Deer Resistant Plantings
Almost everyone enjoys watching Mother Natures majestic creatures playfully prance around. Certainly no one is happy when these animals decide to feast on your landscape investments.
When deer begin the feed from the plant material on your property it can cause permanent damage to some of the pieces they devour.
Contact Us to find out what options are available to you to prevent future damage. Although we can never guarantee that no animal will eat your plants ever again, we can help you implement measures that will deter or avert them. The physical options available when deer traffic becomes a problem include fencing, netting, or covering certain “favorite” plants in your landscape. Deer generally prefer soft foliage and moist bud, by wrapping or netting the plants they are not allowed to access these tasty treats. Harsh winters only compound the problem, the animals have a harder time finding food in nature. They utilize the easy option and eat your plants. Wrapping or netting the plants in the foundation planting at your house can be very visually upsetting. Who wants to look at a burlap material for 5 months. Another physical deterrent option is a tall removable netting fence surrounding the entry points of your property. This tall fence will usher the animals around the outskirts of your property, suggesting that they find someplace else to feed.
We have had success with chemical deterrents as well. We have had success with a number of products. Some systemic and others foliar sprays. Systemic chemicals are absorbed into the plant through the root system and move within the plant. This chemical both emits and odor and has a bad taste, even if the deer decides to sample the plant, he won’t enjoy the taste. The foliar sprays work in the same way, the leaves are coated with a chemical spray that the animals do not like, thus making these plants a less favorite option for hungry deer.
If you are going to be remodeling your outdoor space and you know that you live in an area with a high deer population there are certain plants that are less preferred by the animals. These “deer resistant” plant lists have been developed over time and they are quite accurate, but not 100% animal proof. Just because the deer don’t like it, doesn’t mean another animal doesn’t. Rabbits and mice can also be hazardous to the health of your landscapes.
Mice and Rabbits enjoy ground-covers and soft wooded shrubs. You can prevent a large amount of damage from them by keeping the undersides of the plants clean. A plant with a warm bed of fallen leaves and debris underneath is a 5 star hotel for Mice and Rabbits to spend the winter in. Warmth and food, why would they ever leave. Cleaning debris in the fall and looking for signs of presence through the winter are good ideas to prevent damage.
