................................... DEER PROOFING:
Most people who know me would say I'm an animal lover. But they haven't
seen the wrath of a man after his carefully pruned apple saplings have been
chomped into hat racks...or a prized variegated maple has been rubbed bare of
its tender, young bark. Deer damage: It's enough to kindle the hunter's instinct in
any gardener, even us animal lovers.

Aside from asking Uncle Jed to bring his shotgun out the next time he comes to
Sunday supper, what can you do about these roving plant eaters? Plenty. But
before you try specific strategies, be certain deer are to blame. Look for sharp
hoof marks in soft ground and jagged edges where stems and leaves have been
nibbled. (Deer have no upper incisors, so they tear food off rather than making a
clean cut as rabbits and woodchucks do.)

There are various ways to limit the carnage in your yard, such as using scare
tactics, powerful scents and spicy sprays. Most of these steps will work only
briefly because deer learn to adapt rather quickly. It's best to keep them off
balance by rotating tactics regularly.

Remember, if they're hungry enough, deer will stop at practically nothing to get
food. Fencing is the only foolproof option, especially when food is scarce or deer
population levels are high. Nonetheless, here are a few ideas you might want to
try.

Scare tactics

Deer are scaredy cats. That's what happens to you when your main mission in life
is to not get eaten. As prey, they're always looking to avoid trouble, so new,
unusual or startling situations often send them scurrying. I say "often" because
suburban deer aren't as shy as their rural relations; they've gotten used to man's
presence and are therefore more brazen.

Sound - Some people suggest leaving a radio on in the yard. Less obtrusive,
especially where the neighbors are concerned, are high-pitched warning devices
activated by battery-operated motion detectors. A sonic unit can be heard by
both people and deer while an ultrasonic unit emits a sound only animals can hear.
These devices can detect animals 50 feet away and cover an area of 4,000
square feet. Do unnatural sounds deter deer? It depends. If there's food available
elsewhere, they will probably avoid the unpleasant surroundings in your yard. But
if there's nowhere else to eat, hunger will prevail. Like patrons of the only
restaurant in town, deer will put up with a lousy atmosphere to fill their stomachs.

Sprinklers and floodlights - Motion detectors can also be hooked up to
sprinklers and floodlights. Deer will flee from the sudden glare of a floodlight or
the jet spray of a sprinkler - both of which can be set to turn on and off
automatically.

Fishing line - Some folks recommend stringing a strand of heavy, deep-sea
fishing line around the perimeter of the garden at a height of 3 feet. In theory, deer
bump into this invisible barrier and, not knowing what it is, retreat to safer ground.
Mark the line with strips of cloth, though, so you don't trip over it.

Scent and taste

Scare tactics work mainly through sight and sound. Two other senses that can be
manipulated are scent and taste. With scent, you can either confuse a deer with
highly fragrant plants and materials (they'll be uncomfortable being unable to sniff
the wind for danger) or you can spook them with the calling card of a predator.

Predator urine - Like I said earlier, deer are prey and behave accordingly. If
they get a whiff of a predator - courtesy of cougar, coyote, bobcat, bear or
wolf urine - they'll probably avoid the area. Place the foam "darts" that come
with the bottled urine 10 to 12 feet apart and spritz the liquid on the absorbent
foam. You'll have to "freshen" up the scent regularly, especially after rain. (For
predator urine sources, see Resources.)

Strong aromas - Here are a couple of ideas for confusing deer rather than
scaring them. First, you can hang fabric softener strips or cheesecloth bags of
mothballs around the yard. Or take small bars of soap, drill a hole through each
and tie the bars to woody plants. Space them 3 feet apart and leave the wrappers
on for longevity. Soaps with a tallow base work best. Finally, you can plant garlic
bulbs around the perimeter of your garden or hang clip-on capsules of ultrapotent
garlic oil wherever needed. Capsules last six to eight months (see Resources).

Unfavored flavors - You might try growing plants that are naturally repulsive
to deer. In general, deer avoid eating coarse, fuzzy or spiny plants or those with
strong aromas, especially lemony and minty ones.

Again, if they're hungry enough, deer will eat just about anything. And plants that
are ignored in one region may be eaten in another. Check with your cooperative
extension service for their recommendations or take a look at our list. If you don't
have access to the Internet, you can send a self-addressed, stamped business
envelope to "Deer Editor" for a free list.

Nasty nibbles - Deer don't go for spicy foods, so give them a taste to
remember with a hot pepper spray. Mix 2 tablespoons of hot pepper sauce with
1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder and 1 gallon of
water. Spray on plants weekly or after it rains. Another homemade spray recipe:
3 eggs whipped up with 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper and a gallon of water.
Being herbivores, deer will turn their noses up to the eggs. And if they do take a
bite of a treated plant, they'll regret the taste of the cayenne pepper.

Several commercial sprays are also available, including Deer Away, Ropel, Tree
Guard and Hinder (the latter being the only one suitable for use on food crops).
Many sprays are long-lasting, even after rain, but new growth won't be protected
unless you treat it regularly. If you don't want to spray, you can wrap plants in
burlap in winter or drape them year round in a black, loose-mesh netting that's
practically invisible from a distance.

Fencing

Fences are good because they can keep pets in the yard and deer out. What
better solution is there to a deer problem than to have Old Yeller patrolling a
protected enclave? True, fences can be expensive. But they are cost-effective
where plants are susceptible to heavy deer browsing for more than three months
a year.

Upright - A deer-proof fence should be at least 7 feet tall, solidly constructed
and fit snugly to the ground. Wooden or chainlink fences can look imposing. A
less-expensive alternative is a black polypropylene fence, which costs about
$125 for an 8-by-150-foot section and is barely visible from a distance. Attach it
to posts and pin the bottom to the ground with galvanized stakes every 12 feet so
deer won't crawl under it.

Slanted - Another possibility is to construct a slanted fence facing outward (see
illustration). In this case, you can get away with using a shorter, 5-foot-tall fence
because the three-dimensional effect confuses a deer's depth of vision and keeps
it from jumping.

Double - If you can't put up a tall or slanted fence, you might try two shorter
ones, spaced 5 feet apart. What happens is that deer won't want to jump the first
fence if there's no clear place for them to land. While side-by-side fences may
look odd, you can substitute a hedge for the inner fence because it also takes
away a deer's landing spot.

Electrified - Shock deer, and they're not likely to return anytime soon. One
way to do it is to run an electrified wire 30 inches off the ground, marking it with
strips every 10 feet so deer can see it. Then bait the wire with peanut butter. Deer
will give it a lick and learn a lesson. (Electric fences may not be allowed in your
community, so check zoning regulations first.)

So there you have it: a little ammunition in the war against delinquent deer.
Granted, your garden may never be as safe from deer as it would be on a city
rooftop, but now you can at least give your plants a fighting chance. -- Luke
Miller
Copyright 1998, August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Res

BOOK
"Deer Proofing Your Yard & Garden" by Rhonda Massingham Hart. Story Books,
P.O. Box 445, Pownal, VT 05261. 800-441-5700, Dept. YP. $12.95.
www.storey.com

PRODUCTS
Benner's Gardens 800-753-4660. Free
Deerbusters www.deerbusters.com 800-248-3337. Free
Deer-Resistant Landscape Nursery 800-595-3650. $3 for 2 issues
J&C Marketing Inc. 800-218-1749 Coyote and Wolf Urine. Catalog Free
Plant Pro-Tec LLC 800-572-00555 Garlic Oil Capsules. Catalog Free

Note: This list of deer-resistant landscape plants was compiled from a
variety of sources. Some plants may be ignored by deer in one region and
eaten by deer in another. And if deer are hungry enough, or there's a
limited amount of food available, they will eat practically anything.

Plants Deer May Leave Alone:
Ageratum (Ageratum spp.)
Allium (Allium spp.)
Astilbe (Astilbe spp.)
Baptisia (Baptisia spp.)
Bellflower (Campanula spp.)
Bells of Ireland (Moluccella laevis)
Bergenia (Bergenia spp.)
Bishop's hat (Epimedium spp.)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Blanket flower (Gaillardia spp.)
Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis)
Bloody cranesbill (Geranium sanguineum)
Bugbane (Cimicifuga spp.)
Bugleweed (Ajuga spp.)
Calla lily (Zantedeschia spp.)
Caryopteris (Caryopteris spp.)
Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)
Clematis (Clematis alnifolia)
Crinkle-leaf creeper (Rubus pentalobus)
Daffodil (Narcissus spp.)
Daisy (Leucanthemum spp.)
Daylily (Hemerocallis spp.)
Dusty miller (Artemisia stelleriana)
Ferns
Foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia)
Forget-me-not (Myosotis spp.)
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)
Germander (Teucrium spp.)
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)
Golden knee (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Gooseneck loosestrife (Lysimachia clethroides)
Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule)
Iris (Iris orientalis)
Lamb's ears (Stachys byzantina)
Lamium (Lamium maculatum)
Larkspur (Delphinium spp.)
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lenten rose (Helleborus orientalis)
Lily (Lilium spp.)
Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus africanus)
Lobelia (Lobelia spp.)
Lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.)
Lupine (Lupinus spp.)
Marigold (Tagetes spp.)
Michaelmas daisy (Aster novi-belgii)
Monarda (Monarda spp.)
Mum (Chrysanthemum spp.)
Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Oriental poppy (Papaver orientalis)
Pachysandra (Pachysandra procumbens)
Pearlwort (Sagina spp.)
Peony (Paeonia spp.)
Periwinkle (Vinca spp.)
Pot marigold (Calendula officinalis)
Red valerian (Centranthus ruber)
Rose campion (Lychnis coronaria)
Russian sage (Perovskia atriciplifolia)
Salvia (Salvia spp.)
Santolina (Santolina spp.)
Scented geraniums (Pelargonium spp.)
Snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus)
Solidaster (Solidaster luteus)
Speedwell (Veronica spp.)
Thyme (Thymus spp.)
Tickseed (Coreopsis spp.)
White sage (Artemisia ludoviciana)
Windflower (Anemone spp.)
Wolfsbane (Aconitum lycoctonum)
Yarrow (Achillea spp.)
Zinnia (Zinnia spp.)

Trees and Shrubs Deer May Leave Alone:
Austrian pine (Pinus nigra)
Barberry (Berberis spp.)
Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
Boxwood (Buxus spp.)
Butterfly bush (Buddleia spp.)
Colorado blue spruce (Picea pungens)
Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis)
English hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata)
European white birch (Betula pendula)
Forsythia (Forsythia spp.)
Holly (Ilex spp.)
Honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos)
Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens)
Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata)
Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)
Juniper (Juniperus spp.)
Kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa)
Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
Magnolia (Magnolia spp.)
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)
Privet (Ligustrum spp.)
Purple-leaf plum (Prunus pisardi)
Rhododendron (Rhododendron spp.)
Red elder (Sambucus racemosa)
Red pine (Pinus resinosa)
Russian olive (Eleagnus angustifolia)
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Smoketree (Cotinus coggygria)
Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
Viburnum (Viburnum spp.)
White alder (Clethra spp.)