Sue..I have no suggestions ..except maybe to record your Neighbor next time he "yells at his dogs and sounding like a derranged woman on crack!!"..LOL..and put it on a motion detector to play when the detector goes off..LOL..I feel for you and wanted you to know we are here and vent all you want...Jeanne

I don't know from personal experience whether this works at all, but I read that if you put some sort of sticks - like shish kabob skewers, but longer, maybe like small dowels, in among the leaves of daylilies, the deer would get poked as they browse and that would discourage them. Seems like it might work and shouldn't cost too much. This article said to pull the dowels up with the leaves as the daylilies grew, but I think your leaves are probably as tall as they're going to get. If it works, I don't see why it wouldn't work for your other plants too. If not, I think there's some sort of a "pest" forum on GardenWeb that you could try. Seems like lots of people are having trouble with deer. I'll tell you what my sister does to protect her lilies. She makes her husband and son pee on them at night. I think it works, and if you're in a rural area like she is, you might try it. I am truly sorry for this problem. I deal with rabbits, but they don't eat so much that I can't stand it yet - well, last night they bit off the top of a brand-new lily and I wasn't too thrilled about that, but mostly they eat the lawn grass and I couldn't care less. Plus, they leave me fertilizer in return. I guess the deer aren't doing that, though. It is really frustrating.

Dont they have sprinkler systems that detect movement??? Just a thought Golden

Actually if you are interested in such a thing here is the link - Im sure a spray of water in the face when they enter your garden will definately deter them - lol.
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&cat=2,51555,44958&p=44958

Thank you all for your concern. As fellow gardeners you can relate to what I am feeling. People at work that don't garden can't understand what the big deal is??? Golden we installed motion detectors that light up on the house for security and deer but they are so tame nothing fazes them. I like the bamboo stick and spray in the face ideas. When I get back from my daughter's (they just purchased a little (964 sq ft) vacation cottage in Sweet Valley, PA I will look into these ideas. Keep them coming folks. I think you all are the greatest!

Happy and Safe 4th of July,
suebot in CT

Well a light is one thing - but a squirt of water in the face - Im pretty sure will deter them. Anyways let us know how it works out - whatever you do Good Luck! Golden

A friend from another forum has DIY instructions on his site to make a "scarecrow" motion water sprinker device for half of what they cost.

He calls it a "Heronizer" but it should work on deer too.

Click on Predators to find it.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Endeavors

Get a motion activated barking dog thing. I've seen those for sale before. It's a recording of a dog barking of course. Call your state game commision... they may let hunters in to take them out if you want that. :)

In my small in-town yard I put hair clippings from my dogs. It keeps the bunnys away but have no idea if it would keep the deer away. Just my suggestion.
Krystal

Hi All-

My husband has filled up a two gallon container. LOL Now do I use it full strength or dilute it? Spray around the plant or directly on the plant? I figured this was the cheapest and quickest method I could employ. If anyone who has used this deterent could advise it would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
suebot in CT

hi suebot,

since my neighborhood has a big problem with deer, i totally sympathize. i spent a few years getting piping mad at defoliated and deflowered plants. we don't have a large yard (1/3 acre) but we don't fence anything in either, our back yard is on an old deer trail, and there are woodland areas nearby which mean we will always have deer coming past our yard. it took me some time to figure out my own system of dealing with them. deer populations expand and contract, and if you're on the cusp of an expansion, you might find that plants that were untouched before will quickly become persona non grata in your garden (like hostas, roses, and willows to name a few). oh and your neighbor will get it eventually, it's only a matter of time. the deer probably hit your yard first and with all the yummies in it, have set their trail through your yard. you must deter them and quickly!

i don't like stringing up ugly sticks with fluttering flags around my yard, which some in my neighborhood do. i also don't like deer netting (tried that one year, and caught more chipmunks than deer, and the deer got through to the plants anyway). the most successful thing for me has been to find a spray that works. oh yeah, and no stinky urine sprays either, that destroyed my whole gardening experience, stank to high heaven and didn't deter the most insistent deer either.

i ended up use something called deer solution. it's been so successful here that the local stores have gotten rid of a lot of other brands and started stocking large quantities of it. here's the link if you're interested: deer solution

the three main ingredients in it are peppermint oil, eggs, and capsicum. and the deer seem to hate the smell as well as the taste. plus it has this minty smell which is much more pleasant than urine and rotten eggs! you can probably mix the same ingredients yourself, which i did for a while but now i'm lazy. if you mix yourself, be sure to add some sort of weather proofing such as wilt pruf or elmers glue, but in the right ratio so you don't suffocate the plant. i've also included a link to homemade recipes.

also, for next year, best time to spray is in spring when the deer set their trail, and then occasionally during the summer. a spray should last a couple weeks / a couple of torrential rain showers before you have to spray again. watch out for your clematis too. deer like especially to eat the buds.

whatever you do, good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: home made recipes

I attended a gardening program in early spring where one speaker highly recommended Deerout. Deerout.com is the site. I don't have deer problems but rabbits, yes. They also sell a product to repel rabbits which has worked for me.

Deerout spray applications last 90 days. The fellow recommonding it plants and maintains around 80 large containers at a client's property where the herd of deer numbers around 20. This product does not smell bad to humans, uses peppermint oil, I believe.

Kent really believes in this product and claimed none of the deer touched the container plants. The client does extensive entertaining and didn't want any offensive smell.

The rabbit product recommends spraying every 30 days. So far none of my Liatris, Lilium and other rabbit preferred food has been touched. The rabbit repellent smells a bit like lemon but has a castor oil additive, not what rabbits want to consume!

Rabbits have been cavorting on my lawn but haven't touched the garden.

I've used DeerOff (mixture of hot pepper and rotten eggs- do NOT get it on your hands or face) with success. Deer also love rose buds,so I usually only spray when I have buds. It needs to be reapplied every few weeks.

here is what I came up with:

Here is a link that might be useful: garden netting solution

I don't know if you have some big trees around the outer part of your yard.......but a number of years ago, I got to meet Martha Stewart. She was having a big deer problem, and what she ended up doing was stringing 4 or 5 strands of wire around the outer trees. The bottom one was at about 1-2 foot high, and the top one was about 9 foot high, with the other wires spaced somewhere in-between. She said this has worked very well, and doesn't look too bad either. Would this be possible around your lot? Good luck. I know how frustrating this can be. We used to lose everything to deer and bunnies, until we put up a fence.

I live in CT and have had similar experiences with deer. My oriental lillies were just about to bloom and overnight they were eaten down to the 'nubbins. Yes, I actually cried (one of many times). --I use melorganite, a slow-release fertilizer that the deer don't like to smell. One namebrand is Organigro. But, I have been cautioned that they will get used to 1 method and I will have to switch to other methods periodically. I also use bird netting to drape over my lillies and roses. Sometimes I just construct a tall screen of bird net in front of a stand of flowers, if they bump into the net, it freaks them out. (I also have a large supply of tall bamboo stakes because we planted a bamboo barrier between our property and the neighbors). The netting is not too intrusive and it looks better than stalks with no buds. I have removed dozens of hostas because the deer eat them and concentrated on plants deer do not savor--iris, daffodils, phlox, Nikko blues, bleeding heart, perennial hibiscus, fern to name a few. Lots of gardeners have tried human hair--might as well when you're pulling it out in frustration. Mostly, I sympathize with you and I understand how heartbreaking it can be.

oldrock,

Where do you reside in beautiful CT? I am in Newtown. Thanks for the great ideas and list of plants that the deer won't ravage.

suebot in CT

Well, after reading about some woman (in Quebec) and her 3000 hostas that the deer NEVER touch ... I thought I'd try her suggestion ... PEE!

Earlier in the season the potatoes, bean and cucumbers had been nibbled off ... now NOTHING at all has been touched since applications of human urine have been used! It's cheap and easy to apply, and does not damage the plants! There's NO odor if you don't always piddle in the same spot, ha! But, seriously it's best applied with a squeeze bottle, such as what dish drops come in. I reapply it about once a week and after any rains. If no further deer damage is noted throughout the season, then I will KNOW that it REALLY and truly works!

Hi tworsz-

Well, my husband has been helping out. We know keep a gallon pitcher in our shed which he loves to fill as he putters in the yard. What is it about men and relieving themselves in the great outdoors? Since the deer seem to use my driveway as their entry point I think it might be the dozens of hostas I have lining the driveway that attracts them in the spring. Duh, why didn't this dawn on me before? Well, they are coming out or at least next spring I will have DH mow them down and see if that deters the deer. From what I have read if you deter them early enough in the spring they will stake out another route and follow that trail. Last night they chewed the last leaves off my Wide Brim and Sum & Substance. My DH says we don't stand a chance in hell between the moles and deer. But I will keep trying. Wouldn't it be nice if they just ate all the flora in the woods?

suebot in CT

Suebot - don't think i'm going to tell you anything that somebody else hasn't said, but since i've had too much experience with deer & rabbits, i figured i'd concur with the remedies that worked for me. i used to live/learned to garden on nantucket and martha's vineyard, where the deer are at least as unreasonably tame and probably more abundant than they are in ct. i've heard stories of people standing 10 ft away from them yelling at them while they chomp on their hydrangea flower buds. one woman i was talking to claimed she saw the deer attacking her dalmation!! anyway, my first thought about your original message was are you sure all damage is due to deer and not rabbits? - when they stand on their hind legs, they can eat quite high - on a couple of my client's properties on the islands, i had more problems with bunnies than deer, especially with my daylilies & echinacea. so, i also found success with the deer away spray products; i can't remember which one i used, but i believe it had garlic & mint in it and i actually liked the way it smelled. the directions said to spray every couple of weeks (??), but i found that i had to spray every couple of days or so & definitely after a rain. it was pretty time consuming. unfortunately, my other success was fencing in the gardens. i just tried to be decorative about it - i used nice cedar posts with caps, bird netting @ 4' high (you can't really see it, so the garden still looks nice), i hung rope along the top of the netting (for a nautical look...). I did throw netting on top of the gardens in the spring until things grew too tall, but i have to admit, the deer hopped in a couple of times (- that would've been a mess i kind of would have liked to see). i now live in maine and have a large cutting garden in my back yard, a good distance from my house and i use the bird netting as the fencing (simply because it was the only fencing i could find that would be high enough in one piece) and it works (doesn't handle snow load, though). i see deer in the back and they walk right around the garden. chipmunks are now my problem. unfortunately, my true feeling is that if the deer want to get to something, they will.
sorry to be so lengthy, good luck. just out of curiosity, do you have phlox and is it being eaten - that always gets destroyed the worst for me.
-mara

Hi goinnorth-

I just love that moniker; I hope to someday be go in north myself! No, I do not have any phlox. I have 3 rabbits but they are in cages. I have seen the deer munching on my daylilys so I really don't think rabbits are my problem. It is those damn deer and moles. I plan to try Deer-Off early next spring with the hope I can veer them away from my property with this particular product. Has anyone had any luck with Deer-Off? A older lady in our town who has a small hosta and fern nursery swears by this stuff and so does her son who grows hostas for sale on Cape Cod. Where are you in Maine? and where did you go north from?

suebot in CT