Plants and Deer

[bjgrazi]

We live in Northern NJ and have a group of 12 deer that frequent our yard. DAILY. This spring I want to start working on the landscaping, but I'm told the deer will eat anything we plant. We have lots of evergreeen, but no flowering plants.

Are there any plants that they won't touch? Any ideas?

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think if you spread dried blood around and maybe dog scent, it might help. They will eat evergreens too. I have trouble with that. They REALLY love hostas! I planted mine under wire last year. Once we are out at the new place, I will try putting blood and dog scent around.

 

[Snowwark]

Welcome to the F&GB, Barb!

Although I understand how frustrating it must be to have your plants devoured, you're very fortunate (at least to me! ) to have wildlife so close to you.

Deer problems come up fairly regularly on the F&GB, and along with the good ideas that Diane gave you, I'm including a couple of links.

One is to a thread where posters give all sorts of interesting ideas on how to repel deer, the other is to a website that lists plants that deer MAY not eat.

Good luck to you, and keep us posted on how things go, okay?

Deer in the garden

Deer resistant landscape plants

Any other ideas for Barb on how to keep the deer away?

Kim

 

[bjgrazi]

Thanks so much.

I will keep you posted on the problem.

 

[dandave]

Hi bjgrazi! I don't have any problems with deer, but your question made me curious about this problem. I found this site to be full of ideas:

http://www.gardenfoundation.com/howto/pestyanimals2.htm

Good luck to you!

 

[amid chaos]

I odn;'t know if it's been mentioned yet, but human hair does the trick. become buddies with a hair dresser. Tie it up in a nylon and then hang on your plants.

 

[DebºoºS]

I too live in NJ with deer. They'll eat just about anything in their feeding path. They're not bright and their eyesight is bad. If you can keep them in their feeding path you might be ok. We've managed to keep them out of most of the gardens this way. I planted arbrovitae, hemlocks, forsythia anything big that they don't like as a barrier border around our vegggie garden. They don't like evergreens and will pass on the daffys to eat tulips. I tried the hair, soap, dog stuff etc nothing worked except blocking their view.

 

[DukeStreetKing]

I used to have a problem with deer eating my roses. My wife used to cut my hair, before I became too much of a PITA and I would sprinkle the cuttings around the flower bed. The deer never ate my flowers again. I guess just the scent of humans was enough to scare them off.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Originally posted by DebºoºS
I too live in NJ with deer. They'll eat just about anything in their feeding path. They're not bright and their eyesight is bad. If you can keep them in their feeding path you might be ok. We've managed to keep them out of most of the gardens this way. I planted arbrovitae, hemlocks, forsythia anything big that they don't like as a barrier border around our vegggie garden. They don't like evergreens and will pass on the daffys to eat tulips. I tried the hair, soap, dog stuff etc nothing worked except blocking their view.

Interesting since one of the things I have trouble with the deer eating, is the spruce and pine trees.

 

[DebºoºS]

They must've read my post! I discovered today that they are eating the bark off the fruit trees. They haven't eaten any pines or spruce yet .

I'll try the spray and see what happens.