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maden_theshade

The Deer have invaded!

maden_theshade
15 years ago

Woe is me...the deer have finally invaded my new backyard! The neighbors kept telling me they were out there...but we NEVER saw them! So I put out almost a whole bed of impatiens and one night last week they were all cropped to the ground! Oh, and the other night they found the DH's veggie garden. Luckily, not too much damage there - they only topped the plants. Funny what they ate though - they totally devoured the cilantro and nibbled on the tomatoes and pepper plants! That's all so stinky I wouldn't have expected them to eat any of it!

Comments (7)

  • pjtexgirl
    15 years ago

    EEEKKK!!! There are quite a few deer resistant flowers. I've heard of "hiding" small groups of the flowers deer do like behind the flowers they don't like but haven't seen it for myself.

  • roselee z8b S.W. Texas
    15 years ago

    We have lots of deer in our neighborhood and I've tried EVERYTHING I ever heard about -- ALL the sprays, soaps, motion activated jet sprinklers (great for cooling off early morning joggers!) predator urine (they didn't think much of my hubby as a predator, but he gave it his best :-) and the only thing that worked is a short low strand of electric fence. It's not even around the whole area I wanted to protect, but is just a little strip where I used to have roses in the front yard and it doesn't show from street side, but I guess getting a shock from that little bit of wire scares them away from the rest of the front yard.

    They haven't discovered my back yard yet and hopefully won't. It is fenced, there's a lot of thick ligustrums along the back easement where they travel and a dog in the yard who raises heck when they go by.

    So I'd say cut to the chase, so to speak, and install an electric fence because they will be back. It's not really a fence as it consists of one strand of wire you can put low enough to step over, a few posts to string it on and a little transformer. You can get it all at feed or pet stores.

    And be happy gardening!

  • pjtexgirl
    15 years ago

    I second roselee I had an electric fence line for strays in my old neighborhood. Just keep overgrowth off it and nothing will come in. Not even agile cats. PJ

  • maden_theshade
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    Well, they have slunk off into the wilderness again. No sign of them for at least three days. I think they are just teasing us...waiting for us to get brave and put out some tender new thing.

    will they eat Hydrangeas? I've ALWAYS wanted one and I think I finally now have a pretty good spot. But don't want to be buying expensive deer food. :-) I also have a hibiscus I've held off on planting back there b/c am unsure if they would eat it or not.

  • pjtexgirl
    15 years ago

    Hibiscus are edible to humans. I'll bet it's a deer taste treat.PJ

  • Aubergine Texiana
    15 years ago

    This is the only thing short of electric fencing I've heard about. Buy chicken wire mesh and lay it down flat in the grass Surrounding your beds (and probably the perimeter. The grass grows up to cover it and the deer wont walk on it.

    good luck.

  • maden_theshade
    Original Author
    15 years ago

    I'm just going to be stuck planting deer resistant stuff. Our backyard is roughly terraced down to a creek. The deer live on the other side and cross over to eat the tasty St. Augustine that grows on my 'top shelf' terraced area right next to the house. Even if I tried the electric fence thing, not sure how I would get it to be inpenetrable. There is no solid line to follow that would cut them out of the entire yard. My luck I'd probably touch it! I did that by accident at my grandpa's this spring and I swear my life flashed before my eyes. Of course, his is for cattle...so probably a bit higher voltage than you'd need for a deer. Although yesterday, I saw a fresh pile of droppings that I had to stop and consider b/c the pellets were enormous! At first I thought surely another animal had left it there. And then it occurred to me that it was probably just a REALLY BIG deer! ha!

    So no more impatiens for awhile. The deer are welcome to come mow my lawn. Just need to make my flower beds co-exist somehow.

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