“Personally, I love a really lush, full garden. I really love ferns, wild ginger, cohosh and bleeding heart,” said Guli. For larger trees and scrubs, her favorites include witch hazel, viburnum, beech and hornbeam—a small hardwood tree.
In an effort to maintain their deer-susceptible collection of threatened and endangered wildflowers, Bowman’s Hill installed a ten-foot fence around 100 acres of their grounds. Sometimes, fencing is the most practical solution. Guli explained, “Deer fences are necessary if you want certain plants, like hostas. You need to protect them completely. If you want to be super creative with the gardening, fencing is an option.”
The Penn State Cooperative Extension office in Doylestown recommends nothing short of an eight-foot fence around fruit crops; deer love fruit trees such as apple, peach, pear and plum, as well as any vegetable crops. Guli confirmed that this is the preferred method of protecting vegetable gardens.
She takes protection underground as well, digging chicken wire into a trench around the garden. She then runs two feet of wire horizontally, which deters moles and groundhogs from tunneling into a buffet feast.
Strategically planted garlic, onion and chives might detour rabbits and groundhogs, as will cayenne powder or red pepper that is sprinkled on foliage. Other ways to make the scent of your garden unappealing to foragers is to use pungent soaps. Hang bars of boxed Irish Spring soap around the vegetable patch to create an offensive barrier. Some people swear by human hair placed in cloth bags, but this is only likely to work with truly wild deer; our local friends are now unafraid of the smell of Bucks County residents. The same holds true for motion- activated hawk or owl figures; critters quickly catch on that these are not a true threat.
Dogs are also effective for keeping deer at a picturesque distance. Dogs are natural enemies to deer and love to give chase. Like any invader, deer will search elsewhere for an easier meal.
The most effective anti-deer dogs are medium to large breeds that keep barking to a minimum, retaining their ability to surprise their targets. Constant barking ends up being more annoying to humans than to deer, which become accustomed to the repetitious sound. Dogs that are tied up or fenced in a small area of the yard will not deter a hungry deer.
If you don’t want to invest in a tall fence around your entire property because of cost or aesthetics, an underground dog fence may be the solution. A wire that emits a radio signal is buried around the protected area. The dog wears a collar and receives a harmless shock, similar to a static electricity shock. The wire can also protect areas where you don’t want your four-footed friends, while giving the dog maximum room to roam.
If you don’t have a dog to assist and physical fencing is not an option, a spray-on barrier might be a solution. Liquid Fence™ is made from putrid egg solids and is environmentally safe. It lasts about two weeks and needs to be reapplied after a heavy rain.
“Don’t spray Liquid Fence directly on plants—apply it around the perimeter of the property, on fences, trees and the ground,” said Guli. “Spray as if you want a high fence. It’s intended to be used
CONTINUED ON PAGE 16
Photo courtesy of Millefiori
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68