Deer Wreaking Havoc on Your Spring Garden?
Try These Tips
Tim Gartland, Resident and Founder of Hamilton Land Services.
With green space disappearing as Historic Brookhaven and neighboring Buckhead continue to be developed, deer are losing their homes and increasingly looking to residential lots for food. Spring and early summer, when does are pregnant or nursing, tend to be particularly popular times for deer to roam the neighborhood and eat their favorite plants.
“The deer have fewer places to go and are attracted to our leafy, well-manicured yards and gardens, especially around Brookhaven and Buckhead with nice large lots and contiguous greenery,” says Tim Gartland, a Brookhaven Drive resident and founder and owner of Hamilton Land Services.
Deer proofing your yard is a multi-pronged process, according to Tim. Consider these steps:
- Install deer-resistant plants – deer love many of the most popular plants found in Historic Brookhaven yards, like hydrangea, Hosta, and azaleas, and can quickly eat an entire side of your garden. Tim says he has found autumn fern, white taxus (yew), rose creek abelia, and catnip to be some of the most deer-resistant plants. He is quick to note, however, that deer don’t always play by the rules and may taste-test these newly installed plants before realizing they taste bad.
- Use deer repellants – granular or spray applications of a product like Deer Scram (found at Amazon.com, local garden centers, or Walmart) can be useful. Tim cautions that these lose their efficacy following rain or frequent watering and need to be regularly applied. One client found shavings of Irish Spring soap kept deer out of his yard. “That has been pretty effective,” he notes.
- Try netting or fencing – a dome made of plant netting over small areas, or a chicken-wire or similar material fence around your garden can help keep deer out.
Noisemakers, such as wind chimes or an ultrasonic device, might temporarily deter deer but often the deer get used to the noise and creep back. Tim has clients who have found some success with regularly moving their noisemakers throughout their lawns.
Another tactic he has used is planting clover as ground cover in one side of a yard. Deer love the clover and will focus on that, often leaving the rest of the yard alone.
Editor’s note: For more information or to contact Tim Gartland, visit www.hamiltonlandservices.com.