Deer have become an increasingly common sight in suburbs across the country. With fewer acres of forest to roam in, the animals make their way down residential sidewalks and into backyards. In the small town of Fair Haven, New Jersey, residents recently received an email warning them to stay away from a particular street where a doe protecting her baby deer was “displaying aggressive behavior toward dogs and their owners.” In Michigan, there’s been an alarming rise in deer-related car crashes.
And while these animals are beautiful, it can be nerve-wracking to have them on your property. It can also be a nuisance, as they love to munch on all those pretty flowers you’ve planted. But pest experts say that by ridding your yard of certain plants, you may be able to deter deer.
RELATED: 8 Plants Attracting Mice to Your Home.
1. Brassicas
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According to Jim McHale, entomologist and president at JP McHale Pest Management, the biggest thing to know about keeping deer out of your yard is that the herbivorous animals are attracted to plants with a high nutritional value, as well as “starch-based plants that easily transform to sugar during winter months.”
With that in mind, first on his list of plants you’ll want to avoid are brassicas, also known as cruciferous vegetables or mustard plants. These include radishes, turnips, and kale, which you may have planted in your vegetable garden.
2. Hostas
2 | Certain plants
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All the experts we consulted agreed that hostas are a big draw for deer.
Michael Clarke, landscape architect, horticulturalist, and founder of Yardwork, says this is because hostas “have tender, juicy leaves rich in water and nutrients that are easy for deer to digest.”
3. Roses
5 | Roses
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Tammy Sons, CEO and founder of Tn Nursery, explains that, in addition to plants with tender leaves, deer are attracted to those that “emit a mild sweet fragrance.”
“Deer have an exceptional sense of smell, and it’s how they locate food sources in the first place, so gardens with lots of sweet or fresh-smelling plants can attract deer even when they’re a hundred yards away,” adds Nicole Carpenter, president of Black Pest Prevention.
Therefore, your fragrant rose bushes are definitely calling to any local deer. Clarke says that roses’ flower buds and tender new shoots are both soft and sweet for deer to eat.
RELATED: 4 Scents That Attract Snakes to Your Yard, Experts Say.
4. Daylilies and tulips
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While the sweet smell of roses may entice deer in the summer, in the spring, it’s flowers like daylilies and tulips that they’re after.
Clarke notes that daylilies have “fleshy leaves and bright blooms that are rich in moisture and mild in taste,” while tulips “are high in sugar and starch.”
5. Sunflowers
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Late-summer bloomers are no match for hungry deer, either. Clarke points out that the nutritious seeds of sunflowers are a welcome food source for the animals.
6. Fruit trees
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“Deer can be attracted from long distances when fruit trees such as apple or pear trees are in full bloom or shedding fruit,” Sons points out, since they love to munch on the sweet fruit.
Likewise, any strawberry or tomato plants can also attract deer.
7. Arborvitae and yew
3 | Create a living wall.
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When the fall and winter months roll around, food becomes scarce for deer, so they’ll often move to common residential evergreens like arborvitae and yew. Since these plants are tall, it’s especially common when snow covers the ground and keeps them from eating anything else.
RELATED: 5 Plants That Will Keep Bees Out of Your Yard, According to Pest Experts.
How to keep deer away from your plants:
23 | Deer are puzzled by the faux dusk.
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If you simply can’t resist having one of these plants on your property (after all, it’s a pretty long list), there are some easy and safe things you can do to keep deer away from your plants.
Tommy Wylde, publisher of Floofmania, a blog about North American wildlife, previously toldBest Life that you can use motion-activated sprinklers or lights that “startle and deter deer from entering your yard.”
Or, you could install a fence, but be sure it’s at least eight feet high, as deer are skilled jumpers.
Homemade, natural rosemary repellent may also keep deer away since they hate the scent. “All you need to do is mix vinegar, peppermint essential oil, and rosemary essential oil in a spray bottle and spray the plants you want to protect,” Best Life reported.
You can also plant deer-repellent plants.
3 | Lavender
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Another option is to add some deer-repellent plants around your yard, especially in close proximity to any plants that cold be attracting the animals. As Best Life previously shared, the six best deer-repellent plants are:
- Bridal wreath spirea
- Lavender
- Scarlet bee balm
- Cosmos
- Ornamental grasses
- Winter gem boxwood
Content shared from bestlifeonline.com.