It was a snowy Sunday morning. I grabbed a cup of coffee, the paper and went to our bay window to see how much snow we had gotten overnight. Dusted with snow, lying and standing in my garden, were 5 deer, and they were all nibbling on the stems of my hydrangeas, lilacs, and more! Well, not in my garden tonight, deer!
What to do about deer
This isn’t the first time that I’ve had deer problems. My neighbors feel the need to feed them, and on the way to their yard, they use mine as appetizers. Spring through winter, they nibble everything in sight. I’ve learned the hard way that I need to protect the plants that I love. I’ve tried everything possible, from using sprays, such as Liquid Fence, Bobbex, and other liquids. They work for a while, and then it either wears off or the deer get used to it. I’ve tried putting bamboo stakes around my lilies, which have prevented them from sticking their heads in and eating the buds. For a few years, I didn’t know what color my lilies were until I used this method. And they love hostas! In one pass, they can destroy six without even trying.
Two other great methods for keeping them at bay, playing a radio in your garden, usually tuned to either a sports channel or a talk show. The voices tend to scare the deer away. The other method is a motion-activated sprinkler that squirts water at them. I’ve found I need to keep moving the sprinkler around, or they figure out a different path to take.
To have your plants destroyed makes your heart sink, especially if the plant was just about to bloom and they took all of the buds away. Do you have any tried-and-true methods of keeping deer out of your garden and away from your prized plants? Please post them here along with photos of other methods, damage, and plants they tend to avoid.
Good luck!
