Deer have 34 teeth usually. Across the bottom front are six incisors, Nature’s answer for how to bite off roses. Toward the back are premolars and molars hardened by deer history, so combine all that with an indiscriminate palate and nocturnal meanderings, and there go your hostas.
In Arkansas, there are about 3.2 million people and 900,000 deer. That means people outnumber deer by a factor of 3.56. Deer have been on this continent probably 4 million years, and humans got here maybe 20,000 years ago, more or less depending on who you ask. Don’t ask me. I was busy and didn’t notice.
This convergence at some point would eventually lead to a competition for space, and some folks view it as humans and our flowers are dominant, and deer are pests. Maybe they are, but I’m just saying everybody’s got to eat sometime.
Regardless, besides eating everything, deer are vectors for ticks. I had one of those tick illnesses, and you should avoid them if you can. So with flowerbeds grazed to nothing overnight and ticks smuggled in, it is natural to consider ways to deter deer from your hollyhocks.
Methods for deterring deer vary depending on the environment. A backyard with a tall fence is easier to protect than a small, planted area by the sidewalk or the flower beds at the top of Planer Hill. Here are suggested strategies for deterring deer if you want to, but keep in mind deer have been through all this and they’re smart and they were here first.
Things that deer don’t like:
- Being electrocuted, or at least jolted with a burst of man-made adverse enthusiasm. Yep, you can install an electric perimeter around your zinnias and cantaloupes.
- Certain plants: Though they seem indiscriminate in their predatory habits, deer are averse to certain plant characteristics. Thistle plants are prickly, and prickly is good for deterring deer. Daffodils contain lycorine, an alkaloid that is repulsive and even poisonous to deer, so daffodils are safe from predation though I wish they lasted longer. Foxgloves and poppies have the same effect on deer.
Deer smell well, and they generally avoid very fragrant plants. They have never bothered my oregano, sage or garlic chives, for example. Other plants to consider would be catnip, yarrow, hyssop, lavender, mountain mint or one of the monardas.
They apparently don’t like the smell of scented soaps, so a string of soap pieces around plants might be enough turn deer away. I’ve heard Irish Spring is an especially stinky choice.
Or you could use a spray infused with very hot peppers, but you’ll need to reapply often, and this strategy would not be practical on a large area.
Deer typically avoid plants that are fibrous and tough to chew, like elephant ears and iris. Although we see deer grazing on lawns, they cannot survive on grass alone and consider eating it only when nothing else is available. Therefore, ornamental grasses might be safe from overnight predation.
- Fences (non-electric): Folks with more experience than I have conjecture that deer don’t want to jump over a fence if they can’t see the other side. That means a stockade-type fence would be effective, but that’s a bunch of expensive boards.
I installed a seven-foot-high chicken wire fence around my garden space. No deer incursions in 11 years. There are many fence choices available to match different circumstances and as many opinions about which one is best. I think they’re all the best, so pick one and see if it works for you.
- Scary lights and dogs: For some locations, motion-sensitive flashing lights or sprinklers might work to chase away deer and late night neighbors.
Regardless which strategy you prefer, you will probably need to try them all and be assiduous about it. Two attempts and then giving up is not being assiduous. Deer are assiduous.