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While deer are adorable creatures and seeing local wildlife in your yard can be fun and relaxing, they sure can wreak havoc on the flowers you’ve worked so hard to grow!
This morning on Charlotte Today, we were joined by Devang Oza from Pike Nursery - who shared easy step you can take to discourage these critters from turning your garden into a buffet.
What kinds of plants to deer usually avoid?
“Keep in mind that hungry deer will eat almost anything, so no plant is completely deer proof” says Oza. He adds “but there are some plants they do not prefer.” Deer will usually avoid plants with, strong odors, prickly or rough foliage or plants with thorns, plants with fuzzy or hairy foliage and bitter tastes or poisonous sappy plants.
To effectively use the deer-resistant plants in our gardens, you need to first replace the chewed up plants with deer resistant options and use the deer resistant options to plant a border around your more desirable plants.
Deer resistant plants include:
- Herbs: Lavender, rosemary, mint, thyme they all smell great to us but are stinky to deer
- Echinacea: has prickly foliage & seed heads are not favored by deer
- Rudbeckia (Black Eyed Susans): Deer don’t like the prickly centers of this plant
- Lantana: Dear don’t like the scent or its rough, sandpaper-like leaves
- Ornamental Grass: Deer tend to avoid most ornamental grasses due to the texture – some are fibrous (hairy) and some are prickly or sharp
If you are looking for more layers of protection then consider using deer-repelling products to discourage munching. Look for all-natural products that won’t harm them like Milorganite.
Milorganite is the end result of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) wastewater treatment process. Also use large-scale processes that mimic nature, microbes (bugs) digest the nutrients found in the water and are kiln-dried into small pellets. While the fertilizer is clean, the deer stay away as they smell the human component. Products like Fantastic Organic Fertilizer and or Go Away! Deer & Rabbit - all-natural repellant can be employed to protect your garden. You can also use peppers and strong scents to make bad smells and tastes that the deer won’t like; it will triggers the animals’ instinct to run away but doesn’t harm them.
For more information checkout Pike's Free Class:
Deer Resistant Plants this Saturday, June 13th @ 10am. Signup up online at pikenursery.com
The class will be offered at all 4 of their locations.
Charlotte Today is a local lifestyle and entertainment show where you'll learn everything about the Queen City with hosts Mia Atkins and Eugene Robinson on WCNC Charlotte live weekdays at 11 a.m.
From what’s trending to local restaurants, events and entertainment, you’ll find it all on this show.
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If you have a question for the Charlotte Today team, feel free to email them at charlottetoday@wcnc.com