Keeping the Deer Away

Create a deer screen with this soap-on-a-rope technique. Hang a bar of deodorant soap on tree branches in your yard and position them every three feet.

A soapy solution. Suspend deodorant soap from a tree using string. The scent of the soap keeps the deer away, but there is one catch — in order to be effective, you have to create a screen, which means hanging a bar of soap every three feet or so.

Homemade deer repellents utilize eggs, peppers and human hair.

Hot, hot, hot! Hang peppers from trees. When the deer bite into the pepper, they won't like the taste and will go away.

The rotten-egg trick. Mix three raw eggs into a gallon of water and spray it around the yard. When the eggs go rancid, the bad odor discourages the deer from visiting. However, it might also deter people from visiting.

Human hair. Toss handfuls of human hair around your plants. This works because deer can smell the human scent and will avoid it. The problem with human hair is it decomposes quickly, so you're going to have to do a lot of hair-cutting to keep the deer out.

Put out sachets filled with deer repellent.

Store-bought stink. Put out purchased deer repellent. Many are made with chili peppers or garlic, which deer don't like. If they get a taste or sniff of it, they'll move on. Some repellents come in a spray form that smell like deer predators. One whiff and the deer will run in the opposite direction. You can actually buy coyote urine that will help keep the deer away. Another product is an animal-blood derivative mixed with water. Spray the mixture, which can last up to six months, on your plants and the deer will avoid them. Sachets of stinky deterrents are also on store shelves.

Scare 'em away. Use psychological warfare to keep the deer out. Try a motion-activated water sprinkler or an ultrasonic high-frequency unit to scare the deer away.

Rope it off. Consider installing a fence. While it might not be the most aesthetic solution, it's effective if at least eight feet tall. Some electric fences run on solar batteries. You can also try "invisible fencing." It's not really invisible, but the black mesh seems to disappear in a wooded backdrop. The mesh comes in a large roll that is slipped through metal stakes. This method works best if you live in a heavily wooded area.

When all else fails. Try planting deer-resistant plants. Deer typically don't like to eat anything with a scent or that has a fuzzy texture, like mint, yarrow and ornamental grasses. Some annuals that repel deer include marigolds, petunias and heliotrope. Shrubs, like barberry and boxwood, and evergreens are also known to be deer resistant. For perennials, try Artemisia, Sedum, lungwort (Pulmonaria) or Shasta daisy (Leucanthemum x superbum), just to name a few. But keep in mind that if the deer are hungry enough, they'll eat just about anything.