I'm in NW NJ (Morris county) and I think it must have been a very bad winter food wise. The deer are coming right up to my house which they've never done before and ate half my Campanula plant. My Canturea montana has also suffered alot. I'm also seeing more chipmunks and I chased one out of my bed this morning.

No damage to my Lychnis though. In fact, it started blooming two days ago. The deer did eat a Campanula seedling that was right behind it though.

A2zmom, they same thing happened here last week. They walked and nibbled right through the main bed that is up against the house. We've been in this house two years, and that is the first time they have come that close. They ate some Sedums, which didn't surprise me, but they also ate some "deer resistant" things like Heuchera and Aquilegia. Then they went around to the side of the house and ate all the leaves off of a brand new apple tree I had planted for my son. I went out that day and bought some wire fencing to protect the apple tree. Usually in the summer, they move up into the high country, but maybe they like the free buffet in our subdivision, and don't want to move on.

Bonnie

Some people spray their plants with that invisible fence stuff and say it works. Have you tried that? I bet they wouldn't like soap if you sprayed it too.

I bet the plants wouldn't like the soap either...

Deer will eat anything that their nose bumps into....so if you can keep their nose from bumping into your plants....either witha fence or something they "think" is a fence....they won't eat your plants.
Deer are stupid, unless they are starving a couple of pieces of twine hung with strips of white cloth will fool them into thinking there is a fence.

Living in the city does have its advantages - no deer, no rabbits. We are however blessed with a psycho population of squirrels.

K

I often am discouraged by reading other people's posts on deer-resistant plants, because it seems that my deer have more sophisticated tastes and are far more wiley than theirs. We have 3.5 acres that's pretty much fenced in and still the deer find ways to squeeze into "the compound" for the all night buffet. I'm beginning to think they are equipped and parachutes and night vision goggles.

The deer recently nibbled these plants that are listed as deer resistant. No permanent damage -- just sampling. This usually happens when we get new fawns in June every year. The deer sleep in our meadow and usually show up every evening after sundown. The sampling will probably subside for me in a few weeks. I put up my 32" wire edging fence to re-route them for a few weeks. I ran a baby bunny out yesterday evening, but I also had deer tracks around these plants.

Geranium Rozanne
Rudbeckia Goldsturm
iris ensata

Cameron

Here is a link that might be useful: latest deer resistant update in my garden

I have always found that the problem with deer resistant lists is that the deer don't read!

Seriously, we have a deer problem here, and they will eat almost everything. So far they haven't bothered the newly planted heuchera, monkshood (which is severely poisonous so I can't imagine they would touch it), foxgloves, catmint, asclepias, lamb's ear, buddleia. They have sampled and/or decimated hosta (of course!), phlox, caroline lupine, day lilies, iris, more that I can't think of right now.

I've noticed that they pretty much eat anything, with few exceptions. I use Deer Out and find it helps quite a bit, and over time trains them to avoid my yard. If I remember to use it, because sometimes they will stray in.

Deer eat absolutely anything. They have their preferences but every plant I've ever heard of that they don't eat--they eat. Liquid Fence works well for me and my herd but I have to be really careful about remembering to renew it regularly.

About the only things that are immune are foxgloves which are not only posonous but extremely bitter. Daffs, snowdrops, lily of the valley seem to be ignored. I've had them browse hellebores and monkshood (both poisonous) and I see they've eaten the poisonous wild hemlock. I've got a 7 and a half food deer fence and so far that's the only deterret that works.

My deer think Rudbeckia is candy! They love it! I have a motion activated "Scarecrow" and it works great for deer! (and kids and cats) Try one and you may have no more problems :)

It's kind of weird but the deer never touch any of my stuff but they do get my neighbors stuff and we all live very close to one-another (townhouse neighborhood). We live right in the middle of a large county park and a conservation area so there are plenty of deer everywhere.

My DH is an archery hunter and he told me that deer see well but only when there is movement. Maybe try putting some thing that moves in your garden - like pinwheels or hanging cloth that sways in the breeze.

Fortunately last time I looked they didn't touch my daylilies or phlox but what surprised me is they ate the blue hyacinth blooms unless it was some other creature.

There are many deer resistant plants, but no deer proof ones, though plants like Hellebores, Epimediums, lambs ears are about as deer proof as it gets. Starving deer will eat anything, even if it's poisonous, but deer are not starving this time of year. More important, if deer have the run of your yard, they will try everything in the buffet, and will eventually develop a taste for plants they ordinarily would pay no attention to--think kids and olives, anchovies, oysters.

And yes, Liquid Fence is very effective.

I have a huge garden with a large herd of deer. I try "deer resistant" plants and then provide a status in my blog on whether or not the deer in my region have a taste for those plants, the extent of damage, etc. If it gets eaten too much, it comes out of my unfenced, outer garden. I'm in Chapel Hill, NC and it is definitely true that different herds have different preferences.

I've not had a deer eat these plants:

nepeta
stachys
ice plant
salvia
tall verbena
nierembergia
rose campion
buddleia
vitex
asclepias
agastache
monarda
colocasia
brugmansia
crepe myrtle
nandina
baptisia
phlox subulata
osmanthus fragrans
osmanthus goshiki
Dutch irises
daffodils
Spanish Bluebells
thyme
rosemary
lavender
oregano
chives
echinops
crocosmia
coreopsis moonbeam or creme brulee
snapdragons
tithonia
miscanthus (grass)
eragostis (grass)
carex (sedge)

I've had them sample, but not destroy:

rudbeckia Goldsturm
iris ensata
geranium Rozanne (new to my garden)
coneflowers
hepatacodium micionides
itea
cleyera
hypericum
kousa dogwood

At another house, they sampled spirea blooms, but this herd hasn't touched my spirea. (knock on wood)

Remember too, that if it's a herd, everybody may have to taste something before they decide they don't like it. If deer are a real problem for you, spray every new plant when you first put it out so their first experience with it is a terrible one.

Alicate, I've read about "Scarecrow". How do you know where to set it up? I'm afraid if I put it in one spot of my garden, the deer will just move over and walk through a different area.

I've never seen an activated Scarecrow...just the activated Horned Owl but don't want to scare all the yard birds with it. Would be happy if it scared the rabbits and chipmunks but the birds are important "kiddies" around here. Instructions for Horned Owl gizmo say you should move it around so they don't get used to it and ignore it. Must be a sight to see the kids jump when they unknowingly trigger that Scarecrow!

I never thought about each deer in a herd having to take a nibble to see if they like something. Figured the mothers taught their fawns what to eat and what to leave alone. Guess they go by the "live and learn" principle.

Suppose I'm just going to have to keep using a variety of methods to keep the critters away. The Liquid Fence worked this week for the deer but the bunnies haven't read that label...or the "deer resistant" list as someone mentioned. That's the line my father gives me when I complain about critter damage. :)

Have to try not to be too upset because they're all here to stay. Will be upset if they eat one of only one or two blooms off very young plants but I'll get over it.

Something happens in one of the garden beds and then you get so busy with everything you need to do for all the beds that you deal with one thing and then it seems to fade into memory until you're in that bed the next time checking things over or working in it.

While back someone mentioned that the deer didn't eat her Zinnia but just paraded through the stand flattening them for the season...LOL.