If you’re new to gardening, you may think that seeing deer in your yard is exciting. But as cute as they are, deer can be quite destructive to your plants. Experienced gardeners know that deer can make short work of vegetable gardens, flowers, and decorative or fruit-bearing trees. Deer especially love tulips! The joy of watching colorful tulips bloom in the springtime is certainly dampened when your beautiful blooms are lost to hungry deer. This spring planting season, enjoy growing tulips and planting new trees without worrying over deer. Learn how to protect plants from deer using these three tips, and you can look forward to a flourishing spring garden.
Deer Deterrent Plants
Deer rely on their sense of smell to lead them, and some plants emit strong aromas that most deer find repulsive. Deer will happily eat tulips, but the same cannot be said of daffodils, alliums, and crown imperial. In a garden bed, mix tulips with plants that are unappetizing to deer because of their strong fragrances. In addition to daffodils, alliums, and crown imperial, gardeners can deter hungry deer by planting lavender, mint, chives, garlic, marigolds, foxglove, and rosemary. Lamb’s ear and yarrow are also repulsive to deer due to their bristly textures. The drawback of using this method to deter deer is that you will have to rotate deer-deterring plants throughout the year as they go in and out of season. The deer, however, will remain even into the winter.
How to Protect New Trees from Deer
Young trees are, unfortunately, the perfect height to be a deer snack. Deer enjoy chewing the bark of new trees, which can lead to a plant’s demise. If you are planning on planting new trees this spring, protect the bark by using a mesh tube or a tree shelter tube. Deer will eat whatever they can reach, which means they can eat a young tree down to the ground if it is left unprotected. In the case of extremely persistent deer, you may need to build an 8 ft high fence to keep deer away. For some homeowners, tall fences and tree tubes are unsightly. Not to worry – there are other solutions that won’t be an eyesore!
Install Deer Deterrent Devices
A simple yet effective solution, deer deterrent devices help to keep deer away from your plants and trees without harming the deer or breaking the bank. Nite Guard Solar is a deer deterrent device that has been proven effective at protecting spring gardens from hungry deer. The solar-powered lights emit a red glow that imitates the eyes of a predator, which means deer will want to stay far, far away from the perceived danger. Install Nite Guard Solar lights around your garden at a deer’s eye level. Depending upon your garden’s size and layout, you will need to use one to four Nite Guard Solar lights. Unlike a large fence, Nite Guard Solar lights do not cost an arm and a leg. Consult our installation guide for further details on where to place your light(s). Deer are smarter than many people realize, and they will eventually catch on to the trick if your Nite Guard Solar light is left in the same place for too long. We recommend moving them around every two weeks to keep the deer away.
Have questions about how you can protect your spring garden from deer?
The Nite Guard team is always delighted to speak with our customers about predator control. Contact us by phone at 1-800-328-6647, or send us an email.