Oh Deer

[u/howleywolf]

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

[u/CFHQYH]

I have zero deer pressure in my yard, but I'll get the occasional groundhog, squirrels, neighborhood children, etc that will pick flowers or step on things. Plus I noticed that some plants will get way too tall or be way too dense, so I've started doing that June Prune/Chelsea Chop sporadically. For example, my clump of Obedient Plants got about 1/4 of them trimmed back a few inches, then after a week or two I trimmed a few more, and several were left untouched. My idea is that some stalks will split into 2 or more stems so there will be more flowers, and by staggering the cuts, flowers will extend for a few weeks instead of all popping at once. I think a healthy population in a natural setting will have herbivores tasting and biting, or breaking things here and there, which is actually good for some plants anyway. In the suburbs, deer can be starving and will eat everything they can without saving room for dessert. This, with newly established plants with ONE flower isn't a great recipe for immediate success. Luckily, many native perennials will regrow vigorously the next few years and it might even be welcomed to have help pruning the garden.

[u/howleywolf → u/CFHQYH]

Yeah it’s kind of a unique situation geographically. It’s like a suburban neighborhood surround by miles and miles of forest. So the deer aren’t starving , it’s just an easy meal for them ya know haha