Over the years I have spent hundreds of dollars on sprays, granules, and gizmos that mutter and flash in an effort to keep deer out of my daylilies. Their good effects have been limited, and during this year of drought, when all kinds of critters have preyed with unusual voracity on everyone’s vegetables and flowers, deer had nearly decimated my daylilies by the end of July. An electric fence seemed like the only answer left, but when I went to inquire about the mechanics and expenses of same, an employee suggested that I simply hang a white rectangle of cloth between two stakes near the garden. The white cloth simulates the rear end of a fleeing deer: white tail up, white rump exposed. To the deer behind, white means danger. It worked for his mother, he told me. And it worked for me!
I bought some white stakes, found two white pillowcases in the attic, and attached them to the stakes. I placed them on the paths that lead to the woods, and, voila, no more deer damage! The late daylilies recovered, and we will enjoy them far into September.
Of course, this will not work for a flower garden close to the front of your house (assuming you have a problem with very bold deer) because it would disrupt the garden’s beauty. But if your garden is away from the house or in the back or is a vegetable garden where beauty is not an issue, this is a low cost remedy for marauding deer.
A white pillowcase between two white stakes frightens deer away.
The late daylilies recovered. Seen here: Back to School and Vermont River Promenade