After all the work, money and fun you’ve invested in your landscaping and garden this season, what will the deer do with it this winter? Which plants will survive and what can you do to tip the scales in their favor? Let’s figure out how to coexist, because deer are here to stay.
One of the top three homeowner questions that landscapers hear is, “What can I do about the deer?” It is usually followed by “They eat everything!”
In fact they don’t eat everything, and you can influence their predation by the plants you choose as well as several ways to slow them down on their way to the dining room. Winter is when their natural food is at its lowest, and they’re most likely to come close to your house and damage what you’ve planted.
Doorbell camera footage captures a deer munching leaves from a tree in Howard County, Maryland.
Here are some scientific truths about deer in our region:
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• Overpopulation is a reality, caused by urban sprawl, ecological imbalance and the absence of their natural predators. Humans took over territory from animals and then laid out attractive courtyards with delicious plants to eat. And then we are annoyed that they come to dinner. Intelligent population management, including responsible hunting and birth control methods (much studied, with limited success) are potential answers. But no easy end is in sight. The realistic conclusion is that we have to live with them.
• Plant selection makes a difference in the number of deer eating or grazing in your garden, compared to someone else’s. Many universities and agencies offer plant lists showing what deer eat most, rarely, and almost never. Most listings say deer candies include yews, arborvitae, hostas, many hydrangeas, and daylilies. The listings report that some perennials (lavender, catnip, lemon balm, sedum, hellebores and most grasses) are of no interest to animals. Most report deer-resistant shrubs (forsythias, lilacs, smoke bushes and nine bark as well as some holly, box and viburnum hybrids).
Hostas are usually a deer treat.
Buffalo News file photo
But for every “never eaten” plant listed, someone says, “Oh no, they ate all of mine.” It all depends on how desperate the animals are. The creatures will eat to survive, even if they don’t like the menu very much. Lists of deer resistant plants are helpful guides, but not guarantees.
• Landscaping can also affect how easily deer approach your plantings. The wider the space between their territory and your foundation beds, the longer it will take them to approach.
If you can offer a field or forest in the back, with desirable plants for them (sumac, crab apple trees, remnants of cornfields) or brush piles for navigational equipment, they don’t need to your little conifers.
Design matters too. Surround your weeping juniper specimen with a thick planting of “rarely eaten” shrubs, grasses, perennials, and groundcovers, and it’s safer than if it were on its own. The islands and layered plantings also prevent bark damage from males rubbing their antlers on exposed tree trunks. When planning a new landscape, it can also be helpful to choose taller trees and shrubs so the plant has a head start, its branches well above deer browsing.
Repellents and repellents
Deer are xenophobic – they are afraid of anything foreign or strange – and creatures of habit. Once they find a path to your garden, they will reuse the path unless you break the habit. Once they get used to one of your scare or deterrence tactics, you need a new trick or product to scare them away. Knowing this, experiment with a variety of products and ways to keep them from moving around your garden.
• The fence works, as long as it suits your situation (aesthetic, practical and economical). Online sources (cornell.edu) cite the need for 7-10 foot fences, but stories abound of deer running through them or jumping over them all. Double fences spaced 6 feet apart are effective because the animals cannot handle the double jump. Some people install electric fences, similar to those used for livestock. Many gardeners arrange stakes with fishing line wrapped around them in tiered tiers, often tied with shiny ribbons that flutter in the breeze. Battery-powered in-ground shockers can work with smaller plants. Even imperfect obstacles can discourage deer from making their way through the garden.
• Milorganite is a fertilizer that many collectors of precious plants (hostas, daylilies and dwarf evergreens) swear by me. It is a product made from processed human waste. (Use gloves and avoid it in the vegetable garden.) It smells bad and animals hate it. Spread it thickly a few feet outside the garden, where the deer take a whiff before reaching your baby plants. Some gardeners hang stuffed cloth bags on fences or stakes outside protected areas
• Commercial deer repellents: brands include Bobbex, Liquid Fence, Deer Out, Deer Away, I Must Garden and Enviro-Pro, among others. Urine sprays from deer predators can work. It all depends on the frequency of application and the cost and odor you can tolerate.
• Home remedies work for some people, such as hanging scented soap bars, fabric softener strips, human or animal hairballs, mint or garlic.
• Devices: You can buy electronic and ultrasonic alarm devices and install motion detectors with flashing lights, water jets and loud sounds. Consider what you and your neighbors want to happen at night, and the cost. Is there a point beyond which roses are no longer worth it?
• Uncomfortable Flooring: Deer don’t like to walk on slippery or unfamiliar surfaces, so you can lay wire mesh, snow fencing, or thick plastic on the floor. An 8-foot chain-link fence can be just as good (and less ugly) stretched along the landscape bed instead of standing upright.
As with most garden challenges, it’s all about patience, tolerance, experimentation, and your values. No answer to the deer question is right for everyone. How compassionate and tolerant of animals are you? How important are the plants they eat and how much effort are you willing to put in?
Sally Cunningham is a garden writer, speaker and consultant.
