Install a 7-8' deer fence. I would hate for you to give all your lovely daylilies away only to find the deer will just munch on everything else.

Yep, the deer will eat anything. I got rid of my daylilies 2 years ago (traded thru plant trade forum and got replacements), but they ate anything and everything else I put in. I have found nothing they won't eat, sooner or later. The Rutgers list is useless in my yard. Fence or spray. I went to a stream health talk this weekend and Ken Bridle said they like to eat stuff we fertilize - something to do with ion/salt content of fertilized new growth. They've eaten euphorbia in my yard.

Whoa dawgie! Put down that shovel! I purchased some systemic deer repellent tablets at Buchannan's Nursery (Western Blvd.Raleigh ) that have proven tremedously successful with keeping the deer away from my hostas and daylilies. The tablet has to go into the soil near the roots. I used a planting dibble to stick a hole and dropped in a tablet. I used 3 tablets in a triangle shape for each plant. The nasty taste gets taken up by the plant and no more spraying is needed. I get 2 reliable years and can push it to a 3rd spring if I'm feeling lucky. Wear gloves! The tablets will leave a nasty taste on your hands!

Maven, my wildlife savior, how much are these miracle tablets? Could I protect an acre or two within reason? I'd heard about these tablets being out there, but not how effective they were. Great news.

Yeah - what Brenda said. I wonder if they make the roots taste bad to voles too. Boy, that would sure be nice. Do you have to put three tablets for each plant if they are all planted together in a bed? I have hundreds of daylilies. Every year I've had some deer damage but last year was the worst. They ate almost all the buds off all of them. This year I spread Milorganite all around them and haven't had any deer damage yet (knock on wood), but it could just be coincidence.
Dana

Maven -- What is the namebrand of the systemic deer repellent tablets you bought? Buchanans is no longer in business, and I haven't seen them anywhere else.

Unfortunately a fence is out of the question in my yard. Our covenents for neighborhood association prohibit fences higher than 4', which would be a little hop for any deer. Plus I couldn't seal off my entire yard. The deer would just go around the fence or hop over it.

I actually have been fairly successful finding alternative plants for my yard that deer don't like to eat, but it definitely limits your choices. So far, deer have not bothered any ornamental grasses that I've planted as well as ferns, hellaborus, heucherias, sages and salvias, various herbs, lungwort. Unfortunately, however, I had collected/planted a large number of daylily and hosta varieties before the deer became a problem, and it's hard giving up on them.

A fence does wonders and I have had plants with leaves and blooms for the past 3 years. They do have a design for a double fence that is not as tall as 7' and seems this also will keep the deer at bay.

Per those tablets mentioned, does it mean after 3 years you have to redig the plant and add more tablets?

Dawgie, spray your heucheras and black&blue salvia - the deer just haven't gotten around to them yet. Other salvias, grasses, hellebores, most ferns are OK for me. They sure love toadlily though.

Deer avoid my neighbors' yards and head straight for mine. Using Deer-Vik works, but it's really not possible to put it everywhere. I recently spent $40 for Deer Fence, and it appears to be working (knock on wood!). It's a spray that withstands water, fortunately.

I have a great recipe (that is in the oven as I post) for squash and venison casserole.

I had 5 deer in my back yard one morning and as soon as I started cooking and baking they were nowhere to be found.

Think they got the hint?

My Parents have been dealing with your problem for the past 5 years.
I found an automatic water sprinkler at Northern Tool.
It has a motion sensor eye that turns on the high pressure sprinkler when the deer walk into the set zone.
They went and bought 4 more as they work so well.
Just remember to turn off the water when you are in the yard.
Alan

I have used the motion sensing sprinklers, and they work pretty well....

the best solution is to plant things the deer won't eat...I am currently experimenting with different varieties, to see if they grow here on the coast and the deer avoid them....

so far I have found they don't touch:

Rugosa roses (see this thread)
Iris and Daffodils
Viburnum
Butterfly Bush
some Wiegalas but not all
azaleas and rhodies
...and I am still looking!!!

put a gaura out to plant the next day, and the deer trimmed it like a lawn mower....now it is beautiful in a pot on the porch.

Michael in Hampstead (Deerfield !@#$%^&*)

Has anyone tried garlic? I have a friend who plants it in her vegetable garden and she says it works. Also her husband makes a fence out of fishing line and puts it about chest high. He says they walk into it and can't see it so it scares them. I don't know if these work, but I have seen their garden and have not seen any damage from deer - even though it is a deer popular area.