How to Plant a Deer-Resistant Flower Garden

For enthusiastic gardeners, fall and winter are months of planning and, in the case of flower bulbs, planting. Spring and summer are the months in which you enjoy the fruits of your labor (in between watering, weeding, fertilizing, and general garden tending, of course). But if you live in a wooded area, you may find your efforts being literally nipped off at the bud by the local wildlife, particularly deer. Everyone loves deer. They are gorgeous, gentle animals. But they are also hungry, ravenously hungry when it comes to particular flowers. All is not lost, however, and there are ways of dealing with the problem short of calling in the friendly neighborhood deer hunter. Follow the tips in this article to prevent and dissuade your four-legged friends from using your flower garden as a salad bowl.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• deer-resistant flower bulbs
• flowerpots or other containers for planting
• a deer fence, or barbed wire or heavy-duty mesh to construct your own deer fence
• a deer repellent, such as Liquid Fence or Deer Away

1. Decide what flowers you want to grow in your garden. You will have greater success in preventing deer from using your garden as a buffet if you plant "deer-resistant" flowers. Avoid planting flowers to which deer are particularly attracted, such as lilies. Instead, choose deer-resistant bulbs, seedlings, and plants, such as peonies, daffodils, and bleeding hearts.

2. If you absolutely must plant lilies or another flower that is a favorite meal of Bambi and friends, then plant the lily bulbs adjacent to plants that are known to be deer-resistant. The proximity of the lilies or other flowers to plants that they generally avoid may confuse the deer or dampen their enthusiasm. Deer are less likely to feast on flowers that are planted near or between typically deer-resistant plants.

3. Another option for those who just cannot do pass up planting their favorite lily bulbs is moving the flower garden closer to the house. Deer are essentially shy animals. They will observe you from a distance, but they will rarely come traipsing up the walkway to present themselves at your door. The closer your flowerbed is to your house, the less likely the deer are to disturb it. If you have a back porch or patio, you may consider container gardening. Plant your lilies or other deer-attracting flowers in pots and then arrange them in a aesthetically pleasing manner on the porch or patio.

4. If moving your flowers closer to the house is not feasible or does nothing to deter intrusions by deer, consider fencing. Deer generally avoid small fenced-in areas. For smaller garden patches, a wooden fence about four feet high will probably be effective at discouraging deer. However, for a larger garden, a much higher fence, at least six or seven feet high, will be needed. Wire or heavy-duty mesh fences are more suitable for large gardens than wooden fences. The most effective fence is one with a top that completely boxes in the garden and allows no egress to the offending deer. Otherwise, the wire or mesh fence should be implanted several inches below ground and extend anywhere from six to eight feet above ground. Deer are hearty jumpers and have no trouble making vertical leaps of several feet. As an additional deterrent, it is best to angle the top of a wire or mesh fence approximately thirty degrees in the direction away from the garden. This will make the potential leap over the top seem much more daunting to a hungry deer.

5. If you do not like the idea of a fence because you fear it will detract from the beauty of your garden, there are a number of deer repellents, both commercially manufactured and homemade, that you can use to protect your flowers. Commercial deer repellents, such as Liquid Fence, Deer Away, and Plantskydd, can be purchased at big box stores such as Home Depot and Lowes or at your local hardware or gardening supply store. Another option is spraying the urine of predators, such as bears and coyotes, around the garden to deter deer from investigating. Other repellent methods include spreading human or dog hair around the garden (the smell purportedly repels deer), hanging bars of Irish Spring or another deodorant soap or fabric softener dryer sheets in the garden, sprinkling the leaves of your plants with baby powder or hot sauce. One of the most effective homemade remedies is a mixture of beaten eggs diluted with water and sprayed onto foliage. Some gardeners add a bit of garlic to the egg mixture.

Tips & Warnings

• In a rural or semi-rural area, it is not uncommon for an amateur horticulturist to venture out to her backyard lily garden, which the day before was brimming with buds, and find a flower bed full of decapitated stalks. However, certain plants, such as peonies, bleeding hearts, irises, and certain daffodil species, are known to be deer-resistant. In general, deer leave those plants alone.
• Some of the best companies to order bulbs from include Breck's, Dutch Blooms, Brent and Becky's Bulbs, American Meadows, Wayside Gardens, and Spring Hill Nurseries. All have websites and mail-order catalogs, as well as customer service representatives who can advise you regarding the selection of deer-resistant bulbs and the planting and care of bulbs so as to best discourage feasting by deer.
• With a few window boxes and flower pots, you can make a beautiful flower garden on your back yard or porch--where deer will be reluctant to venture. Pick up a variety in different sizes and colors at a home-improvement store such as Home Depot or Lowes or from an online garden supply store such as Plow & Hearth or Gardener's Supply Company.
• You can make your own deer fence from barbed wire or heavy mesh. However, you can order ready-made and made-to-order deer fences from garden supply stores. Deerbusters.com, Deerfence.com, and Benner's Gardens are some of the top online suppliers of deer fencing.
• Commercial deer repellents such as Liquid Fence, Deer Away, and Plantskydd can be purchased at your local Home Depot or garden supply store. But you can also make your own inexpensive deer repellent at home, using beaten egg yolks or flakes of deodorant soap.
• Lilies are beautiful but are a favorite food of deer.
• Plant lilies and other favorite flowers of deer close to the house or in a fenced-in area. Planting them exposed in the far reaches of the backyard is akin to setting out a buffet for Bambi.
• Deer repellents can be very effective, but they do wear off and will be washed away when it rains. Remember to reapply repellents regularly, especially after a rainstorm.