Hard soil and deer give gardeners fits

LEHI — When it comes to gardening successfully in Utah County, the soil is resistant and the deer are persistent, apparently.

At least, that occupied most of the discussion at the latest Gardening Mini Expo taught by master gardeners at Thanksgiving Point in Lehi.

The people gathered in Jeannine Cartwright's class wanted to know how to keep mule deer out of their yards and gardens.

Those in Rich Koenig's class were interested in loosening up the hard ground that seems to prevail in most of the county.

Others picked up tips on rose choice and pruning from Kristen Baker.

Here are some highlights:

Dear, deer, deer

According to Cartwright, the first and most important thing to do with foraging deer is to break their travel patterns. Put up a really tall fence, block their path, do something to make them go a different direction — maybe to the neighbors instead?

"They're like a homing pigeon, you have to do something to break the path," Cartwright said.

Plant deer-resistant shrubs (like junipers), trees and flowers. For instance, deer don't like daffodils but they love tulips — "They're deer candy" — so if you plant tulips, put daffodils in with them.

"I have over 10,000 bulbs in my (Lindon) yard," she said, "but they're mixed in with daffodils."

Daisy plants, marigolds, wisteria vines and maple trees like Norway and Silver Maple are less likely to attract deer, while Austrian Pine, Scotch Pine, lilies and pansies shout "Eat me!"

Leave on a porch light or put in a motion detector that when triggered will emit noise to scare the deer off. So will dogs.

Cartwright said putting powdered cayenne red pepper on the ground around her plants discouraged deer. Reflective, shiny mobiles like pie tins and foil strips help, she said. A friend of hers swears by spraying water mixed with an egg on the soil. (It works even better as the egg spoils, she said.)

Sometimes mulching with human hair or dog hair helps.

Try planting garlic and onion plants around your garden, she said.

"Sometimes that just makes it a salad for them," said Julia Tuck, USU extension office specialist.