Oh, Deer! Here They Come Again

Deer jump over the short picket fence at Greg Brezinski’s Yorktown, Va., home and devour his ivy but ignore the juniper and take only small, insignificant bites of the Otto Luyken laurel.

Down the road, Jim Orband’s hostas struggle to survive because the deer consider them a real delicacy.

The stories of deer leaving woodland areas to nibble on precious plants is much the same throughout the U.S.

Unfortunately, there are no definite solutions other than to install deer-deterrent fencing and to garden with plants that have the most deer-resistant reputations. Companies are experimenting with and making products such as Tree Guard, a solution you spray on foliage and hope its taste and odor repel deer. These products tend to wash off with rain and must be reapplied frequently to be effective. Often, they work at first but then the smart deer catch on and munch away.

“Planting ornamental plants that deer do not like to eat is a solution to deer browsing,” writes the University of Georgia. “Remember, though, that very few plants are totally deer resistant. Deer prefer tender new foliage on newly planted ornamentals and those fertilized to produce lush new growth. During dry weather, deer are attracted to irrigated plants. Buck deer also cause considerable damage to young trees by rubbing them with their antlers. Repellents will not stop antler rubbing.”

There are gardeners, however, who manage to survive with deer. Extension agents and animal specialists cringe when they hear about homeowners purposefully feeding deer but Cindy Hitchens of Williamsburg, Va., says it’s working for her.

And that’s not all she does: “The best deer deterrent, however, has to be a mid to large dog with a deep voice who has free run of the area in question.”

For more information, consult a book like “Deer Proofing Your Yard & Garden”($12.95, Storey Publishing).