It’s estimated that there are approximately 200,000 to 250,000 white tail deer in Maryland according to the Department of Natural Resources; that’s approximately 20 deer per acre. (No, that doesn’t mean there are 20 deer lurking in your garden. Don’t panic.) Sometimes it does seem the deer have thrown a party in my garden. My hosta are the first course, then they move on to whatever looks tasty.
Let’s take another look at ways to keep these beautiful animals from using our gardens as fast-food eatery. There are four predictable types of deterrents:
Strong odors • Bitter tastes • Prickly textures • Very tall (8’) fences, preferably electrified
How we use these methods and how to maintain a consistent defense over the long weeks of our growing season—those are the issues. Basically, when it comes to fencing, you either have or you don’t have the desire or the room for an 8-foot fence around your garden. (Anything lower will not deter those high-jumping deer.)
So, that leaves us with home remedies and plantings. Deer eat 3–5 percent of their body weight every day. And they’re creatures of habit! When deciding on revising your garden’s plantings to defend against hungry deer, keep these four points in mind:
Deer have good memories; that is the good news and the bad news. If they’re persuaded your garden is undesirable, they’ll stay away.
Preventing deer from grazing in your garden is easier than trying to change their habits once you’re part of their dining schedule.
Nutritional needs influence the plants they’ll choose to eat.
Deer share their discoveries. Once you’ve got a single diner, it won’t be long before the whole family will be in your garden.
Before I list some of the best deer-resistant plants, let me review some of the alternative deterrents:
These Home-Remedies Work:
- Hang bags of human hair around the perimeter of the garden. (It’s not an attractive look, but neither are chomped plants.)
- Hang bars of soap from trees and tall shrubs. (Irish Spring is purported to be particularly effective.)
- Coffee grounds: spread them around plants.
- Noisy dogs: if you don’t mind leaving your dog loose in your garden, the deer will stay away. You’ll have to let the dog guard your garden in the early mornings and at dusk, the times deer are usually out grazing.
- Coyote decoys work, though I’m not sure how that decoy will fit into your garden’s design.
- Spray a mixture of cinnamon, clove, mint, vinegar, and dish soap on perimeter plants.
- Hang reflective tape like ribbons from branches and fences.
- Wind chimes work sometimes; deer are spooked by unexpected noises. Remember, the windchime only chimes if there is a breeze. Where you place the wind chimes may determine the effectiveness of this deterrent.
- Motion-activated sprinklers work…for a while. Anecdotal reports suggest the deer soon figure out how to avoid the sprinkler or simply ignore it.
- Motion-activated lights, like sprinklers, work only for a time. Too soon the deer will appreciate the extra lighting for their late-night dining.
- Good, old-fashioned pinwheels can work, but like windchimes, they rely on breezes and have no effect if they’re out of the wind.
- Flags, both the kind that hang along a long cord and the single flags we see on sticks and flagstaffs.
- Ultrasonic sound waves and flashing LED lights seem to be the most effective and long-lasting deterrents. (Your neighbors won’t be disturbed by the sound waves, but they may be unhappy with the flashing lights.)
These Do Not Work:
- Dryer sheets
- Pine-So
- Owl decoys
- Baking soda
- Human urine
Now, on to using plantings to protect your garden and plants that deer don’t like to eat.
Protective Planting: Plant defensively around the perimeter of your garden. These shrubs and trees are prickly, unpleasant in the sensitive mouths of deer: American Holly, Juniper, Boxwood, Switchgrass (I know it’s an ornamental grass, not a shrub, but in the mouth of a deer it is sharp and uncomfortable.) Plant carefully chosen deer-resistant plants among your more vulnerable plants—nature’s guards. (Be sure to think about plants that share similar sun and moisture requirements.)
Deer-resistant Perennials: Lavender: fragrant to us, stinky to deer Catmint: also, pleasant to us but not to our unwanted guests Russian sage: handsome and prickly Peonies: they’re actually rather toxic for deer Foxglove: another plant toxic to deer (and to any other animals that might chew on it) Bee balm: lovely for bees and icky to the deer, a win-win plant Lenten Rose (Hellebore): thick leaves that deer ignore
Ornamental Grasses the deer dislike: Maiden Grass: quite tall and dramatic, but deer dislike having to pass through it Fountain Grass: they have spikes that deter deer Blue fescue: tough grass that deer avoid
Shrubs the deer dislike: Boxwood: sour smell and bitter taste Bluebeard (Caryopteris): attracts butterflies and bees Barberry: thorny, colorful shrub with pretty, fall berries
Whatever you decide to do, or if you decide to do nothing, our furry neighbors will be around. We can try to make our gardens an unwelcome dining spot, so the deer won’t make our gardens part of their regular rounds.
