I never thought I'd need this since I live in town but it seems a deer has been munching the tops off my phlox and zinnias I was wondering when they would bloom so I got to investigating...the tops were clean off! Will they form more buds?? Any good recipes for deer-b-gone?
Hi Strats-- It is a perennial problem in my yard, especially since the 4 hoofed creatures bring deer ticks & Lyme disease. Shake Away works well (Barb recommended it). Others brew up a concoction of rotten eggs, chili, etc. Others swear by coyote urine. These all have to be reapplied through out the growing season. I have had good luck with monofilament (fish line). I string it up on bamboo stakes around treasured parts of the garden. The deer can't see it, but feel it & it scares them away. I usually have to renew it every spring.
A dear friend of mine had deer nibbling her beautiful, mature hostas down to little nubs. She had a great deal of success sprinkling moth balls around the plants. When nothing else worked, that did!
A dog? Rosemary is a deer repellent--you can plant it in front of your deer attractive plants (prostrate rosemary is best so you can still see your flowers). I'd go with the monofilament--practically invisible, it does work, and relatively cheap.
Marlingardener--I did not know that about rosemary. I will try it. At first I did not read your post carefully and thought you were referring to your dog 'Rosemary' that you were recommending as a deer repeller---if you can just get her to lie prostrate long enough!
Thanks everyone!!! I mixed up a nasty concoction and sprayed this afternoon. I put a few mothballs around the zinnias and phlox and have strung fishing line around the zinnias! Then I noticed Mr. or Mrs. Venison has been eating the raspberries too :-?
