What can you plant to help deter deer from visiting your garden?
Apparently deer rely on their sense of smell when it comes to food. By planting strong smelling perennials like Chives, Nepeta and Lavender, you can help mask the smell of more appetizing plants. Plants with rough or fuzzy texture or thorns planted around more valuable perennials can help to keep the deer away as well. Examples of these would be Lamb’s ear or Echinops. This article by the University of Vermont extension service gives a little more information that may help in choosing deer resistant plant material.
What can I do to help prevent deer from entering my garden?
Deer in general are rather skittish and can be easily scared off. Try using wind chimes, wind socks, scarecrows or even a motion light can be used to keep them away in the evening hours. Stringing fishing line around the portions of your landscape that you want to protect at a height of 2-3’, has been said to help deter the deer. They will be startled when bumping into this invisible barrier and hopefully flee. Hanging dryer sheets or soap from nearby trees or posts gives the garden a human scent that may also help to discourage deer from entering the area.
Even with the use of these other methods keeping the area completely fenced in is really the only way to ensure that they won’t make a meal out of your landscape. Especially here in the rural areas of Vermont. If you choose to go with this method, the fence should be at least 8’ high and have gaps no bigger than 6”.
