The Buffet Is Closed!

My years of living in Montana and Santa Fe helped me to learn about gardening amidst abundant deer and other wildlife. I chose to become a deer resistant plant specialist years ago while managing a garden nursery. Nine out of ten customers who came to me needed advice about deer issues. This is a huge issue in many areas of the country.

A few major points:

• Deer do not like plants with thorny, fuzzy, hairy leaves; strong scents or pungent tastes
• They prefer plants that are soft to the touch and with high water content
• Extreme winters and early spring are the most likely times deer will cause the most damage
• Deer frequently prefer to eat Hostas and Daylilies
• Deer shy away from ornamental grasses and ferns

People often think that deer are eating their plants only to find that it may have been ground hogs or rabbits. How do you know?

Deer will tear or pull on the leaves since they do not have front upper teeth and the leaves will appear to be jagged. Rabbits and ground hogs will leave a clean cut. Hoof marks are another big clue that deer are eating your plants.

Deer will eat almost anything after a hard winter, but you can keep them away by using several methods at once. Try using some of these methods:

• Planting the most hardly eaten plants at the perimeter of the yard or garden
• Using plant lists from reliable sources such as the local Cooperative Extension office. Rutgers, Penn State and Cornell in particular do experimental testing.
• Use repellents such as Milorganite or Liquid Fence. Many others are on the market.
• Deer are afraid of barking dogs. If you have a dog on your property, it may help.
• If you install a fence it must be a minimum of 6-7 feet. Deer can easily jump over a chain link fence.
• Talk to your neighbors. Deer may eat different plants in different regions.
• There are several motion detector devices on the market that either use noise or water sprays to startle the deer.