by Barb Levisay
When you look out to see the buds on your favorite daylily all cleanly nipped off, it’s understandable to think the time has come to give up on gardening. Deer have become a constant nuisance in our gardens and can wreak havoc on defenseless plants in a very short time. Don’t give up hope. You are smarter than them and can stay one step ahead most of the time.
Deer weren’t a problem for us when we moved into our house and started our gardens 34 years ago, but they have gotten progressively worse as the area has built up. I try to look at it as a challenge to design beautiful flower beds using plants they simply don’t like, plus a few non-lethal defenses to protect the plants they would love to devour.
Find the plants your deer don’t like
Every gardener has a different experience. While the deer in my neighborhood may not like coral bells, they may be a tasty treat for another herd. Unfortunately, the only way to know which plants your deer will and will not eat is through trial and error. It’s smart to try out a couple of new plants each year to see how they fare.
Plant choice is my primary strategy to outsmart deer. I have quite a few ornamental beds and most of them have no physical protection. There are plenty of choices out there now to create beds of any color scheme and for every sun situation. Rutgers University has an excellent deer resistant plant list to help guide your garden choices.
This sunny bed designed with deer in mind includes zinnias, celosia, hibiscus, butterfly bush, and hakone grass.
For my gardens, some of the best deer-resistant performers include:
Shade perennials: astilbe, spigella, brunnera, bleeding heart, iris, pulmonaria, ferns, heuchera, hellebores, columbine, and hakone grass.
Sun perennials: mums, iris, coreopsis, lavender, lambs ear, echinacea, catmint, agastache, hibiscus, milkweed, salvia, and dianthus.
Annuals: zinnias, coleus, celosia, lantana, marigolds, cosmos, statice, salvia, and vincas.
Motion detector water sprayers
Even with the long list of deer resistant plants for my gardens, there are still plants I want to include that the deer love – like phlox, daylilies, hydrangeas, and hostas. I keep those plants in two beds that I protect with motion-detector water sprayers.
The sprayers are connected to a hose and shoot out an intermittent spray of water when the sensor is activated. The battery-powered device sprays from side to side and scares off the deer. I’ve come to prefer the devices that can be set for night only, so you don’t inadvertently soak yourself or the UPS driver when you forget to turn off the hose.
The down-side to the sprayers is that they are pretty expensive and you have to put them away during the winter. But, they have worked well for me over the years and some have been working 4 or 5 seasons. An upside to the sprayers is that they provide some entertainment value with dogs and kids.
Motion-detector water sprayer protecting daylilies from deer predation.
Sprays
Deer repellant sprays are another important weapon in your arsenal. Even the most deer resistant plants will get nibbled sometimes. Especially during a tough winter, the deer are going to browse on anything green. It’s very helpful to keep a close eye on all your plants and catch damage before it gets too bad.
I have found it effective to rotate the brand of repellant so the deer don’t become accustomed to the smell. The concentrate versions are more cost effective and allow you to use a hand-held spray bottle or a gallon sprayer depending on the area you need to protect. I always have a spray bottle mixed up, to “freshen-up” any newly nibbled plants I find.
Fencing
For areas like a vegetable garden, where you must keep deer out 100% of the time, you need a fence. To keep deer out, you’ll need to enclose your garden with 5-foot-tall (at least) welded-wire fencing. It’s a big project to fence in a garden space, but once it’s done you can focus on growing instead of defending.
In the ornamental garden, I use fencing for temporary protection of plants in a couple of ways. I’ve often had deer pull out newly planted perennials and shrubs by the roots. Apparently, the deer think it’s worth testing out new plants to see if they are tasty.
I use either small circles of coated 2-ft garden fencing and secure them with plant stakes or make a pyramid with fence panels. Once the plant has had some time to spread roots that will hold it securely in the ground, I remove the fencing.
Two fence panels can be used to create a pyramid to protect newly planted shrubs and perennials until their roots are secure.
The other way I use fencing in the ornamental bed is during the winter when I have to take down the motion-detector water sprayers. In one bed next to the deck, I’ve concentrated a few special plants. I use a few panels of 5-ft tall fence to enclose and protect a variegated hydrangea the deer love to nibble buds off in early spring and some beautiful hostas.
Gardening may be soothing to the soul, but deer damage can really spoil the mood. Alas, the deer aren’t going anywhere. If we’re going to garden, we need to work around them. You can even give it a positive spin and think of the health benefits of challenging your mind and building your patience as you outsmart the deer. Good luck and send me a note if you have a question, barb.levisay@gmail.com.