The Bottom Line
Deer are the bane for many a gardener. Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden is a thorough exploration of this problem. After explaining how deer live, Ms. Hart strives to present solutions. She lists the plants that deer like, as well as those they tend to avoid. Methods of control are presented. All in all, a good book for those trying to keep Bambi out of their garden.
Pros
- Several lists of plants deer love and hate.
- Explains deer behavior, which helps you understand why they behave like they do.
- Describes methods to keep deer out of the garden
Cons
- Adding garden zones to plant listing may help those who aren't sure which region they fall in
Description
- Written by Rhonda Massingham Hart
- 199 pages
- Storey Publishing, March 2005
Guide Review - Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden By Rhonda Massingham Hart
As more houses are built and wilderness civilized, many gardeners find that they have deer visiting their yards. What can be done to minimize the damage in the garden?
In Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden, Rhonda Massingham Hart explains all you need to know about deer and gardening. Using humor and wisdon, Ms Hart delves into the world of everything deer.
The first section, titled "Getting to Know Deer" explains the physiology and psychology of the deer. Knowing why they act like they do can help you know what to do to prevent them from damaging your favorite plants.
Next comes "What Are The Damages?". Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden will help you recognize whether your garden damage truly is from deer. Ways to avoid hitting deer with your vehicle are discussed. Ms. Hart also explains other potential problems from deer visits, including Lyme disease (from deer ticks) and other pathogens. I learned many potential problems that I wouldn't have thought of before.
"Deer-O-Scaping" is probably the chapter that people will be most interested in reading. This section first explains why your yard may be attractive to deer. A list of deer-favored plants is followed by several lists (broken up by region) describing plants that deer tend to avoid. It would have been nice to have zones listed - for example, as a resident of Utah, I am not sure if I fall under the general "Midwest" or the "desert Southwest".
"Deer Deterrents" presents the pros and cons of several different methods, such as foul smells and bad tastes, as ways of further keeping deer away.
Finally comes "The Deerproof Garden". This chapter presents the different versions of fencing available to gardeners.
If you are having deer problems, I would say Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden is an excellent resource for learning how to protect your garden.
