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Ponds & Aquatic Plants

Deer ate tops off my Pickerel rush.

catherinet (5IN)

last year

I wanted to buy umbrella palms this year for one of my small above-ground stocktanks (100gal)....but all they had were Pickerel rushes. I bought 2. I looked at them one day and they were about ready to make blossoms. But the next day they were bitten off well down the stems. Also, some of my wonderful, big Joe Pye weed (in the ground) were chewed off too. We live in the country and have a 4' fence all around the back yard, but also have woods/weeds, etc. growing right up to a lot of that fence. Have had the fence for 20 years and this hasn't happened before. I'm going to wait just a little bit before I buy some motion detector deterrent, in case it doesn't happen again. Then I read that deer LOVE pickerel rush. Dang. I wish I'd known that. Have any of you had deer problems with any of your water/marginal plants?

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Comments (2)

jrb451
last year
Not yet but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time. So far we’ve only lost Hostas and Impatiens to Deer.
catherinet (5IN)
Original Author
last year
Thanks jrb.........I'm surprised they didn't get the hostas here. Maybe they got scared out quickly from something. If we want to grow any kind of tree (especially pines), outside our fence but on our big property......we have to protect it for years, so the deer don't rub them to death (when marking their territory or rubbing off their antlers). It keeps us busy. haha

Sorry about your losses!
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