Get Out of My Garden!
Here in Olympia, Washington, we have a pest that terrorizes gardeners constantly. They seem to have no fear of human interaction, and they can destroy all of your hard work within a couple of hours.
They’re also kinda cute.
I hear the question over and over again, so I’m here to answer:
“How do you keep deer out of your flower garden?!”
I have a few tricks up my sleeve that have given me success, and I’ve learned some hard lessons from my many failures over the years: Deer are ruthless, they do not care if you scare them off multiple times, they will keep coming back for more delicious treats!
Something I always suggest would be to opt for Deer Resistant Plants * whenever possible. Typically, if a plant has a strong scent or is poisonous, it’s probably deer resistant
… But I am here to tell you: Some Deer Don’t Care. Some deer will walk right up to your poisonous, fragrant, deer-resistant plants and feast. That’s when we make sure we double-down on our garden protection!
Another trick I’ve heard is interplanting to deter deer. For example, tulips are one of their favorite treats… some folks will plant allium * and daffodil * bulbs mixed in with their tulips to keep deer away. This is not always successful, but I will say: Allium are a great anti-pest plant for voles, moles, and aphids, so the more allium,* the merrier!
The opposite approach would be to leave an area as “deer dining” and hope they choose that area over your beloved favorites. I’ve seen folks leave buckets of apples out in hopes that the deer will munch on those rather than ruin any other crop.
My Tricks and Tips for keeping Deer OUT:
Workin’ Animals
3. Dogs: I owe a lot of my gardening success in our back yard to our dog Louie. (So far, our puppy Hank has not been barking-at-deer, but he’s done plenty of trying to tear apart the greenhouse… His level of commitment to the success of our farm is still TBD…)
If dogs are safely contained in the backyard, I have found deer are not afraid to walk into the front yard and munch. So, we have to take additional measures to keep the front area deer-free!
2. Deer Netting: We set up this deer netting * around our front gardens and it absolutely works! It’s relatively transparent, so from a distance, you don’t even notice it’s there! Deer can’t get through and they give up pretty quickly.
Netting is best used for a relatively small area, as it gets to be a real pain if you’re trying to net a very large space!
Make space between the netting and your plants: the small weave of the netting can quickly tangle with the flowers and buds of your plants. Be sure to give ample space between the netting and your blooms to decrease damage!
Small birds may get caught inside the netting, so be sure to check on it regularly to set them free!
And the winner is:
My Favorite Deer Repellent!
It may smell terrible when you spray it, but it works!
My TOP deer repellent trick that I recommend for anyone and everyone who’s struggling with deer pressure is this Liquid Fence Deer & Rabbit Repellent *.
Tips for success: Wear your work clothes and plan on showering: It smells pretty awful, but it is SUPER effective.
I spray along the outside of my garden, and even directly on the wood of my raised garden beds to deter any mammals from munching my precious plants! Please note: If you spray it on the actual plants, it can leave a residue or permanent spots, so I always suggest spraying close by, but not directly on!
It is “rain resistant,” but after a significant rain, you’ll want to get back out there and spray again! I’ve found that the rain washes most of the scent away, and the deer will come running.
Those are my top tried-and-true deer deterrents that have worked in my garden, but I’d love to hear about yours! Do you have a favorite trick? Leave a comment below so we can help each other out!
