Oh Deer!!!

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They are beautiful , graceful, quiet, such a part of the forest, farm and town scenery here on San Juan Island and really hungry this time of year!

Most of my gardens are naturally deer-resistant and with three game trails through our property, that's a goood thing.MOST perennial herbs are not on the menu for deer so rosemaries, lavenders, sages, santolinas, thymes,and oreganos are a good bet. I've also used lots of heaths, heathers and many evergreen trees and shrubs that don't tempt MY deer. But at this time of year and then again in late summer, all bets are off and they may nibble on all sorts of plants that are on the "Deer-Resistant List". They may not have read that chapter of the gardeners' book. Last autumn they nibbled on bergenia, bears breech, bachelor buttons, hardy geraniums, hops, yarrow and FENNEL, of all things, here on the farm.

Over the years I've developed a strategy for dealing with my deer. I don't even consider growing roses or any other proven deer-attractants and if I test a plant and the deer find it irresistible I just don't plant any more of it. I've also tested several sprays over the last few years-some smell so awful you might think there is a dead animal in the garden and others smell o.k. but their effectiveness is questionable and they are all so expensive - so when my Mom gave me a recipe for deer repellent from her garden club in the South Willamette Valley, where the deer are large and plentiful, I figured it was worth a try and to my amazement it is very effective.

DEER REPELLENT RECIPE

2 cups milk

2 eggs

2 TBS. dish washing liquid[I use Dawn]

2 TBS. hot chili oil

1 TBS. curry powder

4 tsp. liquid fertilizer

Whisk all together

Makes {4} four gallons of deer repellent when mixed with water.

Store unused portion in refrigerator-will keep up to a month.

Mix 3/4 cup of repellent with {1} one gallon of water into a sprinkling can or pump sprayer. When using a pump sprayer, strain the mixture several times so the sprayer won't clog.

Sprinkle or spray generously on any plants at risk. Do some plants early in the month. Then switch it up and spray on other plants later in the month . The spray will last about a month and should be reapplied after heavy rain or overhead watering.

This spray is also rumored to kill aphids and help to prevent black spot and mildew.

I tested this spray last spring in an area where the Bambie's' are usually browsing and BEHOLD AND LOW-the browsing never happened.

I've also invested in a "Scare Crow" motion activated water sprinkler which I move around my gardens-this is a great deterrent-I just have to remember to tell Dennis which area I've put it in for the night-he's had some surprises when he takes our dogs out for their midnight stroll. I'm considering another "Scare Crow" sprinkler this season-one for each end of the farm-that could get interesting.

I do have my veggie garden fenced which takes care of the deer situation-fencing is expensive and my gardens don't lend themselves to fencing as we are on a sloping hillside-so all of these other strategies have been helpful in co-existing with our local fauna, after all, they were here first.

Some of my favorite deer-resistant plants are:

artemisias

artichokes

cardoons

chamomile

comfrey

eupatoriums-not Chocolate Eupatoriums

fennel

feverfew

hyssop

inula

lavender

lemon balm

marjoram

mints

monarda

motherwort

nepetas

oregano

pulmonaria

rosemary

sages/salvias

santolina

tarragon

thymes

acanthus mollis

aconitum

bergenia

brunnera

buddleia

caryopteris

columbine

crocosmia

delphinium

dierama

echinaceas

foxglove

hardy geraniums-not all

heaths/heathers

hellebores

iris

ivy-not all

lambs ears

lamium

linaria

lychnis

penstemon

perovskia

primula

rock rose

rudbeckias

shasta daisy

yarrows

daffodils

fritillaria

None of these are fool-proof but we stand a better chance with these than with roses! Happy Gardening.