It’s early June and the fawns have arrived in St. Louis. If you are lucky enough to still have plants, trees and shrubs that have remained untouched, beware! As the fawns grow and the summer heats up, deer will be looking for new places to feed.
In St. Louis, especially in the suburbs where we are located, it’s almost inevitable that you will wake up one morning, stroll outside, and find nubs where there were once blooms. Don’t be fooled into thinking that your day lilies are safe just because they’ve gone untouched and are abundant with blooms. It seems that the deer always strike when your hopes are their highest.
But you don’t have to spend the summer mourning the loss of your precious plants. Here are two ways to keep your yard from becoming a feasting ground for Bambi and her family.
START WITH DEER RESISTANT TREES, SHRUBS AND PLANTS
While there is nothing that is 100% “deer proof,” there are a wide variety of trees, plants and shrubs that deer typically don’t like to eat.
We have compiled a list of our experts’ favorites. (You can download it here).
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119932 lazyload" src="http://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1.jpg" alt="" width="2250" height="3300" srcset="https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1.jpg 2250w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1-600x880.jpg 600w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1-205x300.jpg 205w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1-768x1126.jpg 768w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1-698x1024.jpg 698w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-1-1080x1584.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 2250px) 100vw, 2250px" />
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-119933 lazyload" src="http://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2.jpg" alt="" width="2250" height="3300" srcset="https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2.jpg 2250w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2-600x880.jpg 600w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2-205x300.jpg 205w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2-768x1126.jpg 768w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2-698x1024.jpg 698w, https://www.passiglia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/2018-Deer-Resistant-Favorites-2-1080x1584.jpg 1080w" sizes="(max-width: 2250px) 100vw, 2250px" />
USE DEER REPELLENTS REGULARLY
To further protect your plants, we have a number of sprays and granules that you can use to repel the deer. Our landscape designers are fans of Deer Scram, a granular barrier that you sprinkle around your plants and beds to keep deer away. It’s rain resistant, organic and doesn’t smell terrible like some sprays, and we’ve had luck with it even in the “wildest” areas of Wildwood. It also lasts up to 45 days.
We’d love to know which plants, trees, shrubs and repellent seem to work best for you. Share your thoughts in the comments.