Gardening Tips: Deer Control In The Garden

Fall is the time when deer can be particularly destructive in home landscapes. Using a combination of well-timed strategies can help reduce damage to your garden.

The fall mating season runs from October through January. Bucks need to rub their antlers on trees to get them ready for sparring but this destructive behavior damages trees and saplings by leaving vertical scrapes and shredded bark. Snow fencing installed around trees can provide protection.

Browsing deer voraciously strip yews and arborvitae. Safeguard them by installing burlap wraps or garden netting.

Deer have favorites but are known to eat almost any plant if hungry enough. Spray on repellents discourages browsing by having an offensive taste of rotten eggs, pepper or odor of ammonia. Most are water soluble so sprayed on tender shoots, twigs and leaves; they must be reapplied after rain.

Winter protection can be found using motion activated lights that can be triggered by deer. Deer have an aversion to blood based products, human hair and soap.

An integrated approach using several methods of repellant is necessary to reduce deer damage knowing that it may not be possible to completely eliminate it. Perimeter fencing is the surest way of restricting deer access from your prized ornamental plants.

Some of the more deer proof plants like ornamental grasses, lilac, boxwood, and spruce can be used, and they generally avoid daffodil bulbs planted for spring bloom.

Lisa Hilgenberg is the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Horticulturist. She teaches classes for the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden and mentors interns from the Garden's urban agriculture programs in the summer. Lisa draws on a rich family farming tradition, having spent many summers on her grandparents' farms in Iowa and Minnesota. You can follow Lisa on Twitter @hilgenberg8.