More 2023 Plantings and Relentless Deer
June 18, 2023
This summer season, I once again planted nicotiana in the larger tub in my old wheelbarrow. I always try to pick the bedding four packs with mostly red blossoms. This year, I centered the tub with a foliage plant called Persian Shield. I have never had one before.
The small tub contains bright pink and purple trailing verbena, and a Cleopatra dwarf grass in the King and Prince Tut family. The Cleopatra grass is also a new plant for me.
Unfortunately, the deer have pretty much cleaned off all of the verbena blossoms.
And they have eaten all the blooms off the nicotiana as well. This is so maddening!
In the past deer very seldom bothered nicotiana, or verbena either for that matter.
I have been spraying the deer's favorite targets, like lilies, begonias, impatiens and hostas, but not the nicotiana or verbena.
Even with Liquid Fence spray almost daily, alternating with Deer Stopper spray, the deer managed to eat 85% of the Asiatic lily buds.
I am seriously thinking of digging up the bulbs and planting other perennials in their place. When the lilies bulbs are eaten, the plants will not bloom this year at all. Whereas Phlox perennials, for example, and some others will bloom on shorter plants.
Remember this beautiful Swingtime Fuchsia I shared earlier this summer?
The deer cleared off the blossoms here too!
More deer damage here too.
In this barrel under a spruce tree, I have a Kimberley upright fern and two cheap ($13.99) hanging baskets with fuchsias from Menards.
Other plantings under the tree include wax begonias in red and in pink, four different hostas, sedum, and another fuchsia basket in a bucket on a tire rim pedestal.
The chicken feeders are planted with pink calliope geraniums and variegated ivy, with double pink impatiens and ivy in the funnel/milk can planter.
Deer have also been eating geranium blooms this season. I have never ever seen deer feast on geraniums before.
On the deck bench, I have two mop buckets with lantana from Menards, and two small pails in a rusty wire basket planted with orange nemesia.
Since my two sprays have not been stopping all the deer damage, I have added Deer Scram granules that I sprinkled on the perimeters of the beds. Deer Scram is supposed to emit the smell of a deer's dead relatives. (Yikes) I also added Liquid Fence granular formula and Safer Deer Repellent Stations. The repellent stations keep the smells deterring deer should rain wash off the sprays.
I give up!
Thanks for visiting.
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Oh, Carlene, how frustrating! Those deer can be so destructive. I know because my backyard borders a wild area and those little buggers will come right up into the yard and nip the buds off. my rose bushes! I am very conflicted about them coming so close to the house because even though I don't like them eating my flowers I do love observing them up-close. They haven't been very evident yet this year, but I expect they will visit sooner or later. I hope you can find something that will deter them; you put so much work into all your plantings, not to mention the $$'s you spend! If only they could read you could post a sign: DEER NOT WELCOME TO DINE HERE!
ReplyDeleteI have become more hard hearted with the deer. They are getting way too brave in town. Flower gardening is my summer hobby and they are ruining it for me!
DeleteWe have deer issues here too. I'm sorry that they love your plants and I understand your frustration. - Briana from Texas
ReplyDeleteThanks Briana for understanding!
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