Deer Versus Plants and Shrubs

These darned deer are really ticking me off.

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by Jessica WalliserApril 9, 2009

Coming up with ways to keep the deer away from plants and shrubs
Photo by Jessica Walliser

The deer netting is back on … for now.

These darned deer are really ticking me off.
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They are supposed to be DONE eating our landscape plants now that wild foods in the woods behind our house are more available.Ā 
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I cover up my evergreen shrubs with deer netting during the winter months and then usually remove it come spring, but after I took it off last week, they showed up and chomped away … So, the netting went back on.

They ate a lot of stuff this past winter that they aren’t ā€˜supposed to’ eat including boxwood (!), dogwood, hollies, and oakleaf hydrangea.

They even dug up some of my bearded iris rhizomes and nibbled them into bits!

I usually don’t have much trouble from them during the spring and summer months, at least nothing that a few sprays of deer repellant won’t fix, but I have a feeling this year might be different.Ā 

I generally rely on two different sprays if it becomes necessary to keep the deer out of the perennial garden during the growing season: I use Tree Guard in the fall and PlantSkydd in the spring and summer.Ā 

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I like both products and have had good success with them. But, our browse is not as heavy as some other areas near where we live.

It might be a bad year for my hostas, heucheras, and sunflowers. They seem to be our herd’s favorite summer treats.

I guess I’d better buy a few more containers of repellant next time I’m at the garden center.Ā Ā 

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