No. A good fence or a vigilant dog are the only foolproof methods to deter deer. I have heard that alternating Liquid Fence and other smelly deterents can help, but if they are hungry enough, they will eat and roses are their favorites. I am so sorry for the loss of your flowers and leaves!
Kathy

Buy the plastic netting - I've seen it in green and clear. Very fine and holes about 1/2" to 3/4". It's the only thing I've seen that works. But it has to be repositioned when growth begins to peek thru. You can hardly see the clear.

Well, you lucky they didn't eat up everything right down to the ground like they done mine for several years.They left the bud union on some of them,and ate every thing else,Even found my Hostas and daylilies and ate them up too,only leaving a little stub sticking up.This year,I have not had deer eat up anything,YET. I am using "Deer Scram" that I bought at my local nursery.Just sprinkle it around the rose bed or around single plants,and the deer don't come near it.Its a grandulated powdery stuff to just shake it out of the container.It will last from 30 days to 45 before having to put it put again.This last time it was 50 days between my last time putting it out and this time.IT WORKS.

Jean

electric fence work with attention.

We also have a deer problem-------My DH makes 3 and 4 ft.high fences to put around each small rose---

I used one on top of the other to protect my Ghislane de felgonde that they chewed down to 12 inches last year. so far so good---she is blooming this year and about 5 ft tall.
Of course my roses are not in the front yard.-----It almost looks like I have a garden of fence circles---LOL

Florence

One word: shotgun.

Same thing happened to me this week - for the most part, all I have right now are green steams.

What should one do to nurse these back to health?

take this to rose discussion where you will get many more ideas and solutions

I have 150 roses and this very effective:
2 eggs
2 tsp beef bouillon
2 cloves of garlic
a couple squirts of a hot sauce [tabasco]
Put in a Blender, strain it,add
1tbs liquied dish soap,
1 Wilt-Pruf[as a sticker spreader], add
1 gallon water.
Give it a try.

Hey Markiz37, your recipe is similar to mine. Altho I use liquid from Ivory bar soap kept in water in a plastic container, and liquid garlic. And my husband is now watching his colesterol, so he saves me all the egg yolks. I use about 5-6 of them now instead of 3 whole eggs. The beef bouillion is an interesting idea too.

I've tried the netting. They still got in, and in fact they ran off with it the first time. One of the neighbor kids said he saw a buck with the netting all wrapped around his antlers and was dragging it all over with him. The next time, they jumped thru it and it went onto the road in the night and my neighbor drove over it and it wrapped around the axle of her car and I had to pay for her repairs! Never again!! The dog doesn't keep them out. But then, she doesn't always notice them when they sneak in the back yard.

For me, the ONLY thing that works is my homemade concoction, similar to Markiz37's. I have to spray 2 gallons worth since I have over 1600 roses. The deer will not eat my roses if they are sprayed well enough. This last time, I went over two weeks without spraying and not one thing was eaten. But when I saw a young doe running up the road past our house the other day (in broad daylight no less) I decided it was time to spray again. Now, if I could just get the thrips to go away....

Hi Markiz37 and beth,

I wanted to know if you spray the concoctions onto the blooms or on the soil? Thanks so much!

Hi Markiz37 and beth,

I wanted to know if you spray the concoctions onto the blooms or on the soil? Thanks so much!

Markiz37, if I wanted to use your recipe to keep deer away from my roses. How much Wilt Pruf would I use?

Did you spray directly on the rose this concoction mixture?

Per Heirloom Roses, similar to above recipe: http://www.heirloomroses.com/info/care/how-to/gardening-with-deer/

Yep! Spray it directly on the buds, blooms and new growth. No need to spray the entire plant. They only really go after the tender new growth and blooms of course...

Sorry to hear that, plastic bags might help, but they won't look good in the front garden though.....

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3042886/deer-repellant-that-worked-100

Like the shotgun we use a 4-10 (small shotgun )and have hit them in the butt and they jump and run.(doesn't break the skin) The dogs chase them away during the day but they hammer my roses at night. Don't let the dogs out cuz of coyotes.. one got one of my dogs really early one am and 4-10 to the rescue..just shot it in the air. Coyote let him go.

I've tried Deer Off..not so good.. Ruined about 1/2 the roses flowers. And now the deer are back after 2 weeks. Bird netting..they went thru that on my garden. If fences you need 2 ..one higher and the other one 3' away about 3' tall. Most of my roses are in the front yard so would like something not too hideous! Off to find some Deer Scram and then maybe Deerskyld. Still searching. Might try electric fencing but those electric boxes aren't cheap..we use them for cattle and horses.