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Q: Deer are taking over my landscape. How can I deter them?

A: Talk about being torn! They are beautiful creatures as they browse the forest but vile nuisances as they mow down hundreds of dollars’ worth of your plants! When I watch them out my back window, I am always trying to observe what greenery they’re out there eating, as more and more turns brown with winter.

Trent Ellis, owner of Armor Wildlife Management, joined me on the show a week ago with tips on preventing them from trampling some of your favorite plants. He notes that this time of year, “there are two main reasons bucks rub on trees. One is to get rid of their ‘velvet’, getting all that off allows the bone of their antlers to harden.” The second is due to mating season, or rut. “They’ll walk the same paths, and those rubs allow them to know their paths and also allows does to know what maturity level the bucks are in that area.” They operate heavily on scent.

During rut (which lasts through December), putting black corrugated piping around tender, newly planted trees or even tomato caging can deter bucks from rubbing on the trunks. Trent also suggests protecting plants like hydrangeas by staking rope or bungee cords around the four corners of the plant, creating a short fence that they’ll notice before bounding right through.

And consider installing plants that they’re not likely to prefer. Pike Nursery recommends hellebores instead of hostas, plus Lenten rose gives you evergreen foliage year-round. The textures of perennials like dusty miller and lambs ear are not favorable to deer. And use shrubs like lantana, butterfly bush and hollies.

If interested in having Armor Wildlife Management out to your landscape to apply a patented deer repellent, call Trent at 404-889-9996.

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