Deer love nibbling on plants and flowers and don't care if the plants are your beautiful azaleas or rhododendrons. There are some very simple ways that deer can be kept out of the garden to protect your plants and vegetables from harm. Many of these options are inexpensive and they are all safe for the deer as well.
Dryer Sheets
Tie strips of dryer sheets or antistatic sheets on your plants and shrubs every so often. The deer do not like the perfumed smell of the dyer sheets so they will not come around to your plants. Tie the sheets on the shrubs near the flowers and they will not come near any of your garden if they can smell the sheets. The great thing about dryer sheets is that when it rains, it actually revives the smell of the sheets so that only need to be replaced every month or two.
Brush Piles With Corn
Some people put out corn for any deer in the neighborhood thinking that the animals will eat the corn rather than the garden plants. The thing is though, deer need more than just the corn when eating and they will go looking straight towards the garden plants for the roughage of twigs and branches that they need. The solution is to make your own brush piles far, far, away from the garden. Gather tree trimmings and branches and make a pile out of them. Corn can be also be added to the bush pilings. Deer will eat from these piles and will not bother the shrubs or garden plants.
Scented Soap
Just like the dryer sheets, scented soap will also keep deer away from the garden. Cut up a bar of soap into several chunks and tie each piece in a recycled net bag or in a piece of old nylons. Tie the bags to the fence or the garden stakes around the garden. Replace the soap every few weeks to keep its smell.
Mint
Plant a few pots of mint sporadically in the garden to deter deer from wanting to nibble on your plants. Since the mint are in pots, they will not bother your plants in the garden. Be sure to plant the mint along all the edges as this is the most common place deer look to eat from.
Plastic Mesh Netting
Plastic mesh netting is used for tall fencing to keep the deer out of the garden. The mesh can sit upon garden stakes that are strategically placed to keep the netting in place. The way that it works is that the deer will come up to the plants and poke their nose around and when they hit the netting, they get startled and will stay away from that area, which means your plants are safe from being eaten.
Use these ideas to keep deer away so that the beautiful flowers and vegetables can last and be enjoyed the whole season through.
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