We are supposed to plant flowers and vegetables starting in May.  We are also up against the whitetail deer, at this time.  They have already eaten all my tulip leaves so I have no flowers, and they have eaten the day lilies so I do not know if they will make flowers or not. They normally eat all the hostas planted near the library. If only there was something I could do about this!

If there is, I might find the answer in two books from Pine Bush Area Library. I got out Deerproofing Your Yard and Garden by Rhonda Massingham Hart, and 50 Beautiful Deer-Resistant Plants by Ruth Rogers Clausen. They are found in the non-fiction department.  The sub-head for 50…Plants is “The Prettiest Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, and Shrubs that Deer Don’t Eat.”  I am afraid that some of these might be found under “fiction” instead of “fact.”  I think daffodils, lily of the valley, and monkshood (terribly poisonous in all its parts) are the only things they won’t eat. Other things will get chewed. But the photos are wonderful of ferns, basil and yarrow. There is a Deer Resistance Ratings of 7 to 10. Those rated lower than 7, those regularly browsed by deer “are not included in this book.”  7 is “nip off flowers but leave foliage alone.”  10 is “usually avoid plant altogether.” Basil’s rating is 7 to 9. English lavender is 9 to 10. Yarrow is 8 to 10. Dusty Miller is 9 to 10. The deer have never touched my Dusty Miller plants.

I got a lot of information, not pretty pictures, out of Deerproofing Your Yard and Garden. The author talks about the nature and habits of deer. See page 5, “Because of their supreme adaptability, deer have not only staged the biggest comeback since country music, but in many areas…have become a serious problem…This leads to inevitably conflict as deer seek to survive and man seeks to enjoy his yard and his drive to work.  The two species collide in more ways than one.”

Rhonda lists “Plants that (Usually) Repel Deer.”  She is sensible. “Do you long for spring-flowering bulbs? Then ditch the tulips and deploy daffodils.” There’s a picture of a scarecrow with moveable parts. There are recipes for deterrents made of garlic and rotten eggs, and “Too-Hot-to-Handle Spray” made of cayenne pepper. She talks about “Why Deterrents Do and Don’t Work.”  There’s a whole chapter called “Fencing Lessons.”  I like this book.  Deerproofing is written with a sense of humor.

Considering what the deer do to my flowers every year, I am really going to need that.