skip to main content

The Kitchen Table

Deer. Here.

11 years ago

Early this afternoon our Westie spied a deer in the conservancy behind our house. We've seen very, very few deer in the last year, so were interested to watch as three more joined the first one. Eliot gave up trying to make an impression on them from his side of the low fence.

An hour late we were less thrilled to find the four eating the yews in our front yard, 20 feet from my kitchen window. We shooed them away.

Ten minutes ago there were FIVE in the front yard, eating the yews. The four felt safe enough to bring a young 'un along to the feast. Shoooooo!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

glenda_al
11 years ago
Just came from my friend's home and cut a few sprigs of rosemary for a roast tomorrow.

She has rosemary planted all across the front of her yard in front of her shrubbery to keep the deer away.

Works for her.

I have two deer that come up on the side of my condo couple times of week. So enjoy seeing them.
LuAnn_in_PA
11 years ago
We really HATE deer and all their destructive ways.
Related Discussions
Deer - I never thought of this!!!
Q
Comments (25)
Gosh, I'm really really sorry that you don't have any deer to experiment with. Brings tears to my eyes - if only the rest of us could bring you some! I mineralized a big patch of sweet potatoes at my place in north florida, planted the slips in early april and worked hard to keep them alive in very dry windy weather. The patch grew spectacularly once the rains came. In the past five years of gardening there with cow manure and mushroom compost, including sweet potatoes, never had a deer graze anything. Put in a whole range of minerals and bang, they smelled it from miles away.
...See More
Several plants...and Deer.
Q
Comments (7)
Resin, I know what you mean...I used to hang out a lot at the bog garden forum but it moves slower than the continents most of the time, unlike the forums that you often hang out at. Conifers and Trees, etc. those are frequently much more interesting. Problem with the Difficult places forum is, deer here are so bad the advice there is worthless here. They eat things that are supposed to be inedible to them, Ferns, Ginkgo, Convovulus, even buckthorn doesn't have a prayer. Oh well, that's my bad luck!
...See More
Big Deer Problem here
Q
Comments (26)
Jane: I just helped these other people with a similiar deer problem. "".....Common dog poop everybody, simple piles of dog poop. Very scary for even the most powerful deer. You are lucky if you have a dog, the bigger the dog...the better. Otherwise, make friends with a dog lover. Most wont mind if you collect the poop on your own time. You may even want to "sneak" the dog an extra bag of food (hide it somewhere in the dog's yard so the owner wont see it; but the dog will have a feast) the extra food will obviously provide a heftier amount of each poop you collect. Win-Win. Always wear gloves and always wash your hand and feet with very strong soap after each collection party. The deer will look elsewhere to eat once they get the idea that they are in the area of a very smart and healthy dog. ...and your neighbor will get a lawn so clean that he can play many games with his children there without any worry of sudden surprises !!! again -- Win-Win !!! ...and you get the entire season completely deer free (no rabbits or woodchucks either....cats will likely also keep their distance, but they really don't cause major problems in most gardens) In the winter - simply bury the poop and wait for pure and valuable compost to develop !!! ....and it's all free !!!......"
...See More
Screen/deer resistant and drought tolerant?
Q
Comments (1)
Eastern Red Juniper came to mind right away. What you're looking at is anything with soft foliage, i.e., white pine, arborvitae, are the first things they will eat. You can't count on anything to be 'resistant' but surely "hard pines" spruces, etc - anything with sharper needles and stiffer needles/foliage are the ones to plant. There is a selection of Eastern Red Juniper (Juniperus virginiana as you mention above) that is cultivated and called, 'Taylor'. It is blue. Very narrow though but however fast to grow. A good choice might be Red Pine as well as it's a hard pine however the foliage is still somewhat soft. That's Pinus resinosa. I guess a lot depends upon where you live and what plants grow well there, however, just from your list, Red Pine would be right in the mix. Same for Norway spruce. Picea abies. You can add: Pinus rigida Pinus heldreichii - (leucodermis) stiff needles and sharp. Pinus pungens Lastly, a mixed planting gives you insurance in case an epidemic occurs and will look more aestetically pleasing. Dax
...See More
Marilyn Sue McClintock
11 years ago
We have a lot of deer and they do not cause us any damage. Alyssa has the same ones come to their home and she calls them reindeer :)

Sue
susanjf_gw
11 years ago
we have had some but, but on the busy street we live, 2 have been hit by cars...
dedtired
11 years ago
We have deer galore and they are so destructive. They also multiply like rabbits, so if you have five this year you'll have 15 next year. Our township holds a deer cull every year.This year they shot 100 deer and we are still overrun with them. I saw four of them trotting across my mom's backyard last weekend.
FlamingO in AR
11 years ago
I was watching a pregnant doe eating fawn lilies behind our house just this morning. They are welcome to anything I've got, it's been a long cold winter and we had a horrible acorn crop last fall, the poor things have to be starving. I'm sure they're glad spring is beginning here.
nicole__
11 years ago
We all have fenced in gardens and what's left the deer eat. No problem....except ....they roam in herds and have no car sense. They get hit all the time. They also harbor ticks, supplying them with a blood food source and in turn harbor lyme disease.

Oh....and they attract predators, we also have mountain lions.

Related Stories

DIY PROJECTS Here’s a Thanksgiving Centerpiece You Can Use Through the New Year

By Annie Thornton

Make a fall centerpiece that can transition to winter with ingredients foraged in nature

FALL GARDENING 6 Deer-Resistant Flowering Vines to Plant This Fall

Have a major deer problem? Here are some of the only vines that have a chance of not being eaten

TREES 7 Deer-Resistant Flowering Trees to Plant this Fall

If you live in a neighborhood with roaming deer, consider these beautiful trees that won't tempt hungry guests

GARDENING GUIDES Top 12 Summer-Blooming Perennials for Deer-Resistant Drama

Can you have garden color, fragrance and exciting foliage with hungry deer afoot? These beauties say yes

CONTAINER GARDENS 7 Deer-Resistant Flowers for Your Summer Containers

Grow these as protection for edibles or just for their colorful beauty — deer might not like them, but everyone else will

GARDENING GUIDES 6 Deer-Resistant Ground Covers to Plant This Fall

Learn about some of the only low, spreading plants that are reliably deer-resistant

GARDENING GUIDES 10 Deer-Resistant Native Flowers to Plant This Fall

Learn about natives that embrace some kinds of wildlife but resist grazing deer

FALL GARDENING 9 Deer-Resistant Flowering Shrubs to Plant This Fall

These exquisite shrubs will attract your attention but won’t tempt the deer that roam your neighborhood at night

MOST POPULAR Enjoy Your Summer Garden — Here’s What to Do in July

By Annie Thornton

Our July gardening guides take the guesswork out of summer watering, pruning and planting. See our tips for your U.S. region

GARDENING GUIDES Oh, Deer! 10 Native Flowers That Stand Up to the Herds

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Keeping a garden amid hungry deer can be hard, but these plants should fare well

Sponsored

More Discussions

Can we start a Chain Reaction Game - Part 4

68

Glenda has left us

74

An awareness post. Be aware of your surroundings

48

Canadian discussion now on protecting the north.

6

Hot hot peppers........

1