Every year I battle the deer for my landscape blooms, especially the Day Lilies. At this point I am about three weeks into spraying with deer repellent just about every night. And every night they eat a little something. We hunt them and ping them with bee bees, and I set trip hazards all over, but they still plague me every night. Last year I began simply covering the Hosta with squares of bird netting. This is easy and effective. I just have to trim the bloom stems when they lift the netting too high to be effective. This year I decided to try it on the Day Lilies too. You can't even really see the net, and it also protects the coneflowers and other deer favorites.
You can see it a little better here because I did not cut it, simply laid the roll of triple layer on top for now.
The problem is that the buds are always trying to poke through the net, but it greatly reduces my time and money spraying. I am looking into adding some inexpensive bamboo hoops next year to alleviate this problem. In the mean time, it isn't a big deal to go around each day and give them a lift. As with any system you have to work the kinks out.
So with an evening of rain on our doorstep, and no chance to refresh the deer repellent before bed time, I am glad that I have some barriers set up and I hope that the deer are not out feeding in the rain.
One thing I worry about is my Dahlias. They are not as yummy as Day Lily buds or Hosta leaves, so it doesn't take as much work to keep the deer off under normal circumstances. They taste them now and then, usually the fresh young growing tips, which is not any worse to the plant than pinching it back to form a bushier plant. But as I was going around the garden prepping for the storm, I thought about how angry I would be if the first Dahlia bloom of the season were the one overnight casualty.
So I used a method that seed savers use to isolate blooms and avoid cross pollination: I bagged it.
Before I was done my one Dahlia bed looked like a garden of lollipops.
I also planted some Marigolds I seeded late, protected them with upturned wire waste baskets and Slug Bait. While I was working, the mystery of who lives in the hole in the Dahlia bed was solved...
 |
| Hello Mr. Toad |
Thank you for eating the slugs
I have been netting Against dear for over 6 years now. Yes kinks had to be worked out Even after the disaster last year when the deer literally tore the netting apart to get at the daylilies. Between chipmunks, squirrels, 'coons, groundhogs and the tall 4-legged locusts, gardening is not for the faint of heart. I'm pushing 80, but still trying. Love your site! Kris in Ohio
ReplyDeleteThe Garden is a battlefield! We broke our record trapping thirty chipmunks this year. We've had to wage war on coons several times, and will soon have to start shooting rabbits again because we have half a dozen but so far they have only eaten the clover. If its not one thing its another. I have even considered just cutting back all of the day lily buds so the deer can't have them and I am close to camping out in a lawn chair all night for the chance of wringing one of their necks. Fight on Kris! Thanks for checking in.
DeleteHey fellow warrior! Your pain is my pain. Last year I decided to save certain favorite lilies under netting to do their thing, then, while your suggestion of cutting back buds is disheartening, I cut off the stalks when the buds got plump and now have a houseful of daylillies blooming in 🪣s!. Cheerful, enjoyed, and 'owning the deer'. Ha! (Last year 5 coons, 37 chipmunks, 2 groundhogs and a nest of yellowjackets.). Ever vigilant and with trusty pellet rifle at the ready. Hang in there! Kris in Ohio.
DeleteOn Amazon you can get solar "firework" lights. They have several different modes to choose so they can all be going off differently. I put the multi colored in the veggie garden and it seems to be working keeping the deer out at night-daytime is another matter. I also got some white ones that are just on in other areas. They are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteConsidering flashing lights, or the camping out chair. We've tried the sonic sound thing with red eye...no dice. It is so disheartening to find the ravishes wrought overnight. We have never had issues during the regular garden season before. What is in your deer repellent? Do you make it yourself?
ReplyDeleteLove the toad. I have an upturned broken clay pot sequestered in one bed for toady.
I like those fireworks lights and wouldn't mind having them in the landscape, but I don't think our deer would be impressed as they are already desensitized to motion sensor lights. I use both the Liquid Fence and Repels All. I alternate between the two so they don't get used to one. I really think the Repels All works better, but the Liquid Fence is so stinky it makes me feel like I'm doing more. I also use the Repels All granular early in the season when all of the foliage is still tight to the ground. It seems to work in training the rabbits as they have not eaten anything they're not supposed to... yet.
DeleteThank you. Looking them up right now.
ReplyDelete