Living where we do we have come to enjoy the sight of deer grazing in our back bush. Having said that, I must admit to taking some offense when the deer completely chow down on a particular garden favourite (mine, not theirs). When we first started landscaping our yard, I was keen on ‘deer proofing’ our yard. After four years I have now come to the conclusion that such a goal is neither completely doable nor really necessary. I have instead taken a selective approach to deer and critter proofing designed to limit the damage done by deer, rabbits or other critters while still enjoying their presence.

Part of my strategy includes accepting that they will browse in certain areas of our yard. In those areas I have learned to plant mainly deer resistant plants to reduce the extent of that damage. While this works well for established plants, newly planted trees and shrubs have needed extra care. I have selectively used fencing in key areas to protect either young tender plants or our vegetable garden from deer or rabbit damage.

If you would like to see more details and pictures on how we have deer and rabbit proofed our garden, see How To Deer Proof Your Garden Practically.

Part of the enjoyment of living in the country is enjoying the native wildlife, good and bad. By using some of the above strategies I have found that I have been able to limit my damage to a minimum and the damage that did occur was quickly re-established or replaced with something wiser. And in the meantime, we enjoy watching the deer during the long winter months when the garden itself is not in bloom.