deer proof garden (Plum, Brodheadsville: home, to buy, live in)

[mathjak107]

well im looking for ideas for what we can plant in our yard. this was our first year in nepa and threw some gala feast for the deer as everything is eaten.

we are looking for ideas on the least likly to be eaten flowers and plants we can use.

[greentown]

A good garden center to check out is Wilmot's on Rt. 590 between Hamlin and Lakeville. They have a great selection and could probably give you lots of deer-proof options.

[MermanMike]

Deer resistant plant lists at the local garden centers are a good start, but truth is deer will eat anything when they are hungry. And, if I remember right, you live in a vacation community...and usually the deer that choose those communities as home are very tame...lots of people feeding them, etc....more of a nuisance than normal deer.

I think the most deer resistant plant I know is monarda...also called bee balm...it smells fantastic, kind of lemony. Deer hate it...some people hedge their gardens in monarda because of that. Rhododendrons are pretty successful, and nice to have around.

The other thing to do is cage young plants, or wrap your shrubs in burlap for the winter when they are particularly hungry.

Many say that dog hair in the yard will scare off deer since dogs are a natural predator. Well, a few weeks ago after I sheared off my dogs long winter coat, I spread it in piles around the yard to ward off the deer. We came outside the next morning, and three of them were sleeping next to a pile of his hair! We borrow this land from -them-!

[EnyaGirl]

Originally Posted by mathjak107

well im looking for ideas for what we can plant in our yard. this was our first year in nepa and threw some gala feast for the deer as everything is eaten.

we are looking for ideas on the least likly to be eaten flowers and plants we can use.

I was just talking to my mother about this the other day, as she's a gardener (and I have a brown thumb..lol). She suggested planting burberry bushes. THey're pretty, but thorny, so deer stay away from them I know my husband (JLStorm) went to a garden center the other day and spoke to someone about this too...I'll see if he has any info that he can post.

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by MermanMike

Deer resistant plant lists at the local garden centers are a good start, but truth is deer will eat anything when they are hungry. And, if I remember right, you live in a vacation community...and usually the deer that choose those communities as home are very tame...lots of people feeding them, etc....more of a nuisance than normal deer.

I think the most deer resistant plant I know is monarda...also called bee balm...it smells fantastic, kind of lemony. Deer hate it...some people hedge their gardens in monarda because of that. Rhododendrons are pretty successful, and nice to have around.

The other thing to do is cage young plants, or wrap your shrubs in burlap for the winter when they are particularly hungry.

Many say that dog hair in the yard will scare off deer since dogs are a natural predator. Well, a few weeks ago after I sheared off my dogs long winter coat, I spread it in piles around the yard to ward off the deer. We came outside the next morning, and three of them were sleeping next to a pile of his hair! We borrow this land from -them-!

Merman Mike, gave some excellent advice. The best thing to do is find out what the deer do not like: barberry/foxwood, etc. We use liquid fence/shot gun. You have to be on top of the spraying, so since you are up on the weekends it might be hard. For instance after a rain you have to spray. Rhodo as Mike suggested are great. You will see them in forests/parks and the deer do not seem to bother them. If you are planting certain kinds of trees like a Purple leave Plum - which is gorgeous - in the beginning when the tree is young spray the trunk and the branches. As the tree matures, the deer can not reach them. The nursery that someone else suggested is excellent because they can give you advice! Good luck.

The Hat

[BLUEDIAMOND64]

Originally Posted by EnyaGirl

I was just talking to my mother about this the other day, as she's a gardener (and I have a brown thumb..lol). She suggested planting burberry bushes. THey're pretty, but thorny, so deer stay away from them I know my husband (JLStorm) went to a garden center the other day and spoke to someone about this too...I'll see if he has any info that he can post.

We have Barberry's in our landscape. They are great bushes. The deer will not touch them. They grow fast under direct sunlight. They are very hard to prune. You have to wear certain types of gloves - the prickers are very painful. Also, when prunning them, for any of the twigs that drop - beware of picking them up. They really hurt.

Hat

[Summering]

We tried about everything in our deer friendly community.........dog hair, sprays.......
The deer ate everything we planted. Except.......the junipers, mungo pine, barberry, some ornamental grasses, and the pachysandras. Thats it.
In fact putting the flowers in containers on the steps......if they could reach them, they would eat what was in there too. We were left with doing large containers on our high front deck and our back deck. High windowboxes also.
One deer when we were away for the winter, ate two tall evergreens that were on each side of our front door area, and that was quite pickey!
At one time I fenced a flower area, one of the neighbors came along and had a good giggle.........told me the deer would still get them.
Next day...........there was the deer inside the fencing!!
So I learned in time that what I had hoped for just wasn't going to work.
Deer eat a plant in one area that they might not in another. The deer we had in PE ate everything, but the aboved mentioned.
Now in Brodheadsville, I have to look for flowers bunnies don't eat..........and they have sometimes eaten huge bunches of flowers overnight........Sometimes sitting in containers as I shake my head in amazement........... Oh yes, the deer don't seem to like the Rododendrums so that is great, one nice blooming bush......

[7micheller]

It seems so funny to read about deer problems; I can't wait to get rid of my animal problems down here and trade them for deer problems. Isn't life funny? I didn't even think about having to learn about what to deter deer from my yard.

Wow, more things to learn before I move...stop it..hehehehheee

That is hysterical that the dog hair did not deter the deer, but provided a nice cooshie sleeping arrangement.

And bears, someone mentioned bears on another thread; there are bears too? Oh my gosh, well it is better to have deer and bears than a sheriff's son that lives next door to me and burglarized my home and took all my kids electronics and I had to buy everything back from the pawn shop...hummm another thread, sorry got off track here...more coffee for me.....chuckle...

[CHS89]

Someone--Hubbard maybe--mentioned that human hair worked to keep deer away when I was looking for a skunk deterrent.

[EnyaGirl]

Originally Posted by CHS89

Someone--Hubbard maybe--mentioned that human hair worked to keep deer away when I was looking for a skunk deterrent.

My husband seems to believe that human urine works. He mentioned plans to pee on our garden ::::rolling on floor laughing::::::