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.)