Deer and Your Garden


Oh, dear! How many times have you planted a vegetable garden, or landscaped a special place in your yard, only to have deer feast on your efforts just as you are beginning to enjoy the fruits of your labors? Sometimes the deer seem to know just exactly when that delicious corn crop is going to mature, and decimate the plants just before you plan to harvest! Or, just as your day lilies begin to emerge in the spring, promising a wonderful display of their beautiful flowers, you visit your garden only to find every lily cropped neatly to the ground. It’s enough to make a grown gardener cry, and swear to give up this wonderful hobby that delights us all. In this program, we’ll take a look at Virginia’s white-tailed deer, and discuss some ways to peacefully coexist with this most prolific mammal that is so prevalent in Prince Edward and surrounding counties – indeed, even in the town of Farmville!

First let’s take a look at a few characteristics of deer populations. These animals are quite territorial – they establish a territory close to the place where they were born, and usually will not leave it. Indeed, they have been known to starve rather than leave their domain. If there is no predation, just two deer can produce a herd of up to 35 members in just seven years! In the wild, deer live up to 11 years. The size of the herd doubles annually if there is no predation or hunting to cull the group. In addition to the damage caused by deer-vehicular collisions, deer can cause thousands of dollars in damage to landscaping plants and crops each year, making control of these populations an important consideration in suburban and rural areas. Our program will limit itself to ways in which the home gardener can protect vegetation from the damage done by hungry deer. Is it possible to enjoy the sight of these beautiful mammals and still have a flourishing garden?

There are some useful tips available for the serious gardener. These suggestions fall into three categories – ways to exclude deer, ways to repel deer, and ways to plant gardens that are not attractive to deer.

The best way to keep deer from invading a garden space is fencing. If possible, erecting a fence to keep deer away from valuable plantings is the ideal solution to the problem, but there are definite drawbacks. We must realize that deer are able to jump ordinary fences with ease. So, if you wish to “deer-proof” a garden using this method, you must be willing to erect a fence that is at least 8 feet high! Often this solution is impractical, however. The beautiful landscaping in your front yard would be ruined with an 8 foot fence around it! Unless you live on an estate that can be surrounded by an expensive, high fence, this option is out of the question for most homeowners. It works well if you have a small garden plot removed from your residence, and if the money needed to erect a tall fence is no object. Even with such a tall fence, however, you may still find a particularly athletic deer browsing in your garden! A modification to a single fence scheme works well – erect two fences that are 3 to 4 feet apart, and your problem will be solved. Of course, there is still the expense! One alternative that has worked well in some situations is to string monofilament fishing line around your garden. The almost invisible line will tangle the deer trying to enter, confusing them and sending them elsewhere in their search for food. Some gardeners have had good luck by tying shiny objects, such as aluminum pie plates, at periodic intervals along the fishing line.

There are many substances on the market that are designed to repel deer from their favorite foods. Many of these substances are sprayed on plants periodically, although many will wash off with the first rain. Visit your local garden center and read the labels of the commercial products available. These materials either taste bad or smell bad to deer, and will curb their appetites, at least for a time. They last for varying lengths of time, and some will not wash off in the rain.

Some people swear by the deterrent power of human hair. Try visiting the local barber shop or beauty salon and collect large quantities of hair, placing it liberally around your favorite plants. Or, other gardeners hang bars of Irish Spring soap throughout the garden. And, some have had good luck hanging fabric softener sheets near plants to be protected.

Two home remedies have been used with some success. The first is an egg mix, that includes 2 eggs, 2 cups of water, 4 cloves of garlic, and 2 tablespoons of hot sauce. Puree the garlic in a blender, mix well with the other ingredients, let the mixture rest several days at room temperature, and apply. A smelly but effective approach to the problem! A second mixes 5 tablespoons of Cayenne Pepper in one gallon of water, which is then applied as a spray. A modification of this latter approach is a mixture of 1 part Texas Pete and 3 parts of water. Either of these remedies can be used on fruits and vegetables destined for human consumption.

Obviously these remedies may or may not work for all deer. Perhaps the best approach is to vary the methods used, since deer will get used to a single approach with time and no longer be controlled by it. It is important to realize, too, that deer tend to attack gardens most frequently in periods of drought, when their natural food supplies are under stress.

Finally, like humans, deer do not like all food materials equally well. They will rarely eat a bush that has thorns for obvious reasons, thus barberry is one landscape plant that is virtually deer proof. Some plants, such as tulips, seem to be like ice cream to deer, while others, like daffodils, are rarely eaten. There must be a wide variation in the tastes of plants, and the wise gardener can have a successful garden by understanding which ones are preferred by deer and which are not. Long lists of plants that are rarely eaten by deer can be obtained from various internet sources, among which are www.whiteflowerfarm.com/deer-resistant-plants.html, and www.rce.rutgers.edu/deerresistance. A beautiful landscaping that utilizes these plants will rarely be visited by deer, and will bring hours of pleasure to the homeowner. Some examples are ageratum, pot marigold, dusty miller, sweet alyssum, and strawflower for annuals; daffodil, snowdrops, and crocus for bulbs; bugleweed, pachysandra, or sweet woodruff for groundcovers; many ornamental grasses; anise hyssop, bleeding heart, spurge, lamb’s ear, and iris for perennials; hyssop, lavender, and rosemary for herbs; barberry, butterfly bush, common boxwood, Oregon grape holly, and bayberry for shrubs; and mimosa, river birch, and American holly for trees. The Rutgers list divides its plants into “rarely damaged,” “seldom severely damaged,” “occasionally severely damaged,” and “frequently severely damaged” categories, and is therefore invaluable as a guide to the gardener who wishes to deter deer from landscape plantings.

Deer resistant plants share certain characteristics: fuzzy or woolly leaves, pungent-scented foliage, and/or foul taste. As noted earlier, spines, thorns, and prickles tend to protect plants, but there are documented cases of deer even browsing on Rugosa roses. If you have ever tried to prune one of these beautiful roses without pricking yourself, you may find this hard to believe, but some deer apparently are masochistic – so that even an itchy okra plant may be eaten from time to time!

Whatever your experience has been with deer in your garden, don’t give up hope of establishing a peaceful coexistence with these beautiful creatures! Perhaps some of the tips that we have shared today will renew your gardening vigor, and you will try some of these suggestions. Above all, keep careful notes of the remedies that you try, and the varying success that you will experience. With patience, you will hit on just the right combination that will keep you happily puttering in your garden for years to come!