OH, DEER! They got into the flowers again!

Learn how to minimize garden damage from hungry deer

BY ALICE KEMP

They’re known for being cute and gentle—and decimating gardens.

Hardly any plant is off limits to the voracious garden marauders. They eat 6% to 8% of their body weight every day, and they often set their sights on carefully tended spring sprouts.

“Deer are foragers and naturally cover an area of about a square mile,” said Kirsten Ann Conrad, a Virginia Cooperative Extension agriculture natural resources agent in Arlington.

Conrad explained that a square mile of quality forage land in forested areas or greenspaces typically serves the needs of about 13-18 deer. When deer in the wild are overpopulated and can’t find enough food, they’ll move into residential and urban areas.

Keeping deer out

Deer are perceptive animals that are familiar with human activity and will observe behaviors to work around deterrents.

“The only thing we can point to and say is 100% deer-proof is a 10-foot-high woven wire fence,” said Jim Parkhurst, associate professor in Virginia Tech’s Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation. “Anything else, even many of the less costly fences, are likely to allow some penetration by deer.”

While not everyone can invest in this type of fencing, and some localities may not allow it, angling a shorter fence 45 degrees will help give an illusion of a higher one. Additionally, installing two 5-foot-high fences 4 feet apart will confuse deer.

“Deer don’t have the ability to estimate distance correctly, so the fences will look closer and higher than they actually are,” Conrad said. “They won’t risk getting caught between the two fences, so they’re less likely to jump.”

If fences aren’t feasible, gardeners can employ methods like non-toxic deer repellents.

“These sprays are generally effective if they’re applied early and frequently,” Conrad noted. “If deer learn to avoid your landscape because the treated plants don’t taste good, they’ll continue to avoid your property even after you’ve stopped spraying.”

However, deer can get accustomed to repellents so it’s best to rotate between different types. Ultimately, if a deer is desperate, a repellent may not keep it away.

Man’s best friend also can help, as neighborhoods with many dogs frequently exhibit fewer deer.

“If you have either a dog on a tether or within a fenced area, their presence and activity may reduce the likelihood of deer coming,” Parkhurst suggested.

Deer-resistant plants?

Deer are attracted to showy plants people like to keep in their gardens— Asiatic lilies, hostas, some azaleas and roses.

“We always refer to these as the Dove chocolates of the deer world,” Parkhurst said.

While no plant is truly deer-resistant, there are some they don’t prefer. Native plants like mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), a flowering evergreen shrub; shrubby cinquefoil (Potentilla fruticose); beautiful Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica); and wild bleeding hearts (Dicentra eximia) are less susceptible to deer damage and offer nice aesthetic to landscapes.

In her research, Conrad compiled a list of plants thought to be less prone to deer damage: bit.ly/3lmFNZ4.

Unpredictability is key

If deterrents like wind chimes, spinners and other objects are always kept in the same location, deer will quickly learn they aren’t a threat.

“But the more you keep them off guard, you move it, you change its location, you take it down for 2-3 days then put it back somewhere else, the more effective it’ll be,” Parkhurst said.

It’s a lot of work for the homeowner, he admitted, but that unpredictability will help keep a garden safe.

MOTHBALLS: A deer deterrent DON’T!

Some might be tempted to use mothballs as a deer repellent; however, this is a dangerous environmental hazard. Mothballs are a pesticide regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency, and any use that’s inconsisent with the product label is illegal. Mothballs contain chemicals that if used outside can leech into the ground, putting children, pets and other animals at risk while contaminating plants, soil and water.

Mothballs are strictly for indoor use in air-tight containers, and only intended for killing fabric pests like moths. They don’t deter garden pests or wildlife.