I was just wondering if anyone tried planting a deer friendly garden to try to head them off from their own edible gardens. I have some blueberries and strawberries that are big enough to move outside. Since deer is a problem in my neck of the woods, I was thinking maybe a deer friendly garden would give a place for the deers to munch and hopefully keep them from munching on my berries.
Deer Garden
It's a great idea to try.
I used this theroy this way. I have tried to feed them with a spin feeder full of corn. A spin feeder throws corn on the ground a little at a time. This was quite a distance from my flowers. It was like they came in and while eating the corn said "oh look, there is a flower....and another...." You get the picture.
Yep, we tried this, too. Previous homeowner planted hosta so we moved them all down to the woods to kind of lead the deer away from the house. No luck. Their natural browsing instinct, I guess. Fake snakes worked, but only for a while, and only if we moved them almost daily. We have planted almost all of the fragrant plants they detest, and that helps somewhat. Our latest gambit was to plant fern in front of all the hydrangea (also planted by previous owner) but it is only slightly effective. They don't seem to like fern brushing against their legs. Good luck. Sheila
Ha....they eat the young ferns here. You are right about the brushing effect though. Some neighbors use fish line around their trees and plants as a fence. The deer cannot see it and they get spooked....for a while..then they just barge through, get hooked in the line and take it all over...bad for the enviorment, animals and birds.
Good point. If you plant fern to keep the deer away, be sure it's not the edible varieties (humans can eat the fiddleheads, too). I believe it's Ostrich fern? Maybe Cinnamon fern? Sheila
Mmmm, they don't seem to eat the Ostrich fern here, just the fiddles of the common fern that grows all over in the woods. (don't know the name) And they only eat them some years. My poor hostas is still out there by the pond. They seem to wait until it gets bigger to make a good meal. Some lillies they eat the plant to the ground...others they wait until the buds are big and fat and juicy...this year I am picking them and seeing flowers, even if they are in a vase!
From the sound of this, guess a deer garden wouldn't keep them away from my flowers and edibles. I've moved all my edibles to the back deck. Since the back deck is about one story high with stairs, hopefully the deers don't know how to climb stairs. But I moved my pot of lilies out onto my front porch and left town on a business trip. Now, I'm thinking the lilies might be gone by the time I get back. Poo.
I have had good luck with my stuff on the deck. Some neighbors have not. The darned old deer aren't even consistant, eating one thing now, another next year. They just like to hear you yell I think. They are out there giggling when you come out and see everything gone.
Here is a nibbler, from last evening, cleaning up around my stump steps. (caught in the act)
Trust me, they WILL climb the steps to the deck!
Don't tell me that.. I have moved all the deer edibles to the deck and porch.. Not sure what else I can do to protect them from the deers.
Electric fence. We put it around my flower beds by the house to keep the dogs out and it has worked for the deer too. I'm making a new flower bed on the west end of my house and we haven't extended the electric fence yet. Soooo, they waited until my Shasta daisies had lots of beautiful blooms and then they ate them (left the blackeyed Susan's alone). I have fences around every fruit tree plus my grapes. Lot's of my young trees either started out with or still have fences around them to keep the deer from eating the young leaves in the spring or the buds during the winter. AND, we have a big food plot down by the creek that's full of nice juicy clover and other goodies they love--they just stop off there to eat supper and come up into the yard for desert, LOL!