Growing greens with the presence of deer in the surroundings can be challenging. It can become challenging to maintain a beautiful garden if you live near the deer territory. The herd may eat away all your greens, so you need to be very picky about the kind of plants you grow. However, a few easy tricks can keep the animals away from the sprawling greens.
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Choice Of Garden Plants
The first step is to choose herbs, shrubs, or small plants that are deer resistant. The selection of plants is an important step. The plants you grow must have hairy or fuzzy foliage. Deer-resistant plants include lady’s mantle, lambs ear, Siberian bugloss, poppies, tuberous begonias, flowering tobacco, yarrow, Ageratum, etc. These plants are great to keep the deer away. Deer also dislike leaves with spines. The best choice in this category may include breeches, Cardoon, Echinops, and sea hollies. Another good choice is plants with a strong fragrance. Deer do not feed on heavily aromatic plants. Many herbs like sage, lavender, thyme, and oregano are great choices. Deer also avoid plants that can be toxic for them and upset their tummies. Daffodils, monkshood, spurges, and poppies can be a good choice too. They also avoid leaves that do not digest easily. Deer always prefer flowering plants over grass.
Using A Deer Fence In The Garden
Once you plant suitable trees and plants, the second step is to put a fence around the garden. It can be expensive, but it is the easiest way to keep the deer away. The fence needs to be tall enough so that a deer does not jump over and enter the garden. Keep the fence about 7-8 feet tall. You may also use electric fences if allowed in your area. The fences may be solar-powered, but you need to be careful while using these fences and keep the children away. Another effective way of fencing is using a double fence. The deer will feel trapped even if they jump over and do not enter the garden space. You may alternatively use a deer net. You may put the mesh with the support of pillars and create a block for the deer. If you do not wish to invest a big chunk in fencing the entire area, you may use a fence around individual plants that are not deer-resistant.
Use Strong Repellents
You can quickly get deer repellents in the nearby store. They are effective if you apply them consistently. You need to diligently spray them on plants the deer love at least once a week. These repellents act as a taste and odor deterrent for the deer. The spray sticks on the leaves and makes it viable for the deer to eat them
Scare The Deer Away
This is the age-old method of running away the seer from the gardens. You may scare them away by using a lot of methods. Using a motion-activated sprinkler is a great way to scare the deer. They can be a game-changer because deer can take note of these motion sensors, and the water coming out of the sprinklers scares the deer effectively. It is ideal for kitchen gardens, small shrubs, and flowering plants. But the sprinklers are not effective in the winter season as the hose freezes. You may use solar or battery-operated sprinklers to get a burst of water.
Conclusion
Taking into account these small steps can help you save the garden from deer. Living in areas with a deer population is like being closer to nature but comes with this disadvantage. Thus, you need to be more vigilant and take care of your garden using the tips mentioned above.
