Here are some suggestions for keeping deer from eating all the flowers in your garden. They are beautiful animals, but they are ruthless when it comes to your garden plants.
You can use these strategies to keep deer out of your garden and to keep your flowers healthy and happy.
- Deer repellent should be used
- Fencing can be used
- Put an ultrasonic device to the test
- Deer are less likely to be attracted to flowers that are less attractive to them
- Try some anecdotal solutions
We’ll see what might work for your garden. Otherwise, your flower bed will soon only have stalks.
Stop Deer From Eating Your Flowers
It’s no secret that deer are beautiful creatures, but they’re also ruthless predators when it comes to garden plants, particularly flowers. The deer love to eat flowers, so giving them free rein in your flower patch is no different from giving a toddler free reign in an ice cream shop. But how can you stop them from destroying yours?
Use A Deer Repellent
There are many commercial products available on the market that repel deer. Some are quite strong, so be aware of this if your plants are close to outdoor living areas.
Spice scent repellent is a concentrate that you can mix and put in a pump sprayer. Spray all of your plants and flowers. Deer dislike the smell and taste, so they’ll choose another option. Reapply every three to four weeks during the growing season. The mix is not toxic to fruits and vegetables, and it won’t wash off if it rains because it has a sticky quality that adheres to the plants.
What Smells Repel Deer?
There are two types of deer repellents: those that interfere with their sense of smell and those that indicate danger. The spicy smell of the commercial deer repellent can interfere with their sense of smell.
To scare deer away from products with foul odors, like the one below, predator scat or urine compounds are often used.
Will Irish Spring Soap Keep Deer Away?
It is said that smelly soaps interfere with a deer’s ability to smell danger. For every person who swears by hanging bars of soap around their garden, there’s another who says it doesn’t work. Deer do not like new things, so Irish Spring soap works initially, but eventually, the deer become accustomed to it.
Drawstring bags like these are great for hanging smelly soap in the garden. Avoid soap that contains coconut oil as it attracts deer.
Does Vinegar Repel Deer?
You can use dried vinegar to keep deer away from your plants, but it washes off easily and needs to be reapplied constantly.
Do Coffee Grounds Keep Deer Away?
Maybe, or maybe not. If you sprinkle used coffee grounds around your garden, they may help deter deer. However, once they get used to it and don’t associate it with danger, they may simply ignore it and continue eating your flowers as usual.
We recommend trying coffee out in a small section of your garden before going full throttle. Another consideration is coffee’s acidity.
Will Cayenne Pepper Deter Deer?
Deer don’t like cayenne pepper. So, yes, it will deter them. But, will it stop them completely? It’s worth a shot, though.
Do Mothballs Repel Deer?
Our recommendation is not to use mothballs, since they contain a toxic substance that is dangerous to pets and children. As they melt under sprinkler jets and in the rain, they release toxic naphthalene into your groundwater. In order to repel deer and keep your garden happy, you should use a store-bought solution.
What Is A Good Homemade Deer Repellent?
The nice thing about homemade deer repellents is that most of them can be made with easily accessible household ingredients.
Here’s one we like:
- Hot sauce, 4 tablespoons
- Three raw eggs
- Garlic minced in three tablespoons
- Mix the mixture with 1 gallon of water and spray around your plants.
Use Deer Fencing
Perhaps the most effective way to keep deer out is to install deer fencing. A fence for deer should be at least 6′ tall. The fence may need to be raised to 10′ if there is a large area where they prefer to cut across rather than skirt around it. Obviously, if you’re fencing in a whole yard, this is a pretty expensive solution. For a garden patch, it’s totally feasible.
Try An Ultrasonic Device
Using ultrasonic devices, you can deter animals of all kinds. In addition to emitting an ultrasonic sound and flashing strobe light, they work by startling and scaring off deer. They are solar-powered, easy to install in the garden, and won’t harm household pets.
Plant Flowers That Are Less Appealing To Deer
A few flowers that deer don’t like to eat include daffodils, foxglove, poppies, lavender, peonies, and bearded iris – just to name a few.
Give Some Anecdotal Solutions A Try
The same can be said for keeping deer out of the garden. Let’s examine some of the most popular theories to see if they’re true.
Will Dog Poop Keep Deer Away?
Dogs fall into the predator category for deer, and even though their feces may be disgusting for deer to smell, a dog that chases and barks at a deer is a bigger deterrent than feces. Dog urine can be just as effective as coyote urine in deterring deer. But unless you plan on either collecting it or training Fido to spot your garden, it may be too much trouble. Dog waste can also damage some plants.
Does Human Urine Repel Deer?
A man we knew once planted coffee cans around the perimeter of his garden, and every morning he’d “replace his deer deterrent” in those cans after drinking his coffee. The odor of human urine is foul to deer, as it is the odor of predators. However, in an urban environment where deer are used to humans, this might not work. It’s one of those tricks that costs nothing and may save a sunflower or two.
Do Dryer Sheets Keep Deer Away?
While dryer sheets may create a fresh-laundered feel for your flowers, chances are they won’t keep deer away.
Do Wind Chimes Scare Deer?
You can be sure wind chimes will scare the deer away the first time you hear them. However, you can’t be sure they will only eat your flowers on windy days. Therefore, on still, quiet days, the wind chimes won’t work, and your flowers won’t bloom.
Does Epsom Salt Keep Deer Away?
While Epsom salt works well against moles and grubs, it doesn’t seem to be as effective as deer repellents on its own as deer repellent. Although it is included in some commercially available deer repellents, it appears to be more beneficial to the soil and vegetation rather than to deter deer.
What Attracts Deer The Most?
What if we’re inadvertently attracting deer? We’ve talked a lot about repelling deer, but what if we’re inadvertently attracting them? In addition to the flowers, what attracts deer the most is the sunflower (see here: Are Sunflowers Deer Resistant? [and How to Protect Your Plants])
When our lawns include clover and other protein-rich crops, such as chicory or orchard grass, deer love them. In our vegetable gardens, they love kale, corn, and peas. The deer love to browse and eat the acorns and nuts that fall from nut-producing trees, such as chestnuts or oaks, so you’re likely to have plenty.
Does Vanilla Extract Attract Deer?
It certainly will. This is a trick many hunters use when they’re walking into their hunting stands. They douse their boots in vanilla extract to both disguise their scent and attract deer. Their bushes are sprayed all around where they’re staked out, drawing deer in.
What will you try first? Let us know if something worked better than something else for your garden and deer population.
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