If your hostas, or any other plants, looked like this during the summer then chances are you have hungry deer close by. This picture is of a hosta that is displayed near the back of our property line where deer have been known to wander in and graze wherever they please. There is nothing more frustrating than spending time making your garden look nice, only to have wandering critters make a meal out of it. The best way to avoid this is to apply a repellant on regular intervals to prevent damage before it happens. Plants can also be netted with bird netting to keep deer out and still let sunlight in. This protects year round and only needs to be done once (though it will need to be reset each year to allow for new growth). Either way, we have what you need and now is the time to take start acting.

When all the deciduous trees and shrubs are leafed out during the summer, deer damage is much less concentrated because there is more for them to eat. However, once fall has caused all of their leaves to drop and all of the perennials to die back there are much fewer food options. As a result deer frequently strip an entire evergreen shrub of its foliage which will not grow back until spring and severely harm the overall health.

This is why we recommend applying deer repellant once a month, especially during the fall and winter months. We carry several different brands that work from different approaches so they can be rotated every couple of months to prevent the deer from becoming immune to their scent. Stop in to check out our stock and keep your plants off this year’s menu!

-By John Prettyman Thayer Nursery