Oh, Deer! Winning the Battle with Whidbey Island’s most Notorious Garden Pests

Deer are a part of life on South Whidbey. They are often seen wandering the roadsides, strolling the outskirts of town, and munching their way through local gardens. For newcomers to the island, deer sightings illicit delight: “They’re so cute!” But this attitude quickly changes with the first forays into gardening here on the rock.

If you don’t experience problems with deer in your landscape, count yourself lucky! For the rest of us, these cute creatures can be a real nuisance. Here are some strategies for gardening in deer country.

Choose Deer Resistant Plants

This is a first step, but we have to be honest: no plant is 100% “deer proof. Whidbey deer have been known to consume even the most thorny, stinky, and downright poisonous plants known to gardeners. From Barberry to Euphorbia, Japanese Forest Grass to Foxglove, no plant on our island seems to be safe.

Young deer, especially, are willing to try just about anything. And “try” doesn’t always mean an exploratory nibble: sometimes the critters strip several branches before deciding they don’t like it.

Here at Venture Out Nursery, we offer a list of “Deer Resistant Plants” to our customers. It includes the prickly, smelly, and toxic options mentioned above, as well as beautiful and worthy things like Russian Sage, Yarrow, Bear’s Breeches, and Hellebore. But it comes with this disclaimer: no plant is 100% deer proof. What a deer will eat may depend on the herd, the season, the location of the plant, and what other food is available nearby.

Use Barriers

Try these options to protect your landscaping from the cute invaders:

Build a deer-proof fence. Deer can jump up to 8 feet high, so make sure your fence is tall enough to deter them.
Protect tempting plants with chicken wire.
Protect plants with fishing line. Drive three to five wooden stakes into the ground around the plant or tree, then wrap the perimeter in fishing line, spiraling from bottom to top. You can leave about 6” between each wrap. Deer are uncomfortable ducking their heads into small spaces, so the fishing line provides an effective barrier, and, possibly, a more attractive option than chicken wire. Make sure your stakes are tall enough to protect the desired plant or tree: deer can stand on their hind legs to reach those upper limbs!

Use Repellents

Deer seem to be especially interested in new plantings, often devouring plants within the first week of them being planted. Make the first introduction a negative experience by keeping new plants well-doused with deer repellent spray. Here at Venture Out, we carry a non-toxic formula that is safe for people, pets, and wildlife. Made from hot peppers and putrescent egg solids, these sprays effectively repel deer as well as rabbits and squirrels. It is even safe to use on fruits and vegetables. Just remember to wash it off before you take a bite, so you don’t get surprised by a yucky, spicy mouthful! Reapply frequently in rainy weather.

Even Deer-Resistant Plants Need Protection During the Fall

Eating plants isn’t the only way that deer can wreck a garden. The autumn through early winter is rutting season, when the deer are mating. Male deer can do serious damage to the garden. They rub their antlers on any tree or shrub in their path in order to leave their scent and thereby define their territory and attract mates. Discourage damage to your plants by protecting them with chicken wire or fishing line during this time of year.

We hope some of these techniques prove useful in your landscape! Please visit us at the nursery for more ideas for keeping your garden beautiful despite living in deer country.

Written by Olivia Round & Tobey Nelson.

Learn about some of Tobey’s favorite deer resistant plants and tips in this video!