Deer-Proofing Your Garden in Iowa

“Eating greens is a special treat, it makes long ears and great big feet.”
– Bambi

Few things in nature are as elegant and interesting as deer, and spotting one can often be quite exciting – except, however, when you spot them grazing on your gorgeous garden. As beautiful as they are, deer can be an incredible nuisance in our yards, as they trample through and chew our precious plants to pieces.

Why Deer Love Our Gardens:

Deer are natural grazers and love eating plants for their thirst-quenching moisture content and nutritional benefits. They particularly love to munch away in the spring with new growth looking tastiest after the long winter.
Particular plants that deer love to snack on include tulips, pansies, dogwood, and roses. They also enjoy english ivy, yew, pine, and hostas, as well as most fruits and vegetables. When many of these tasty treats are packaged nicely together in one area, like in our gardens, it only makes sense that they would keep coming back day after day.

Deer-Proofing Your Yard:

To continue enjoying your garden beauties without worrying about deer damage, you’ll need to protect your yard against these plant predators.

Fences and Hedges:

When it comes to keeping animals out of our yards, it can be easy to convince ourselves that a fence will solve all our issues but deer are known for their expert jumping skills. While it’s true that they have been known to jump as high as 7 feet in a single bound, we’ve found from experience that deer are more likely to choose the path of least resistance, so a 6-foot fence will usually be enough.
A less obstructive solution could be to, instead, add a hedge around your yard, as a natural barrier. Boxwood is an excellent choice for a deer-repelling hedge, as it’s not only beautifully bright, but also deer-resistant, as well.

Repellants:

Much like the sprays you can buy to ward off insects, there are repellents that can be purchased to ward off deer, as well.
Scent-targeting repellents use powerful smells to confuse the deer’s sense of smell from detecting the treats they love. Typically they tend to contain quite potent smells, like fermented eggs, garlic, and soap. They may also contain natural scents from their predators.

Taste-targeting repellents work to change the flavor of the plants, so they aren’t as appetizing to the deer. They are usually based with spicy peppers or other unsavory flavors, so they are best used on plants you won’t be enjoying on your plate.

These sprays will usually need to be applied 1-2 times per month, depending on rainfall and are best applied early in the season before the deer have had a chance to sample your garden. We also typically recommend rotating repellents occasionally for most effective results.

Love what you’re reading? Sign up to our email newsletter, and get inspiration delivered straight to your inbox.

Deer-Proof Plants:

While no plants are truly deer-proof, there are plenty of plants that deer tend to avoid due to smell, taste, or even toxicity. With even a couple of these deer resistant plants in your landscape, your yard quickly becomes less appealing to these curious critters.

Deer-Proof Perennials:

• Black-Eyed Susans – classic daisy flowers with dark eyes.
• Bleeding Hearts – traditional, heart-shaped flowers.
• Coreopsis – colorful, daisy-like flowers.
• Daffodils – terrific trumpet flowers, toxic to deer.
• Coneflowers – cone-shaped native flowers with prominent eyes.
• Ferns – a varied family of foliage plants.
• Irises – beautiful bearded flowers.
• Lavender – very fragrant flower spikes with namesake color.
• Mint – excellent edible with strong fragrance to ward off deer.
• Monarda – pincushion flowers adored by pollinators.
• Ornamental Grasses – beautiful, but not as appetizing as a lawn.
• Sage – spikes of fragrant flowers.
  

Pictured below: Left- Monarda, Top Right- Coreopsis, Bottom Right- Bleeding Hearts

Deer-Proof Annuals:

• Cleomes – spidery flower spikes.
• Marigolds – pincushion flowers on tall stems.
• Petunias – pretty trumpet flowers in many colors.
• Rosemary – delicious, fragrant herb.
  

While we may enjoy spotting them grazing in a field out in nature, our gardens are the last place we want to find deer. With these tips and tricks for deer-proofing your yard, though, you won’t have to worry about losing another plant to these majestic mammals.

To view our selection of deer-repelling plants and products, or for more information, visit us in store today or check out our informational sheet on deer-proofing here.