Deer versus garden

[chathamgardener]

This is a place for gardening tips that thwart deer. This is not a place to debate the pros and cons of deer population management.

Here's what I've experienced.

I’ve lived in my home in Chatham County for 20 years. Over that time, the deer destruction on my land has increased exponentially. For the first five years, they even ignored our daylilies. No longer.

In my yard, tender vegetation OF ANY TYPE EXCEPT HERBS is considered food by the deer. I have seen them eat to the ground any number of so-called deer-proof plants, including Echinacea (cone flowers), Rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan), Solidago (goldenrod), Aquilegia (columbine), and Lobelia (both cardinal flower and the great blue lobelia). They’re not supposed to like ferns. They eat the fiddleheads (new growth) every year.

Pokeweed is supposed to be poisonous. They eat this weed to the ground every year now for the last three. A native wildflower, Mayapple, is supposed to be deadly poisonous, known to sicken cattle. The deer eat it to the ground. The prickliest of hollies – they eat the new growth when it’s still tender, so the plant has trouble growing any larger. Louisiana iris in my swamp – they wade in and eat it down to the water. I haven’t seen a bloom stalk on an unprotected plant in three years.

Supposedly poisonous hellebores – new growth devoured. Iris of any kind – gone. Even daffodils, which they don’t eat, still get abused. A desperate grazer recently pulled a number of them completely out of the rain-softened ground. Fortunately, I was able to replant them before they dried out.

What they don’t eat:

Most non-native invasive exotic plant species are ignored. So if you want to join the deer in the destruction of our woodlands, plant bamboo stilt grass (Microstegium), Russian olive (Eleaegnus), Grape holly (Mahonia), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica), Asian wisteria, privet (Ligustrum) – consult the NC Botanical Garden’s list of invasives for more. The only invader I’ve seen them eat is English ivy.

They never eat my herbs. Any plant with strongly resinous leaves seems safe. They don’t eat my perennial salvias, my aromatic asters, my anise hyssop (Agastache), or yarrows (Achilleas). They don’t like fuzzy leaves, so they ignore the Verbascums that pop up here and there. They ignore ornamental grasses, even the natives I’ve planted. I’m adding more of those this spring.

They browse almost all native trees and shrubs as far as they can reach. My deciduous hollies all look like trees, because their bottom branches were eaten. I protect all young trees and shrubs with wire cages until they attain a height beyond browsing range. If the trunks are bare of branches (as with young trees), I must keep them caged until the diameter of the trunk is too big for bucks to rub their antlers on. This is pretty big, so many quite large young trees are still caged in my yard. But if I remove the cages too soon, the bucks kill the trees by stripping off the bark all the way around as they rub the fuzz off their antlers.

Beyond physical barriers, my only other weapon is a spray like Liquid Fence. These sprays are expensive, and after a hard rain, they are gone. Plus, if the deer really want the plant, they will eat it despite the spray. For example, if you are crazy enough to plant hostas and spray them, they’ll still eat the hostas. Rather than trying to spray every plant on my five acres, I target new growth (my holly actually made a few berries last year, thanks to my diligent spraying). It’s also important to spray early, before they’ve noticed the new growth.

And finally, pray for neighbors who overfertilize their lawns and shrubs. Nutrient-rich plants are irresistible to deer. They will ignore yours and eat your neighbors – at least until they run out of food over there.

What plants do they ignore in your yard? And how do you thwart the deer? Fencing strategies? Home-made sprays? Do tell.

[natvrabit]

Annoying isn't it Chathamgardener? I haven't tallied the total damages here this winter, but with the nice weather on it's way I will begin the survey tomorrow. I have already spotted some browsing damage (a magnolia). I planted a fairly sizable Hollywood Juniper, feeling confident it would be ignored. NOT! They chomped the limbs down virtually to the trunk and just before that first cold spell of temps in the teens. Those open wounds/cold/drying out killed it. Grrr! They have pruned my hollies this winter. They have pawed up perennials and nibbled the ROOTS!
I am beginning to think the only solution is 8-10' high fencing. I don't like the look, nor like the feel of being "fenced in"/like a prison compound.
Sorry, this isn't offering solutions. I am at my wits end with them also. Sprays provide marginal success it seems and as you said, rain wrecks that. Also seems you have to switch around to various ones/change of scent and that gets expensive.
They do leave the herbs alone...for now. The haven't bothered the lorapetalums in my yard. Semi-Fuzzy foliage maybe the reason?

[NativeSon]

Try Cryptomeria (Japanese Cedar) instead of Juniper. Red Cedar is a Juniper, so natives are not always better.
Cephalotaxus(Plum Yew) is also good. Yaupons & Gardenias are also good choices.

[Stargazer]

I haven't tried this, but I read in Mother Earth News that hanging
pieces of deodorant soap in trees will deter deer.

[natvrabit]

I've never tried it (soap) either Stargazer, "theory" has been out there for a decade or so that Irish Spring (do they still make it?) would keep deer away. I just could never bring myself to dangling bars of soap around in my trees.

[Stargazer]

Well Irish Spring would smell strong enough.   
I don't know that you'd have to dangle whole bars, many just pieces?
Putting in unobtrusive places? 
At least Irish Spring is green 

[natvrabit]

Agree Stargazer, if ANY soap would work it would be Irish Spring. You can smell that stuff walking past it in the store

[Miss Jane]

I'm in the NE quadrant with development happening all around. The clearing has driven the deer out of 1000's of acres and the only bright spot I can imagine is, once those acres are built out and the newcomers plant hostas and day lilies and other deer bait, the critters will go back and do their grazing there again. Of course, the current economy has slowed that down. Another mixed blessing. Life is complicated.

[Stargazer]

I'm in the NE quadrant with development happening all around. The clearing has driven the deer out of 1000's of acres and the only bright spot I can imagine is, once those acres are built out and the newcomers plant hostas and day lilies and other deer bait, the critters will go back and do their grazing there again. Of course, the current economy has slowed that down. Another mixed blessing. Life is complicated.

You're right Miss Jane, life is complicated.
And being amid all that tree cutting and "development" must be very painful.
I'm fortunate to still live out in the NW sticks - there are plenty of deer around, but lots of corn, soybean, etc. fields too.
So for the most part, the deer leave my things alone (they do love apples though - year before last they stripped the trees).

About a dozen years ago some really beautiful old cedars were cut across the road.  This displaced bats (and of course we
also had squirrel wars).  I still really miss the bats.

If I'm lucky, I'll bite the dust before the woods, pastures and fields around here do.  But who knows?  I'm too old and too implanted
to move.  Life is complicated and much is left to the Fates.

[belle]

the deer have totally cleaned out the English Ivy from my land, out side my yard fence. I wish they could  do the same inside it, without eating the rest first.

got my exterior daffodils, too.

[GoneFishin]

If y'all need help, Ill be glad to come next bow season.

[belle]

If y'all need help, Ill be glad to come next bow season.

just don't go strolling on any dams again, and sure.

[GoneFishin]

hey now,ha after that fall, I don't think I will.

[chathamgardener]

About 12 years ago, I tried the Irish Spring trick. I kid you not. They ate the soap. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't found the half-eaten bars myself.

As for the offer of bow hunting. Remind me next season, and you are invited.

[missjane]

This morning, I watched two deer nibbling around in my back garden. They avoided and left alone the three daphnes that are in bloom, so add daphnes to the list of things they don't like. At least today.

Some years ago, my husband tried the human hair repellant trick. He got a bag of hair from his barber, stuff the legs of some old pantihose and hung them from fence posts. In a day or two, they had disappeared. Then we heard from the neighbor whose wife came home from work and was terrified to see the dog chewing on a human leg. Yes, the dog had swiped all four and proudly carried them home to share with her humans.

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