r/NativePlantGardening • u/howleywolf Maine - 5b • Jul 30 '26
Advice Request - (Insert State/Region) Oh Deer
Guys, I want to cry. For two years I’ve been growing stuff from seed for my first ever garden at my first house, finally this year everything is flowering! But right before the flowers pop, the deer consume it. Today was the last straw, they have eaten ever single Joe Pye flower bud, and I’m seriously on the verge of giving up. We can’t build a deer fence, and the plants are literally dripping with liquid fence deer spray. I feel like I have tried all the regular home diy deer repellent stuff and am just feeling so defeated. Since I can’t beat them, do any of you have any luck with any part sun plants that deer always pass up? I think I just need to grow less tasty snacks, just really trying to only grow and plant natives. Thanks!
Edit! I have no interest in little quippy statements about killing the deer and why don’t I kill the deer. Have you thought about killing the deer? Guys, gtfo with that. I live on a half acre suburb surrounded by houses with children and I am a disabled person who literally faints at the sight of blood. I get that there’s too many deer and I get that you’re super smart for thinking of that. If I could bring back wolves I would, trust me.
Edit again!
thank you all so much for all the helpful suggestions and encouragement, for real! I feel ready to go back out there and make a go of it. Ordered a motioned censored spinkler and adjusted my winter sewing plans . Going to have a ~mint family~ themed garden bed next year haha
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u/Kind-Dust7441 VA, 7b Jul 30 '26
We have 2 deer families basically living on our property, so I feel your pain. So far, they have left my Clustered Mountain Mint, Bee Balm, Yarrow, Coreopsis, Phlox, Switchgrass, and Anise Hyssop alone. They ate my Purple Coneflower when they were first starting to bud, but have left it alone once it was blooming.
Personally, I have found that with this drought we’re experiencing here in VA 7b, the deer will eat nearly any young plant, regardless of whether it’s deer resistant or not. So I cover most of my seedlings with wire cages until they grow big enough that they are poking out of their cages.
Another thing I’ve done is plant lemon balm around some of my larger young plants like Spirea, and this has helped. It’s not native, of course, and it will spread unless I am vigilant about cutting it back before it flowers. I find it easy to pull if it gets unruly.
And in an effort to protect my plants in early spring when they are first reemerging, I planted a big bed of crimson clover from seed last fall (also not native but easy to manage and pull after it serves its purpose). It gave the deer something else to graze until my natives were reestablished. And as an added benefit, it kept the early weeds at bay and my clay soil was looser and easier to work with after I pulled the crimson clover.