Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden

by Rhonda Massingham Hart

Book Overview

From nibbling on fruit bushes to destroying flower beds, unwanted deer pose a frustrating and challenging obstacle to even the most patient gardeners. Rhonda Massingham Hart provides insights into deer behavior and offers a variety of proven techniques to keep your deer problem under control. Learn how to choose the best fence types, landscape with plants deer detest, make effective homemade repellents, and much more. You'll have all the information...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580175856
• ISBN13: 9781580175852
• Release Date: April 2005
• Publisher: Storey Publishing
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.79 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Good Read.

This book is very well written with a lot of information in it. I thought I knew a lot about deer until I read this book. I thought the book would be boring but it was anything but. I haven't had a chance to put into effect a lot of the deerproofing measures but they sound logical and with a combination of some of them, I'm sure we will have success.

Very Useful reference to coping with deer problems.

I found the book very informative and helpful in coping with dear problems. The deer behavior section was very close to our actual observations on our property in Roche Harbor of the Washington San Juan Islands.

Information laden and downright funny

This book is concise, well-structured and highly informative. It begins with an analysis of how deer think (if you can call it that!), and how they use their senses. The author then uses these insights to derive numerous strategies for avoiding attracting deer and deterring them if they do find your garden. These vary from what I would call defensive (avoid planting things that deer like to eat, using the exhaustive list provided as a guide - there are even some roses that deer apparently dislike!) to highly combative (electric fences, self-activated noises or sprinklers). She also offers numerous ideas for upsetting deers' reliance on their sense of smell, including stringing up highly scented soap bars, and spraying plants with homemade pepper spray or stinky egg mix! There is an edgy humor to the book that makes for a fun read. A very intelligent approach to a very exasperating problem. Buy it.

Advice for coping with 'deer' neighbors

Being new property & house owners in a suburban area adjacent to a deer wintering yard, this book provided us excellent advice on coping with our local deer population. We are planning a garden from scratch, and the information is very practical. It should help any gardener with deer in their area reduce their cost of resultant damage. The book deals with deer behavioural characteristics, and the likelihood of deer frequenting the property, as well as how to plan a deerproof garden. From plants that are detested by deer, to plants that will guarantee deer company: annual, perennial, shrub & tree choices are listed, including hardiness zone information. A range of strategies for keeping deer out of the garden is also included. The strategies go from fences to foul smelling substances to noise makers, and advice is given on the likelihood of success for each. An excellent tailorable reference book.