The Chicest Ways to Ward Off Deer
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For suburban gardeners, planning and maintaining their greenery is one of the great joys of spring and summer. However, it’s also prime time for hungry critters. When deer are around, all that hard work can get gobbled up overnight, leaving you with bite marks and flower stalks rather than the blooming landscape you wanted. Deer are adorable, but they’re not the most garden friendly.
While it’s impossible to stop a determined animal—as Dimitri Gatanas, owner of Urban Garden Center in New York, puts it, “If a deer is hungry, nothing is going to keep them away”—there are solutions you can use to keep deer out of your garden. From industrial fencing to deer-resistant plants, we’ve gathered the six best methods to keep deer out of your garden this growing season and beyond.
Install Deer Fencing
If you’re precious about your plants or plan on growing produce or other edibles, your best bet is installing heavy-duty deer fencing to protect your harvest. Deer fencing is most commonly made of wire and is high enough (and has a narrow enough weave) to keep deer out from all angles. This method is great, but Gatanas cautions that deer fencing won’t be the most aesthetically pleasing option. You may want to limit its use to the backyard or disguise it with bushes or hedges.
Consider Other Physical Barriers
Physically barring deer from entry into your garden doesn’t have to mean fencing. You could use a spiky hedge, like an American Holly plant, to deter the animals. Greenhouses, raised garden beds with high walls, and deer domes can also help protect your beloved greenery. There is also a deer guard “ribbon” that you can wrap around your plants for a less visually obstructive method.
Make Use of Deer-Resistant Plants
Like humans, deer have particular tastes and preferences when it comes to food. Any plant with a strong odor, texture, or spikiness won’t be a deer’s first choice. We recommend opting for deer-resistant plants like herbs, boxwood hedges, and fragrant blooms in place of favorites like fruit trees, daylilies, and tulips.
Invest in a Natural Deer Repellent
Cayenne pepper mixed with water is a wonderful, albeit smelly, deer deterrent that Gatanas recommends; just spray around your garden beds once a week to create a boundary. Another popular deer spray combines thyme with a sulfur-like smell that, while completely safe for animals, will keep them far away.
Try Spooking Them
Motion-detecting lights and ultrasonic devices are a homeowner favorite for their effectiveness and low-key appearance. With five-star ratings by 2,800 reviews, this type of device spooks the deer without harming them. They’ll be a literal deer-in-headlights and much more focused on getting out of your yard than nibbling on your plants.
If you’d rather distract than scare, hang a deer corn, often used by hunters to bait the animals, far away from your favorite plants. The deer will naturally gravitate toward that and hopefully fill up and move on without a second thought.
Learn About Companion Planting to Deter Deer
Gatanas recommends creating a border around the plants your deer are particularly drawn to with a fragrant or deer-resistant variety. Planting herbs, boxwood hedges, or certain ornamental grasses around your hostas and hydrangeas is a great way to keep them safe. Check out our companion growing chart to find more plant pairing ideas.
FAQs
What Smell Do Deer Hate the Most?
There’s no one particular smell that deer hate the most, but anything majorly fragrant will work, according to Cornell Cooperative Extension. Cinnamon, cloves, mint, lavender, and rosemary are a handful of good examples. Keep in mind that this is a temporary fix; you’ll need to reapply the scent after it fades or if rain washes it away.
Do Coffee Grounds Keep Deer Out of the Garden?
While we’re not seeing any exact science to back it up, it seems plausible. Coffee grounds are as fragrant as most herbs and other deer-resistant plants, so it’s possible they’ll help deter deer from eating your greenery.
What Is the Best Natural Deer Repellent?
Fragrant plants, spices, and even a spray of cayenne pepper with water are great natural deer deterrents, according to Gatanas.
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