49February 1, 2018

The weather has been varied this past month. We have had some cold days; some warm days and some snowy and or rainy days. I have noticed that there has been a steady flock of birds at the feeder. I have also noticed that there have been signs that deer have been in the yard.

One evening we were set to let the dog out to do his business. We put on the floodlight for the backyard and we saw 2 deer in the backyard feeding on the birdseed that was on the ground. It is a cute sight to behold, until you realize that the shrubs in the yard may be the next source of food for the deer. As we get later into winter, the likelihood of deer eating your shrubs increases exponentially. There are things you can do to protect your shrubs from the ravages of deer.

There are many types of deer repellents that you can spray on your shrubs. The repellents cling to the foliage of the plants and make the plants smell bad and taste bad to the deer. Deer repellents need to be applied several times during the winter. It is best to apply the repellents when the temperatures are above freezing. This allows the repellent to properly set up on the plants.

You can also wrap your plants with burlap. The burlap is wrapped around the plant starting at the bottom and continuing to the top. Once you have the burlap in place you can use garden twine to wrap around the burlap to hold the burlap in place.

There is also a product called deer netting. The netting is a black plastic that can be draped over the shrubs. It is best to secure it in place with garden twine. Once the deer approach the shrub, they will try to sample some of the foliage of the plant. Once they get the funny taste of the netting in their mouth, they will shy away from the plant.

There are also shrub covers that you can set over the shrub. They are usually green in color so they are not as offensive to the eye when you see them in your yard. The covers come in different sizes and allow you to slip them over the shrub. Some styles have a built in tying system that allows you to cinch the cover in place. Other styles come with a staking system that allows you to stake the cover to the ground. Plant covers form a physical barrier that prevents the deer from eating the plant.

We carry all these products in our store.

Deer can be beautiful to behold when they are in your yard. The damage that they can do over the course of the winter can amount to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in damaged shrubs that will need to be replaced in the spring. If you see deer prints in your yard or if you see deer in your yard, you had better do something sooner rather than later to protect the shrubs in your yard.

Well, that’s all for this week. I’ll talk to you again next week.