It is always a thrill to see a deer bounding through a meadow or crossing a country road. They are such graceful and beautiful animals. Gardeners all know that, beautiful as they are, they can be a problem in the garden. Deer especially love to feast on vegetables, flowerbeds, shrubs and trees.
We have a 4-acre meadow at our house, and although we do not see deer often, we know they are munching away in the meadow every night, even in winter. On average, one deer can consume upwards of 5-10 pounds of plant material a day.
Fortunately, the deer do not venture into the lawn and garden area near our house very often. I guess that is partly because we are outside in the yard on a daily basis, except in winter. We also have a grand-dog who visits regularly and leaves his scent everywhere. Probably, more importantly, there is plenty for the deer to eat in our meadow.
On summer days, we can sit on the back porch while we watch the does bring their fawns up the creek bank into the meadow and help them hide by lying down against a tree trunk, or against a wood pile. The fawn will stay where his mother puts him and wait for her return. She then goes off to feed, but keeps a watchful eye on her baby. The adult deer do come from the meadow into our yard at night to feed, and I often find chewed off stems. The damage is never bad enough to wipe out an entire area of the garden, so it does not bother me. The deer in our local area have not over-populated, since each fall there is hunting on our farm, and other properties in the area.
For those who are overrun with deer, and suffer deer damage in their gardens, you can obtain a list of deer tolerant/resistant native plants at the Penn State Extension Office, located in the Adams County Ag Center in Gettysburg. The Penn State Extension web site notes that deer do not gravitate to highly-scented plants such as boxwood, rosemary and lemon thyme, so these plants can be interspersed around your garden to act as a deterrent.
As a rule, deer do not like to eat annuals such as marigolds, sweet alyssum, and salvia. Perennials that deer stay away from include: daffodils, hyacinths, columbine, ferns, epimedium, yarrow, monkshood, foxglove, lavender, peonies, and iris. Trees and shrubs that deer usually avoid include: bottlebrush buckeye, sweetshrub, Virginia sweetspire, Japanese kerria, and rugosa rose. But, it is important to remember that weather conditions, seasonal factors, and availability of alternate food sources are all factors that may lead deer to forage among vegetation that they may not prefer.
I recently read an article by Carolyn Singer in Fine Gardening magazine that mentioned that deer love lush plants fertilized with nitrogen. I think it reasonable to assume that if deer are hungry, they will probably eat anything.
Over the years, I have read about concoctions that are supposed to deter deer from munching on our gardens. Penn State suggests using a homemade spray made of a beaten egg, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, dish soap and cooking oil mixed in water. The foliage of the plants must be sprayed every couple of weeks, and, if it rains, the substance must be reapplied.
A few years ago, there was an article in Horticulture magazine by George Longenecker, E. D. of the West Virginia Botanic Garden, entitled "Milk as Deer Repellent". The botanical garden staff sprays diluted milk (one part milk to 3 parts water) on their plants to repel the deer. They have used fresh milk, sour milk, two percent milk – all with positive results. They provided a word of warning, however, that milk can be harmful to soil microflora necessary for decomposition of organic matter. They have found that with a good mulch layer under plants, the small amount of milk that might drip during the spraying process does not appear to be harmful.
If you have a problem with deer eating your perennials and shrubs, you could certainly try spraying the affected plants with milk and see if it helps. This is a low-cost method to try to control deer. Just be sure that you thoroughly clean out the sprayer. A sour milk smell the next time you use the sprayer would not be pleasant.
As you plan additions to your garden and head out to your local nursery, consider making a list of plants to acquire that are not known to be favorites for our deer neighbors. Clean up your yard and don’t leave acorns or rotted fruit as a temptation to these foragers. If all else fails, just sit back and enjoy the beauty of your surroundings and resign yourself to sharing it with these graceful creatures.
Read other articles about controlling garden pests
Read other articles by Faith Peterson
