6 Ways to Keep Deer from Eating Your Flower Garden

Deer are beautiful, graceful creatures. You may enjoy seeing a slender doe or a majestic buck in your yard now and again — and who doesn’t love looking at a cute baby fawn?

Of course, if you have a garden, you may have mixed feelings about these elegant animals. Deer are notorious for their voracious appetite — especially when it comes to easily accessible plants and flowers. Deer can be frustrating for anyone who’s spent time, effort, and money creating a beautiful flower garden. 

While there’s no “one size fits all” solution to keep them from your garden, there are several steps you can take to reduce the chances of your garden becoming the next buffet. This article covers six ways to keep deer away from your flower garden. And, you can use most of these remedies to deter other garden thieves such as rabbits as well. 

Keep Deer Away from Your Flower Garden

1. Use Deer-Resistant Plants

One of the most effective ways to keep them away from your garden is to plant “deer-resistant” plants. We have to note, deer *resistant does not necessarily mean deer *proof. In other words, deer resistant plants might still become a snack, but they are less likely to do so since deer can’t eat them easily (because they’re too tough), or deer don’t want to eat them (because they taste funny).

Examples of deer-resistant plants include:

● Lambs Ear

● Marigold

● Foxglove

● Rosemary

● Mint

● Crepe Myrtle

● African Lily

● Yucca

● Zinnias

● Asparagus

Walkers Low Catmint is another great option that offers deer resistance. It’s the featured Plant of the Month over on the Dallas County Master Gardener Association website, where you can read all about this lovely bloom! 

2. Build a Physical Barrier

Sometimes you have to block the deer from getting close to your garden physically — e.g., construct a barrier, such as a fence to enclose your garden. If you decide to go this route, make sure that your fence is high enough to be effective. White-tailed deer can jump about 8 feet high, so your fence should be at least that high to work.

3. Use Deer Repellents

Both homemade and commercial repellents are available (and work to some extent). For example, some products combine foul odors with a solution that tastes bad to keep deer from eating their plants. Homemade repellents should include strong-smelling ingredients such as garlic, rotten eggs, and hot pepper. While the effectiveness of these repellents may vary, they offer a simple, inexpensive solution for pesky garden-eaters.

4. Set Up “Scare Objects”

Deer are easily intimidated, which means you might be able to keep them out by setting up some sort of scare object(s). Examples include a scarecrow, a giant plastic owl, or other “scary-looking” objects that you can place around your garden. Granted, these decoys won’t prevent deer from trespassing on your property — but they may make the deer think twice before approaching your flowers and plants. Of course, if (and when) they get used to these objects, then all bets are off and they will return.

5. Get a Dog (or Two)

If you are a canine-lover (like us), your garden is in luck! If you do not have a four-legged friend, you may want to explore getting one (or more). Having a dog on the property is an obvious, immediate deterrent for any deer (or other animals like squirrels or rabbits) that want to take a bite from your carefully cultivated garden. 

6. Use Motion-Activated Lights

Motion-sensing lights are another way to frighten off any potential animals that might steal from your garden. Motion-activated lights are especially effective against deer since they don’t like sudden movements or bright lights. Of course, motion-activated lights are most effective in combination with other tactics.

Keeping Deer Away from Plants is Not Easy – PlantTAGG can help

As we mentioned, none of these suggestions are 100% effective at keeping deer away (except for completely closing off your garden with a physical barrier). However, using one of these suggestions, or multiple ones simultaneously, can help and keep your garden going strong.

You can use PlantTAGG to figure out which plants are deer resistant, landscaping designs, and tons of other tips and tricks on gardening and plant care. If you haven’t already, be sure to set up your yard in PlantTAGG. Get the app today: it’s free to download and use.

Which animals do you see most frequently trying to steal from your garden? What remedies have worked for you? We’d love to hear from you! Let us know if in the comments or shoot us a message on Instagram or Facebook @planttagg!