by far the best solution. It will save you stress and hassle in the long-term.
Fencing can range from the black netting shown in the photo at left, to wire, wood, branches or stone. The important thing about fencing is that it needs to be high enough (six or even seven feet high) or wide enough (you can get away with a four-foot fence if you use the double fence method). Also, make sure that the deer can’t crawl under it (they are amazingly adept at flattening their bodies and squirming under fencing), poke their noses through the openings, or lean on it and push it over. I speak from experience!
2. Plant things out of reach of deer.
One of the best deer proof gardening tips I ever got was from a local landscaper who advised me to put my money into one mature tall tree rather than two or three small trees. If the branches are too high for the deer to reach the tree will be off to a good start. If you’ve already bought ornamental trees and they aren’t out of reach of the deer, I suggest you put fencing or wire cages around the trees for a few years to allow the branches to grow out of reach of the deer.
3. Scare deer away.
A dog can be your best friend in the deer proof garden. Deer tend to stay away from yards that have dogs. No dog? There are gadgets on the market designed to scare away deer. These range from scarecrow type things that move in the wind (or are even motorized) to automated sprinklers and floodlights that get triggered when deer get too close.
4. Make your garden unpleasant for deer.
The most common way to make your garden unpleasant for deer is to spray bad tasting stuff on your plants. My experience with this technique is that it is time-consuming (you have to reapply the spray regularly, especially after rain) and of limited benefit.
5. Choose plants deer don’t like.
If you can’t do #1 (fencing), then choosing plants that deer don’t like is your next best strategy. Here is a list of deer resistant plants.
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
We live in MI. Deer ate my new coral bells and purple coneflower.
I WAS TOLD THAT DEER DONT EAT EVERGREEN TREES BUT THAY ARE AT MY HOUSE. WHAT CAN I DO (WITH OUT WIRE FENCING EVERY TREE) TO KEEP THEM AWAY? I LIVE IN SPOKANE WA
THANKS -KEVIN-
Deer eat EVERYTHING!!! The only plant in my garden they have not eaten is my butterfly bush. All my other “deer resistant” plants- dahlia, clematis. peony, hydrangea,lilacs, they have eaten. If they are hungry, they will eat. Last year, they ate my cherry tree- Never in 11 years did they bother with that tree. If you have lots of displaced deer, it doesn’t matter what you do, short of fencing. Think about it- if you were starving, you’d eat something you hate too, if that’s what you need to survive.
@patty: You are lucky they’ve left your butterfly bush alone. They eat mine! Of the other plants you list, none are considered deer resistant in my area.
@kevin: What kind of evergreen trees have you planted? The only safe ones are pine and spruce. Cedar and fir are OK except for the new growth (I cage mine at this time of year and then take the cages off once the new growth has hardened off).
I’ve just posted a list of plants that you may find helpful – click the button “Plant List” at the top of this page
There are a few things that you can do to keep deer away.
(1) Spray all your Plants with Egg and water. One large egg to a Pint of water, mix well and put in a pump sprayer and set to fine mist and spray all your plants. You will have to re-spray after rains. The rottener the eggs the better.
(2) hang old nylons filled with Blood meal from trees and shrubs and sprinkle blood meal in the flower beds.
(3) Urine . spray that on plants. Better to use a pump sprayer, so you don’t get arrested peeing in your front yard.
(4) Tin foil strips tied to strings so it rattles in the wind and when rubbed against by Deer. Keeps cats away too
Good luck
Thanks for your suggestions Vincent. I’ve tried some of those methods with only minimal success. The problem with anything you spray on is that it gets washed off by the rain. But for a temporary measure, sprays can work quite nicely. A lot of people mix hot pepper sauce or flakes in with the water/egg mixture. Also, deer get used to any repellent – so change your products from time to time. The blood meal and urine have not been successful for me. And in my opinion, tin foil or anything else hanging from trees and plants is rather unsightly