by Adina Gewirtz
Deer are some of the most beautiful pests you’ll ever try to keep out of your garden, and the problems they pose increase every year as their habitat shrinks and they come looking for food in our backyards. If you’ve experienced the frustration of a deer-decimated garden, consider the following methods to repel these lovely uninvited guests.
Barriers
The most effective of all deer-repelling tools, a barrier's effectiveness varies based on how much time and money you have to invest, and in how well a barrier fits into your landscape or interferes with yard maintenance.
Tall solid fences. Deer don’t like jumping over a fence if they can’t see what’s on the other side. The disadvantage is that solid fences are expensive and obtrusive.
Electric fence. Electric fences give deer a harmless shock. They’re most effective if set up in early spring, when plants start producing tender growth that’s appealing to deer. Make the fence three- to four-feet tall, and tie strips of cloth to the wire. Bait it with peanut butter on squares of aluminum foil. Deer get a shock when they nibble the peanut butter, and will thereafter avoid the area, even when the fence is off.
Deer also learn to associate the strips of cloth with an electric fence, so you can construct a decoy fence in areas where it’s hard to install an actual electric fence. However, deer could eventually figure out that the fence won't shock them.
Two short fences. You can space two short mesh or wire fences three- to four-feet apart. Deer don’t like to jump over an area that wide. It doesn’t have to be a permanent fence; you can use lightweight green fencing poles sold in fencing and garden departments at hardware stores, strung with hardware cloth or chicken wire, which can be easily removed when the season is over.
Monofilament. String fishing line, or monofilament, at chest height across the paths deer use to get into your yard. Deer are confused because they can feel but not see it, and back off.
Mesh cages. Surround individual plants — especially those that are valuable or deer favorites — with wire mesh. Either make it a few feet taller than the plant or cover it with a mesh lid. The drawback to this method is that it makes it hard to enjoy the plant’s beauty.
Deer netting. Unlike mesh cages, deer netting doesn’t detract from the look of the plants, since you can’t see it unless you’re up close. Netting requires simple maintenance, in that you have to lift and readjust it weekly to accommodate new plant growth and prevent shoots from growing through the holes in the mesh and tangling it.
Repellants
Repellants are a less-sure-fire way to keep deer away, but some — both the homemade or commercially formulated varieties — are known to repulse deer, at least for a period of time. A repellant can be anything a deer doesn’t like the smell or taste of. Some of the most common repellants are tallow-based soap, rotten eggs, coyote urine, hot pepper spray, garlic, human or animal hair, dry blood meal, catnip and peppermint oil.
For greatest effect, choose three or four of these and rotate their use, so the deer don’t become accustomed to them. Since they break down, you’ll have to refresh them every few weeks, and will have to refresh those that wash away in the rain, such as blood meal, eggs and hot pepper. Commercial formulas may last longer, but still need to be reapplied after several rainfalls.
Deer-resistant Plants
Deer will eat anything if hungry enough, but there are some plants they like less than others. If there are other food sources available to them, deer will avoid ferns, ornamental grasses, plants with fuzzy, leathery or spiny leaves and pungent herbs such as rosemary.
Here are some other plants deer don’t like:
- American holly
- Boxwoods
- Columbines
- Common lilac
- Foxgloves
- Delphiniums
- Iris
Deer also have particular favorites, so if you plant these, use extra protection:
- Azaleas
- Crabapples
- Impatiens
- Hostas
- Roses
- Yews
- Zonal geraniums
Adina Gewirtz is a freelance writer in the Washington, D. area.
