Deer are awfully cute, but they can do a great deal of damage in the garden! We have our own share of trouble with them here at Surfing Hydrangea Nursery. Rabbits, rats, voles, – even house cats will take a meal of our ornamentals and edibles. But deer are by far the most distructive and expensive to control in Nantucket’s gardens.
Here are the tell-tale signs of Deer Browsing:
- A ragged or torn appearance to leaves and twigs
- Un-eaten twigs or leaves scattered around plants that have been damaged
- New plants pulled right out of the ground and laying on their sides next to the planting hole
- A visible ring of damage on evergreens, stopping at about five feet off the ground
- Piles of deer droppings in the yard, especially next to browsed plants
