Karen,

I moved to this house 4 years ago and for the first three years the deer ate my lilies and iris's. This year they didn'd touch them and for the first time I have blooms. They munched my goldenrod (fireworks) which I thought they didn't like and was why I planted it at the woods edge. Seems they change thier likings now and then. With all this WS I told DH wait till the deer see the smorgasbord now. I WS'd some herbs and lavender to put around certian plants (hosta is deer candy here) but still need to put them out.
So sorry about your lillies, gosh I know how that feels.

Donna Mae

They've done the same thing with my tulips every year, except this one. I actually got to see them bloom this time. The lilies are just starting to bud up here, but I haven't seen any sign of the deer lately, so hopefully they won't get those this year. I think they've moved up into the mountains for the summer, which is fine with me.

Chances are it was a she, not a he : )

Bonnie

Karen, I'm sorry about the lily flowers. I can't grow them either because of our deer problem. I'm trying various strategies to keep the deer away from my plants, but I don't think there are any guaranteed solutions.

kt

grated ivory soap on mine - were not touched by deer - Karen, don't pull them - try again next year

Carrie

Most of my lilies are in the back behind a nice fence. I do have daylillies in the front and am expecting mrs john deere to come for lunch. I shall transplant them back in the fall.

She can eat the stella doro lillies all she wants, but I do have some nice bright yellow ones that Id like to keep, they're kinda sorta hidden at the moment, but she'll prolly find them.

I have a friend who did pull all her daylilies as the deer kept eating them. If the deer seem to get yours at a certain time in their cycle, could you possibly protect them as they are approaching bloom? Maybe with chicken wire? Or one of the many deer repellents (which, from all I've heard, have limited success)?

Ive used the following with some effectiveness

In a five gallon sprayer

3 egg whites
3 cubes of beef bullion
half a jar of tabasco sauce

(only use the whites, the yokes clog up the sprayer)

Mix it up and spray before and after any rain storms.

There are a # of mixtures that people claim to work, and they will if the deer are finding enough food, if they are hungry enough they will eat it. But the key is to prevent them from coming , they usually stay on a patterned trail they use in their own territory, if you can stop them from coming for awhile, they usualy wont come back.

Silverkelt

I feel for you Karen. It's so disappointing, especially since the lilies only do their thing once a year. :-(

The rabbits got most of mine two years ago. Last year I sprayed liquid fence and they only got one. This year they haven't touched them but the voles ate all but one of the bulbs in the back yard.

Pat

So you add those ingredients and you mix in water to the top?

It does NOTHING to the plants? Just curious - I read all about these mixtures but always wondered what it does to the plants or... are you spraying the perimeter of your grounds, in which case I would need a dozen eggs or more.. ($$$)

Carrie

If you do decide to yank them drop me a note - I'd be happy to give them a new home and pay their traveling postage.

I've got a nice spot right next to the dog play yard that should be deer proof. And even though there are plenty of deer in the area they tend to keep completely off of our land - I think they recognize the goats as the resident herd and behave like respectful neighbors.

Of course - if you'd like Buster the polka dot goat to come over and stand guard we might be able to work something out. :) Thought that could present it's own set of troubles!

Lynda

So sorry about the plants! those darn animals always seem to eat the ones just about to flower.

I might give that recipe a try. It has some of the ingredients of my liquid fence....

Karen

The deer have never bothered my daylilies, and I really wouldn't mind if they did. Not my favorite plant. Ditto hostas. I've actually gotten rid of them over the years, only have one left, because I don't like them very much. But the deer never go for those.

I'm not going to wrap beautiful blooming lilies in chicken wire, would ruin it for me. A fence? I have a 4 foot chain link fence around my whole yard and the deer go right over it. Not a deterrent at all. But I am going to wrap my tomatoes in netting. They're not living in my yard because of their beauty- I just want to eat them.

Please, someone shoot Bambi.

Karen

Liquid Fence has worked for me. I have had things bloom, including lilies, that used to be eaten by deer and rabbits.
Had a deer in the back yard yesterday and she did not eat any of the things that I sprayed with LF a few days earlier. I used to fence in my tulips and lilies but no more. Phlox is another that gets eaten if it isn't sprayed. There are lots of other things that get sprayed as well, asters, dianthus, black lace elderberry, hollyhocks, mini roses, heuchera, daylilies, dahlias, tomatoes and pole beans. They don't bother my hostas which are next to the house foundation. I buy the concentrate on sale.

The deer came back last night. Ate the tops from my Cherry Brandy rudbeckia. The flower bus are gone.

It WAS deer. There were new tracks right beside the plants.

Karen

Oh no, I feel for you!
I fight the bunnies and it has been raining so I need to get my liquid fence sprayed ASAP before they take a taste again!

Karen

I put lilies in container on deck just to have them once.

Last night deer jumped fence into butterfly garden again. So far they've eaten Aster Divaricatus, Liatris, Salvia May Night, Echinacea Twilight and Lychnis Coronaria.

Yes, they ate the Lychnis I have in another place too.

So much for "resistent" and they don't like fuzzy foliage.

I've just about had it this year. Deer, rabbits, groundhogs, zillions of slugs, chipmunks and insects/bugs.

What hasn't gotten eaten or nipped off got pounded into the ground from thunderstorms.

How do you all stay the course year after year?

Guess if I see some blooms I'll be happier around July/August. The one other Lychnis I've got up in the mailbox bed in front of Penstemon Husker's Red is blooming and the flower color matches the Dianthus Zing Rose along opposite side border. I just answered my own question. I get so excited to see blooms I forget about things lost for a while. I saw my first Campanula Summer Blues bloom flower and it's truly like a beautiful blue/violet bell.

Karen, the deer were just doing some judicious pruning. Now all those lateral sprouts will also bloom giving you even more flowers than before. :)

At least I hope that's the way it works. I've got a chipmunk now residing in my perennial bed. I put out corn for him/her and the squirrels. They leave my flowers alone, usually.