Oh Dear!

We've spent the whole Winter cooped up indoors and now that Spring has finally arrived, we can get out and enjoy the garden, but these critters have beaten us to it.

I'm sure we all swear by our own secret recipe, or a commercial deer repellent. The truth is, if a deer is hungry , it will eat practically anything that is verdant and vegetative.

At this time of year, their favourite snack is the newly emerged leaves of the Daylillies. 

I cover the smaller Rhododendrons with netting, unfortunately the wind uncovered this section which is now devoid of buds and leaves.

Iris are also a favourite of deer

and the lowest branches on the Magnolia are almost always lacking of buds.

I find alternating various deer repellents is the best method of limiting grazing. Spreading milorganite on and around the most vunerable plants like this Sedum, followed by a homemade spray of eggs, garlic, hot peppers, dish washing detergent and water, which is allowed to ferment in the warm greenhouse for a couple of weeks before use, works well. Frequent applications is essential, especially after rain.

There are some plants that deer never graze, one of them being Dicentra spectabilis "Gold Heart"

One of my top five all time favourite plants.

I'll get to some more next time.