When we first moved here, there were no deer. I am not sure when they showed up, but it was not a happy time. I love seeing them, but I do not love feeding them.
They love daylilies and so do I. I love to see them and they love to eat them.
One summer the deer ate them before I got to see them. I was on vacation in June. When we returned there were hundreds of shortened stalks where blooms should have been.
When the dayliles first appear in the spring, their leaves are tender and green. They must also be tasty. That is when the fence rings get placed around each plant. That solves the problem for a month or so because the deer do not like to stick their heads down in the ring.
In late May the stalks with buds start to emerge above the leaves and above the fence rings.
That is the time I must bring out the green poles to stick in the ground beside each fence ring. Then raise each ring to hang on the pole above the leaves and around the buds and blooms.
I have also tried a new deer repellent product this year.
It contains peppermint, garlic and rotten eggs. Yummy!
It seems to have worked. I will refresh the old bags with peppermint oil in hopes that they will continue to deter the deer.
This is way too much work for maintaining flowers. I would not have knowingly planted deer food if the deer had been here first. My flowers were here first, so I feel obligated to protect them. I do not feel obligated to feed wildlife. My training as a biologist is against that.
I will report on the Whemoalus Deer Repellent’s effectiveness in the coming months.
FLOW (working too hard for her flowers.)
floweralley 
Your flowers are beautiful! Your gardens should be in a magazine!
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Oh my! Daylilies are like candy for deer! I never saw a flower on my bushes for years because of the deer then finally I just moved the bushes inside into my fenced back yard. Your daylillies are beautiful I too would be doing everything I can to save them from the deer 😃
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It has been hard work, but the blooms make it worth it. Thanks
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Sorry to hear about the deer. They can be very destructive! We have rabbits and squirrels to contend with here.
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If you plant food, they will come. Ha
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So true! Logical even. 😆
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Argh! Our story is similar… deer starting munching the gardens about 5 years ago. Now, like you, we have to fortify the edibles! Fencing is expensive and takes hours to put in every year, and any new plant purchases must pass the ‘deer resistant’ test!
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I will not be planting any more deer food.
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I’ve learned through sad experience just what is about to be the favourite snack at any given time, and make sure to spray it with the repellent I use. It too contains garlic and rotten egg as well as wintergreen and other smelly stuff. It certainly repels me! Unfortunately I didn’t think to apply it to anything in January, but the green twigs of a small plant of the rose “Mutabilis” was chomped down to a 2-inch stub. It has since recovered and even has buds, but would have been way bigger if it hadn’t been eaten.
Our deer population exploded in 2012, but may be no longer growing now that some areas have been administering contraceptives to does.
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I love the contraceptive method for all overpopulation. One of our doe may have twins. Our neighbors said she was huge.
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Great photography. The photos you posted are all inspiring and worth viewing. They’re all lovely photos. Keep going and enjoy. Have a great day.
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Thanks for the compliments TRAILBLAZER.
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You’re welcome. You can visit my blog too if you have extra time. I hope you will like and follow it.
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