Start on Defense, Protect your plants

Deer find food with their nose, instead of their eyes. Planting a border around your gardens with strong-smelling plants like herbs can help scare them off to other areas. You can also try this next to sweet or mild smelling plants, ex: planting Mint next to your daylilies. If you notice certain plants in your garden that the deer always leave alone, plant more of them!

If deer are eating only the blooms on plants and leaving the foliage, you can try applying deer repellants. These can be liquid fence, hot pepper spray or other deer off products that are smelly and can help keep deer away from areas in your garden. Alternating between products can help keep deer from getting used to any particular odor. Apply below the blooms so it doesn’t interfere with pollinators.

In the winter, many deer will rub against smaller trees and bushes to mark their territory. By creating weak spots in the bark, they compromise the plants and increase the likelihood they won’t survive winter. Surrounding younger plantings with wire fences, plastic tubes etc can help keep them safe.