Stop being a Dear to your neighborhood Deer!
Thousands of Gardeners in towns all across the country suffer some level of deer damage to their garden every year. For some of us the damage in minimal to annuals that are along the front pathway while others suffer great loose to mature landscape. Luckily there is a great selection of plants and shrubs you can plant that Deer will often ignore.With Deer roaming your landscape you may not be able to have all of your dream plants in your garden, you can still have a garden with a beautiful montage of plants and shrubs. Knowing what the Deer like and dis like will save you time, tears and money. While many plants are listed as “Deer Resistant” few are “Deer Proof”. There are general groups of plants they tend to avoid while others they will walk a mile to enjoy. Also, withing in each neighborhood they seem to have slight variances in their cravings. They key to building a deer proof garden is trial and error, like most things in life. Joining the local garden club and online groups to find out what plants are the most Deer resistant in your region can be very helpful.
During your garden design you can build it with nooks and crannies. Often times Deer will avoid these tight spots. These spots will give you places to plant some of those plants you so desperately want but fear the Deer will devour. Over time you will learn their commonly traveled paths. When planting along these paths avoid anything tempting to the Deer. Once they stop and graze on one plant there are sure to find a few more to try.
For those “must have” plants that you are unwilling to part with, consider a product like Bobbex or similar homemade products. Many different recipes are available online with varying degrees of effectiveness. I personally can attest to Bobbex. I have used this product for over 6 years and it has never once let me down. Now, I have let myself down a few times by not applying it, but that was not fault to the Bobbex. One application of Bobbex will usually last 1-2 weeks in normal weather. If it is artificially wet and rainy then you will need to apply it every few days. Applying to dry foliage works best. Because it has a stink to it when first applied I apply it in the evening. By the morning when I come out it is dry and I can no longer smell it. Being an all natural product you can have peace of mind knowing that you are not harming your environment.