Deer.
A foe, yes.
But as I ponder our past relationship over the years/decades, I think maybe I owe them some gratitude. And even a thank-you. Why?
Their eating habits made me work harder in the garden and also when planning.
They forced me to embrace the reality that a garden is meant to be shared.
And most importantly, their presence limited my garden palette which made my life easier once I accepted that limitation. Hello ornamental grasses! ONG loves the OG’s.
And I enjoy watching them winter, spring, summer and fall while they roam the backyard as I sit behind the desk in my home office on yet another mindless conference call.
How’s that for Zen and positivity? Welcome to the new “me”. I think you’ll enjoy it.
As I look out at my arbovitae the deer have turned into rockets (or perhaps d*ldos), I do not find the creatures to be friends. That said, they are beautiful animals, but could they keep their dining away from shrubs that took two years to recover from their last dining experience?
We have woods behind our garden in an urban setting. The deer were here long before 1952 when this house was built.
I’m a Penn State Master Gardener. Native plants are way to landscape. Be prepared to spray deer resistant products if you don’t adapt