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Replies

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  The Perfumed Garden March 25, 2009 at 10:44am

  Hi Jill - I understand totally! We have 3 herds of large deer in our area and all contain at least 30 in each, not to mention the small muntjacks that are around. They always use the same tracks in and out and are usually around at the same or a similar time of day.
  The only truly effective way is to fence your garden off, or at least decide which area you want to conserve and fence that area. I appreciate larger gardens will require a substantial budget to do it, but we have recently done this for a customer, keeping half of their garden open and fencing the other half with 6' tall fencing (yes, it really does need to be that high - they have legs like springs!). It has been 100% effective using posts with stock fencing and straining wire. the customers are delighted and are already seeing their plants growing for the first time in all the years they have lived there.
  Hope this helps,
  Jill Foxley
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  steve loftus March 25, 2009 at 8:40pm

  mmmmmm,
  
  spray jays fluid solution around, cut a lifebuoy soap(coal tar) into chunks and spread around, human hair around garden,old boys tricks...do they work???.
  single strand of nylon/wire electric fence around perimeter .
  wild dogs...children rifle etc
  p.i.r lights to flash on when approached
  n.b i have just read that human hair would fall under the pesticides 1986 act ,as it has not been tested as a pesticide !!!!!!
  but lifebuoy soap is a good-un.........hang in a stocking around 28" off the ground
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  Dave Sewell March 26, 2009 at 9:44am

  Fencing is your only permenant option. We've had to di it once and managed to fence off approx 10 acres for 30K
  Dave
  www.the-gardenmakers.co.uk
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  Daniel Johnson III March 28, 2009 at 11:07am

  a dog
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  The Perfumed Garden March 28, 2009 at 12:00pm

  a lion
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  Bella Stander March 28, 2009 at 1:34pm

  Options:
  1) Put up a 6ft fence topped by 2ft strand (preferably barbed) angled to the outside.
  2) Have at least one med-large deer-chasing dog (husky, Aussie, border collie, Rhodesian ridgeback, etc) that runs around outside EVERY day.
  3) Plant things deer don't like:
  Thorny plants (they'll still eat rose blooms)
  Gray and/or fuzzy-leafed plants (lamb's ears, Russian sage, artemisia)
  Most herbs (lavender, rosemary, hyssop, sage--but not basil, which they LOVE)
  Echinacea, allium, euphorbia
  Large ornamental grasses
  Rhododendron, mountain laurel
  Peonies
  Bulbs: daffodils, crocus, hyacinths
  
  You probably already know this, but hollyhocks, shasta daisies & yew are deer candy. If you're in US, get the book PLEASE DON'T EAT MY GARDEN.
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  Hamish March 28, 2009 at 2:18pm

  No one has mentioned shooting. But bringing in a local professional stalker to take a few out will help everyone in the area - it is unfortunate that deer populations are so large as to become such a pest, but properly controlled they should not want to destroy or approach a garden. However the only deer that can be shot at the moment are red deer stags or bucks, (venison rump in pepper sauce- mmmm).
  Alternatively human urine is a really effective detterent.
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  David Channon March 28, 2009 at 4:41pm

  If your in SE England, take a look at www.deer-britain.com which is one of my business sites.
  I can arrange a stalker to come and shoot them for you for free if the garden is big enough for a safe shot. Generally, culling one or two deters the rest for quite a while. However, the close season for many species is only days away.
  If you want this discretely, send an e-mail to fewmet@gmail.com which gets to the admin of the deertalking site (www.deertalking.com) . Most of this site is private and stalking opportunities are only circulated to verified subscribers. who are DSC qualified.
  If you want to keep them out permanently, fencing is the only way. 1-2 metres for muntjac, roe, cwd; 2;3 metres for fallow, red and sika
  
  
  Hamish said:

  No one has mentioned shooting. But bringing in a local professional stalker to take a few out will help everyone in the area - it is unfortunate that deer populations are so large as to become such a pest, but properly controlled they should not want to destroy or approach a garden. However the only deer that can be shot at the moment are red deer stags or bucks, (venison rump in pepper sauce- mmmm).
  Alternatively human urine is a really effective detterent.
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  Bella Stander March 28, 2009 at 5:09pm

  Another solution is to fence in a small area around house, in which you'll have dog(s) & deer candy (roses, malva, shasta daisies, candytuft, yew, etc.). In unfenced area, put naturalistic plantings of deer-resistant flora, per my previous post. And have all resident & visiting menfolk pee around the fenceline.
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  Daniel Johnson III March 29, 2009 at 9:30am

  Hamish said:

  No one has mentioned shooting. But bringing in a local professional stalker to take a few out will help everyone in the area - it is unfortunate that deer populations are so large as to become such a pest, but properly controlled they should not want to destroy or approach a garden. However the only deer that can be shot at the moment are red deer stags or bucks, (venison rump in pepper sauce- mmmm).
  Alternatively human urine is a really effective detterent.

  
  I was going to mention this .. get your husband to mark the area