|
by Carol Brinkman, HCMG |
Keeping the Deer Away
|
|
Deer are beautiful
animals and the Hill
Country of Texas abounds
with deer. Except in
times of severe drought,
the deer have plenty to
eat courtesy of Mother
Nature. However, your
garden is a smorgasbord
of exotic dishes to
taste. Can you blame the
deer when they venture
into your garden for
this feast? Short of
eight-foot fencing and a
moat around your house,
there is no sure way to
protect your landscape.
Here are four strategies
that will help deter
deer. Just keep in mind,
that when food grows
scarce in their natural
habitat, the deer will
eat almost anything –
there is no absolutely
deer-resistant plant. |
Don't tempt them!
If
you've had trouble with
deer, you already know
the plants they love.
Fortunately, there are
some plants deer seem to
dislike. Generally
speaking, these include
most thorny plants and
those with fuzzy or
leathery leaves or, as
is the case of rosemary
officinalis, some
strong-scented plants.
Bear in mind that the
hungrier they are, the
less selective they'll
be, and no plant is
absolutely deer-proof.
Have I mentioned that? |
Eww. . .that's awful!
Sometimes a little
deterrent is needed to
keep them away.
Repellents discourage
deer from feeding
because they have either
a bad taste or smell,
i.e. rotten eggs or
garlic. There are
various recipes for
homemade deterrents as
well as commercially
available repellents.
Generally these work
when you don’t have many
deer or early on when
the deer first discover
your landscape.
Repellents can be
moderately successful if
they are (and must be)
re-applied faithfully. |
Boo!
Sudden, unexpected
noises can send a deer
running; however, they
will quickly become
accustomed to the noise.
Moving the sound devices
around in your garden
may extend the time
during which these
devices will be
successful. There also
are motion-activated
devices that fire a
spray of water at the
intruders. These seem to
be more successful than
the sound devices and
have become more
reasonably priced now
days. Mine was a
Christmas gift that
(knock wood) keeps on
giving. |
No trespassing!
Fencing is the most
permanent and reliable
deer control solution.
To be effective fencing
needs be at least 7 feet
tall. This option is not
only an investment, but
often the layout of your
property or your
landscape design make
this impossible.
Sometimes there are
homeowner association,
or local, laws/rules
that do not allow
fencing. If such is the
case in your
neighborhood, you might
want to suggest that
feeding the deer should
not be allowed as well.
Feeding the deer has
resulted in the
over-population and
weakened condition of
many deer. Survival of
the fittest should apply
here. Another
alternative would be
wrapping particularly
vulnerable shrubs with
black nylon netting or
other such materials
found at your local
garden center. This can
be a useful technique to
reduce winter browsing,
but it defeats the
purpose of your
beautifully designed
landscape. However,
fabric or shade netting
would be a good option
for your vegetable
garden to deter deer as
well as birds. |
|
|
|
