In this post: Want to keep deer from eating your flowers and plants? I’m sharing the flower and plant spray that works for me plus five other tips for keeping the deer away!
Do you have deer that love your hydrangeas and other flowers and plants as much as you do? Me too! After they completely decimated some of my hydrangea bushes last year (and my daughter took this picture through our front window catching them in the act!), I was determined to find something that worked to keep them away.
Instead of this abundance of hydrangeas we had in past years:
after this deer and his buddies (yes, he brought friends!) did their damage, only the bushes closest to our house had blooms remaining. So bummed!
So this year, when I caught the first deer starting to nibble away, I put out a plea for advice on Instagram, talked to some local garden centers, and did some Googling to figure out the best way to keep the deer from eating my plants. What was the most recommended solution? Bobbex Deer Repellant that you can buy {here}:
[affiliate links included in post – full disclosure statement available {here})]
One of the main reasons I chose Bobbex over these other repellant sprays (Liquid Fence, Plantskydd, Deer Off, Coyote Urine, and Repellex were other ones I looked at) is that a report from the State of Connecticut Department of Forestry and Horticulture that found Bobbex was the most effective of the bunch (93% effectiveness). Bobbex comes in several different forms including {this simple spray bottle {HERE} and {this ready to use Bobbex pump sprayer {HERE} that is already premixed so you can just take it out of the box, pump and spray. The sprayer is a good one and it’s super easy to use but let me warn you – Bobbex is seriously the most foul smelling stuff EVER! Definitely use gloves to spray and plan on taking a shower after spraying it. Bobbex is made with all natural ingredients and can be used on almost all plants including edible vegetables but there are a few exceptions including edible leaves, herbs, and berries. The product info states that it will last up to two months without washing off even during rain and normal watering but if you have a significant deer problem, you may have to spray it more frequently than that, especially after heavy rain.
Want to save this post?
The first time I sprayed my bushes with Bobbex, I actually saw a deer chewing on my hydrangeas the next day and thought the Bobbex must not be working but he must not have liked what he tasted because they never came back all season long and my hydrangeas bloomed like crazy! After picking bouquets for almost every room in the house, I still had hundreds more! We have tons of white hydrangeas in the front yard plus purple and pink in the back including these beauties:
Update!: I’ve now been using Bobbex for several summers and it works great for me. One thing I’ve learned is to spray EARLY – deer love those tender buds before the flowers actually bloom so I try to spray for the first time pretty early in the season and then every 6-8 weeks after.
A Few More Tips for Keeping Deer From Your Plants & Flowers
Here are a few more tips to try that have worked for others:
- Zest, Irish Spring, or Ivory soap bars or moth balls – you can either cut the soap bars into pieces and spread them around your plants or garden or put full bars or moth balls in mesh bags or stockings and hanging them nearby.
- Human hair – getting human hair from your local hairdresser and sprinkling it around the bushes you’re trying to protect works for some
- Physical deterrents (other than obvious use of deer fencing) include stringing fishing line about chest high to the deer around the bushes you’re trying to protect or try laying out chicken wire on the ground in front of the bushes you’re trying to keep from getting eaten (the deer don’t like stepping on it!). Both great suggestions that I got on my Instagram post!
- Motion activated water sprinklers like one of {these} that spray a powerful jet of water when the motion sensor detects movement. They can be highly effective if positioned correctly!
And one last very important tip: you might need to rotate different products or types of deer repellents for the best results! In some cases deer get accustomed to a specific spray or other deterrent and it becomes less effective – rotating different deterrents may be your best long-term solution.
Have you guys tried any of these deer deterrents with success or have any suggestions of other ways to keep the deer away that aren’t on my list? I’d love to hear about them! If you want more hydrangea tips including advice on pruning and fertilizing, be sure and check out {this post} on hydrangea care that answers those questions and more!
XOXO,