Oh DEER: 8 Ways to Control Deer in Your Garden
Deer, especially in our Virginia forests, are ever-present foes. With hunting decreasing and natural predators extinct, this overpopulated four-legged animal has overtaken suburban areas with growing boldness. I've gardened for nearly a decade on a mountainside where a mother beds her fawn in my front garden year after year. I've managed to maintain lush spaces through years of trial and error. Here are my top 8 ways to keep deer at bay—some based on research, others on my own experience.
1. Start Strong
From a gardener's observation, deer are creatures of habit and follow wildlife trails and browsing paths. (I'll even say that they remember their favorite meals. They hit the same Culver's Root drift every spring.) Combine their memory with the tender growth of greenhouse plants, and you have a recipe for disaster.
Whenever I invest in new nursery plants, I overdo deer deterrents so they can establish and grow strong before facing any nibbles. I also hope that deer will never discover them or get turned away quickly!
Likewise, if deer are already destroying your plants, use aggressive protective measures to break their habit. Try a less-than-aesthetically pleasing fence for a season; you can try to remove it entirely or sections later once they've moved onto greener pastures.
2. A 10-foot Fence and a Guard Dog
Longtime gardeners joke that the only surefire deer protection is a 10-foot fence and a guard dog. They're not wrong.
Though nearly wiped out by deforestation in the early 1900s, white-tailed deer have rebounded thanks to conservation—and now thrive in predator-free suburbs.
We'll start with the obvious 10-foot fence; the ideal height deer won't try to clear. Of course, that's not always realistic or aesthetic for home gardeners, which brings us to…
3. Other Fence Types
Movable solar-powered electric fences are an easier alternative to tall fencing. Deer quickly learn to avoid them after a single shock.
Another option that plays on deer's poor depth perception is double fencing. They struggle to judge the gap and often won't attempt the jump.
Gardeners recommend placing two 4-foot-tall fences about 4 to 5 feet apart. I have yet to try this, but let me know if you do!
4. Topical Deterrents
Liquid deterrents are the next most popular solution, and I've found that they work best. The key is consistency. Spray before deer browse and rotate repellents so they don't adapt. Most brands work similarly, but I prefer natural options like Deerbusters, Deer-Off, Deer-Away, Liquid Fence, and Milorganite.
Summer rain storms test even the most committed gardeners. How do deer know when we skipped a week or forgot to spray immediately after a rain? They have a sneaky sixth sense. I spray at least weekly and after rains and switch deterrents monthly.
You can also make your own deterrent: DIY Repellent Recipe
5. Hide Edible Species and Skip Deer Favorites
By planting unpalatable plants along the edges of your garden, you can encourage deer to keep moving along and leave your garden interior alone. A border of unpalatable or toxic plants like daffodils, mountain mints, and monardas (beebalm) can signal the herd that the entire area isn't worth their trouble. Why wade through and find that one plant?
Avoid planting deer favorites like hostas, arborvitae, and azaleas—there's no faster way to roll out the welcome mat and invite them to sample everything in the garden. If you can't live without one, hide one or two between species deer avoid. You may get lucky, and it will go unnoticed.
6. Cloches and Cages: Protect Plants Early
The list of plants deer will never touch is frustratingly short. The list of plants they ignore once mature? Much longer.
In late Spring to early fall, when food is abundant, my garden is just one option among many. However, in winter and early Spring, hungry deer will test anything. Young seedlings and first-year perennials are the most vulnerable, and one bite can be fatal.
My approach is aggressive protection while plants are young. I use decorative cloches for small plants and homemade shrub cages for anything a bit larger. These barriers ensure that plants can establish themselves. Once mature, most shrubs and perennials recover from occasional browsing.
If building plant covers, please never use bird netting. It kills birds, butterflies, snakes, and anything else that gets caught in it. Chicken wire or wire fencing with spacing at least 3" apart allows other wildlife to move through.
7. Motion-Sensor Deterrents
Gardeners have various success with motion-activated lights and/or noise makers. As with most deterrents, deer will often adjust over time—move them frequently and change varieties each season. I can confirm that I've had short-term success with motion lights, but deer adapt over time.
A few gardeners claim motion-activated water spray devices work well. These seem overpriced and tricky to install—but I'd love to hear if they've worked for you!
8. Smell Deterrents
I've never had luck with the commonly recommended smell-based deterrents like human hair, Irish Spring, blood meal, predator scent, herbs, citrus peels—or yes, even urine (I'm just the messenger!). Some gardeners swear by them, but in my experience, deer either immediately or eventually ignore them.
Every Year is Different
Remember that deer are wild animals and respond to our ever-changing climate. Some years, a summer or fall drought might reduce plant growth, meaning there's less natural food available. Oaks and hickories have variable mast years—some years, they produce abundant nuts, while others produce very little.
Deep snow can bury browse plants, forcing deer to be less picky and pushing them into our backyards.
These fluctuations affect what deer are willing to eat. One year, they might leave your garden alone because natural food is abundant. The next, they could be desperate enough to eat things they usually avoid. This is why a plant that's "deer-resistant" in one season might get stripped in another.
BONUS: Buy Even MORE Plants (Plant at Scale)
Research has shown that when native plants are planted in abundance, particularly in restoration projects, deer browsing impact is less noticeable because more plant material is available. This is often called the "strength in numbers" approach—if you plant 50 shrubs and deer eat 10, you still have 40. It's hard to argue with that logic.
Final Thoughts
Deer control is a moving target. Some years, your garden might go untouched, while other years, they'll eat things they've never bothered before. A mix of strong deterrents, strategic planting, and a little trial and error can tip the balance in your favor.
If all else fails, remember—sometimes you win, sometimes the deer win, and your garden is part of the ecosystem, allowing wildlife to thrive. Just keep gardening.
Plants deer won’t eat (under most circumstances):
Spring ephemeral wildflowers (bluebells, Spring beauties, rue anemone)
Most native grasses
Achillea (Yarrow)
Alliums
Aquilegia (Columbine)
Asclepias (Milkweeds)
Baptisia
Eupatorium (Joe-pye weed, bonesets, snakeroot, mistflower, thoroughworts)
Ferns
Lobelias (Great blue and cardinal flower)
Monarda (Beebalms)
Pawpaw
Packeras (Ragworts)
Pycnanthemum (Mountain mints)
Solidago (Goldenrods)
Symphyotrichum (Aster family- aromatic aster, bushy, calico, purple, New England, etc)
Vernonia noveboracensis (New York Ironweed)
Yucca
Non-natives: Daffodils, Lamb’s Ears, hellebores, lavender, peonies, nepeta
“Deer resistant” species that deer eat (in my experience):
American Holly
Echinacea
Ericaceous shrubs (Mountain laurel, rhododendrons, blueberries)
Geranium (G. maculatum)
Heuchera (coral bells)
Rudbeckia (black and brown eyed susan, coneflowers)
Wild ginger