How To Protect Plants From Deer

Every gardener pours heart, time, and effort into nurturing their garden—it truly is a labor of love. Yet, there's little more disheartening than stepping outside to discover your cherished plants have fallen victim to deer. This frustrating experience can discourage even the most passionate gardeners, prompting some to forsake their favorite plants, like roses, fearing they'll only be destroyed again.

Thankfully, the latest developments in gardening strategies and deterrent methods bring renewed optimism. Although it's impossible to guarantee that deer will never encroach upon your garden, these innovative solutions significantly increase the likelihood of successfully repelling them from your cherished plants.

Pure Protect Deer Repellent

Pure Protect by Heirloom Roses is a custom formula designed to be applied directly to plants to deter deer from munching on your favorite plant variety. This product will work for roses, as well as other varieties that are commonly a favorite of deer. The active ingredient is a concentrated peppermint oil, ensuring an all-natural treatment that is pet safe as well as effective

For customers with larger gardens, we recommend purchasing the 1 Quart (Which provides 5 gallons of solution) and for gardeners that have a smaller space, the 6.4 oz makes 1 gallon of solution. In addition to aiding against deer damage, it also helps repel powdery mildew, spider mites, azalea lace bugs, aphids, spiders, and ants, and more.

Simply follow the provided instructions, mix the concentrated solution with water, and apply it to your roses and delicate plants. With Pure Protect, you can rest assured that your garden is shielded from harm, allowing your beautiful blooms to thrive.

Our Treatment Recommendation

  • Start spraying in spring. In the spring, as soon as the first bit of green appears, we recommend beginning treatment with Pure Protect to make your favorite plants less attractive to deer. We recommend treating once a week, however, if you notice an increase of deer activity, you can apply more without damaging your roses or other plants.
  • Stop spraying in September. Dependent on your hardiness zone and bloom schedule, many people can stop treating their plants and roses in the last week of September. If you are in a warmer area like Texas, California, longer treatment periods may be required to continue to deter deer.
  • Repeat. Come spring, as soon as green appears, we recommend beginning treatment on a new cycle!

What Are Deer-Resistant Plants?

Another option is to plant naturally deer-resistant plants. Below is a list of varieties that are more deer-resistant than other varieties:

  • American Holly
  • Bee Balm (Monarda)
  • Bleeding Heart (Dicentra)
  • Blue Spruce
  • BLUESTAR
  • CATMINT
  • Columbine (Aquilegia)
  • Coneflower (Echinacea)
  • False Indigo
  • Fern-Leaved Bleeding Heart
  • Flowering Dogwood
  • Forsythia
  • Foxglove (Digitalis)
  • Hardy Geranium
  • Heartleaf Brunnera
  • Japanese Anemone
  • Lamium
  • Lilac
  • Lungwort
  • Most Ferns
  • Ornamental Onion
  • ORNAMENTAL GRASSES (Prairie Winds)
  • Paper Birch
  • Potentilla
  • Russian Sage
  • SALVIA
  • Shasta Daisy (Leucanthemum)
  • SPIKE SPEEDWELL
  • Spirea
  • Threadleaf Coreopsis
  • Various Ornamental Grasses

Organic Deer Repellent Recipe

If you are curious to try other methods, below is an organic deer repellent recipe that could be a good option depending on your area. Mix the following ingredients in a blender:

  • 1 cup water
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/3 cup hot sauce, like Tabasco
  • 1/3 cup liquid dishwashing soap

Pour into a gallon tank sprayer and fill with water. Spray thoroughly once a week. As an additional deterrent, you may add a cube of beef bullion (since deer do not like meat) but this is usually unnecessary.

This mixture does not hurt roses or other plants. Be sure to wear gloves and goggles when applying this mixture for safety precautions!