Great question, which I will agree is a tough one to manage.
The urban deer population in my area is getting way out of control!!! 🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🦌🤬
I did find this info online....

Ornamental and Garden Plants: Controlling Deer Damage - Oklahoma State University

A guide to controlling deer damage to ornamental and garden plants in rural/urban developments.

extension.okstate.edu

 

3d electric deer fence. Cheap, easy and effective.

 

link?

 

You know you can eat deer right? Pew! Pew!

 

lol yea that's the problem.... too many hippies. My County was seriously considering hiring Federal Snipers a few years back in order to control the population. Yes... let's do that instead of just open the season to more people or widen it (hand over face). Donate the meat to food banks or something.
Funny thing is, I don't eat meat lmao. I'm an animal lover, but these things need to go. Classic (fill in the blank) mentality. They think they're doing a good thing, but in reality, this animals just starve, get hit by cars, and endanger the people driving. Forget about the money lost and nuisance!

It's really sad. You see them all the time limping around with their legs bent in half. I swear I wish I had my shotgun with me at a few jobs. I would have put the poor things out of their misery.

 

I put the 3d fence around my 5acre property. 95% of the deer traffic gone!

 

Type 3d deer fence into youtube search bar. There are many videos on the subject.

Here is one example.

Deers depth perception is poor. The 3d aspect of this fence confuses them and they shy away from it.

Thanks. It's definitely something that's good to be aware of and add to my bag of tricks. In the specific settings I'm thinking of, it's not an option unfortunately. I know the 2 homeowners I'm thinking of that will definitely not like the look of that in the front of their ranch house. That would be great for certain backyards I know of. Some of their neighbors are spending thousands on sewing and wrapping plants up super tight each year (something I find to be a total waste). I see no difference in plant health, even on ocean front properties, whether wrapped or unwrapped.
Anyway, they're going to need something that's maybe not crazy nice, but at least somewhat appealing or barely noticeable.

 

Set it up easily in one weekend. Less than $500 into the entire project!

 

Height of the plantings is irrelevant. The idea behind this is to keep deer out of the entire area, not away from individual plants. My hostas appreciate the fence as well.

 

The height of the plantings isn't irrelevant. There's nothing else around there for them to eat. By the time the perrenials start showing, the deer have plenty to eat and the repellent keeps them away. It's a small white ranch like I said, with low lying shrubs. Probably just end up doing individual steel circular cages cut to height of plants.

 

Hello all. To say the deer in my NY town are brazen and everywhere is an understatement. Each year, as their population continues to boom, they eat more varieties of plants. Plants they never went near for 30 years, they're now ravaging. It's a small town, but it's funny how they have their individual tastes. For instance, my old Juniper in front of my window was RAVAGED by one deer late winter/early spring. There's an entire family, but only one deer that I've caught in the act two times. Other areas with the same exact Juniper Bush go completely untouched. Same thing with Privet.

Anyway, the repellent works now, but during the winter when they are starving, no scent will stop them. They literally stand there and stare at me when I yell at them. I think in a few years they will start to eat humans. So I obviously have no questions about fencing the larger evergreens and hedges and such. I just get the 9 foot poles and 7 foot black plastic fence and zip tie.
I'm wondering what to do for the smaller beds with small evergreen shrubs. Of course the main thing is to protect the expensive plantings, but I was wondering what wouldn't be an eye sore for the front of the clients' houses. Wooden spikes and metal fence along the bed and over the top to the siding of the house?
Thanks

Have you tried Winter Bobbex Deer repellent? I use the summer & winter here in NH. By far works the best out of all repellents I have tried. If there is heavy rain, then you should re-apply. It has a money back guarantee that it will keep Deer away.

Bobbex Deer & Small Animal Rplnt Winter 5 Gal. Pail | Bobbex

Recommended uses: shrubs, flowers, forest trees and vegetables not yet bearing fruit. Coverage: 200,000 square feet Trustpilot

bobbex.com

 

I think we are missing each other here. Why would it matter how tall the plantings are, if the deer are unable to get to them? If they are fenced out they are fenced out right?

 

Sorry... running around like a nut. So where I'm coming from... It's the front of a small house. Completely open, level, white, and 100 percent visible from the street. Fencing out that entire area wouldn't look good, especially taller fencing. The windows are only a few feet from the ground. The 2 steps and landing for the front door, run right down the middle of the two beds. on either side, are 2 reblooming Azelias. They took really well and are probably level with the landing. So to me, especially since all plants don't need to be protected, just a 2-3 foot circular metal guard around each one. It would be hardly noticeable and not blocking any windows or standing out against the white house. If it was a line of 5 foot Rhododendrons, I would just use my go to. 7 foot black plastic fencing and zip tying to posts. I think there's a photo or two of the house from May when I planted and did new lawn/overseeding. Place was like Adam's family before that.

 

How about motion sensor sprinklers to deter the deer from your yard?

 

They work on me!!! Customer was "sorry" yet I kept getting sprayed!!

 

without it looking tacky like a wire / electric fence , a pit pricey but can install a whole perimeter white picket type fence including alone the sidewalk of course, there's no-dig vinyl options too so no need to call 811 and find the gas and water lines with permits etc etc. From a stand still a deer can jump right over a 6 foot fence so a 4 foot one isn't as good but even when starving in winter I think they'd be very hesitant to jump in there. Don't wanna go higher than about 4 ft for a white picket fence though would look off.

 

Do you think a four foot white picket fence would keep deer out?

 

Deer Proof Gardens: 4 Ways to Keep Deer Out of Your Garden

Use this 4-step plan to create deer proof gardens. Learn useful strategies focused on how to keep deer out of your garden with ease.

savvygardening.com

 

Great link. Yea the Individual plant option is the solution for these 2 particular properties. Thanks for sharing my friend!

 

We had a nice stand of Okra going earlier this Summer...UNTIL BAMBIE & CO stunted them for the rest of the season. ERRR 🤬

 

I feel your pain. I had my Juniper looking like a giant bonsai. 30 years and it was never touched. I come out one day and it was demolished. Thankfully It's coming back. There was some arborist that was on this property we were on one day, and we were talking about it. She said every year, there's a 2 more shrubs/trees that get taken off the list of "deer safe." She had one Holly permanently fenced, and one not. They only went after the one species for some reason.
I just wish the little b***ards would eat bamboo and mugwort. They don't even run away when I yell at them. They just stare. Look at this beast just casually walking up my driveway. The second one is the little B***ard eating the Juniper. I don't exaggerate when I say they are EVERYWHERE here lol

 

I have a deer problem too and here’s a few things that have worked for me:
1. Spray with Daconil every two weeks. A lot of work but it obviosly keeps the plants fungus free plus deer hate it.
2. Spray with thiram if it’s legal where you are.
3. Four ft fence but with shrubs they hate on both sides. I’ve had pretty good luck with junipers and other really spikey evergreens they won’t demolish. Deer can literally hop over a 4’ fence but if they can’t see the ground on the other side, they generally won’t. Depending on the length of the fence, this can get expensive.
4. The hungrier they are, the tougher this is but stick to plants they absolutely hate so they go browse at the neighbor’s more often.

After doing different things, tbh, I gave up and went mostly with #4 because I just have too much else to do than spray all the time lol. Have also tried the putred eggs stuff (works but stinks up the yard) and the coyote urine (stinks and doesn’t last).

 

Yea you're absolutely right. I've seen them jump over 5 foot fences with no running start, effortlessly. They won't jump into tight quarters though. I've also seen on run into the water and swim until he was out of sight lol. I wouldn't mind including spray as service after bed work. I do it on two or three right now. A lot people aren't really grasping what I'm saying about how may there are here, what they eat (things never even nibbled at for a century), and how brazen they have become. The coyote Blood stinks for a little, but it's been the best one so far. God help you if you get it on your hands haha. I'm currently trying a bovine blood repellent, but it browns everything up. Think I'll go back to the coyote blood until cleanups are done. The pepper crap lasts like a week, and they go to town after that. It's an extra 40-120 every 3-4 mows for an extra 15 minutes. Works for me as a solo act for a few houses. I'll do that with some fungicide on the mulch, and little permetherin if it's called for.
Winter time just doing short fencing for evergreen shrubs in small sections, and the basic 7ft black plastic for the large plants and areas.