Deer damage - Garden Plants and Gardening Forum

Constance · 05-28-2008, 04:53 PM

We've been doing some landscaping this spring, and I got up this morning to see that my three beautiful Pink Knockout roses had the tops eaten out of them! The deer also ate the top half of my Gold Flame honeysuckle that was just starting to bloom.
I really enjoy our deer. One year, a doe actually raised her fawn in our little woods, and I got to watch her nest in the wild honeysuckle and nurse her baby.
But I spent over $100 for those roses, plus the stone to make the raised bed, the soil to fill it, and the Cyprus mulch.

We bought some deer repellent today that's supposed to last for 3 months, and my landscaper sprayed. I sure hope it helps. It's not like they don't have anything else to eat here.

smgardener · 05-28-2008, 08:51 PM

Interesting article about deer proof garden plants over at the Seattle PI web site:

Quote:

I have gardened with deer for many years now, and by and large, we have learned to coexist. However, I never stop longing for masses of tulips, which deer seem to regard as candy.

One solution is to plant tulips in big pots that are kept on the deck. So far, the deer haven't actually entered the house to reach the deck, but I did find one lurking at the front door recently.

Another solution is to drape the tulip plantings with fine black netting, the kind used to keep birds at bay. Almost invisible from a distance, the netting allows the tulips to emerge uneaten and even to open up without becoming lunch. However, the minute I remove the netting, the deer arrive from all over the island and the tulips are abruptly no more. The best tulips I ever had were planted with Repellex tablets, a systemic bittering agent that makes the whole plant unpalatable.

My usual defense, however, is to plant daffodils. So far, the deer have never eaten my daffodils. Indeed, near our old house, daffodils persisted for about a century around the foundation of an old cabin.

Constance · 05-29-2008, 04:06 PM

I have daffodils everywhere, and it's true that the deer don't like them. Our deer don't bother the tulips, iris, or daylilies, either, but they sure enjoyed my roses!

05-28-2008, 04:53 PM	#1
Constance Green Gardener Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: southern Illinois Posts: 26	Deer damage We've been doing some landscaping this spring, and I got up this morning to see that my three beautiful Pink Knockout roses had the tops eaten out of them! The deer also ate the top half of my Gold Flame honeysuckle that was just starting to bloom. I really enjoy our deer. One year, a doe actually raised her fawn in our little woods, and I got to watch her nest in the wild honeysuckle and nurse her baby. But I spent over $100 for those roses, plus the stone to make the raised bed, the soil to fill it, and the Cyprus mulch. We bought some deer repellent today that's supposed to last for 3 months, and my landscaper sprayed. I sure hope it helps. It's not like they don't have anything else to eat here.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

05-29-2008, 04:06 PM	#3
Constance Green Gardener Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: southern Illinois Posts: 26	I have daffodils everywhere, and it's true that the deer don't like them. Our deer don't bother the tulips, iris, or daylilies, either, but they sure enjoyed my roses!