Story #9 from Garden State EnviroNews 050513

Daily Record, May 12, 2005

GARDENERS: DEER DETERRENTS 'WORK'

Humane Society offers plant advice in Hanover

By Jenna M. McKnight

HANOVER -- Louise Mueller has a deer herd living in the woods behind
her two-story house on Bee Meadow Parkway.

Unlike some of her neighbors, she said she doesn't find the animals
munching on the plants in her yard, which she attributes to her
landscaping choices.

Mueller recently ripped out all the shrubs that attract hungry deer
and replaced them with others, such as red barberry and Alberta
spruce. She also sprays her plants with an all-natural deer repellent
that cost her $16 for a 40-ounce bottle.

"They have no interest in them at all," she said, while showing off
the thriving mosaic of plants outside her front window.

Mueller is one of roughly 30 residents who invited a consultant from
The Humane Society of the United States to inspect her landscaping
this week. On Wednesday, the consultant, Sandy Baker, examined several
homes on Bee Meadow Parkway in an area she jokingly described as a
"deer runway."

The goal of the free program is to advise residents how to deter deer
from feasting on their plants, a burgeoning problem in the township as
well as in other areas of Morris County and the state.

The community outreach effort is part of a four-part deer management
program adopted by the township committee last December.

The program calls for educating residents about deer-control tactics;
distributing free deer repellent; creating a feeding ban, which was
done in February; and lastly, culling the deer if the other tactics
prove unsuccessful.

The issue has sparked controversy and left residents sharply divided.
Some residents strongly advocate for a hunt, while others are lobbying
hard for nonlethal methods to control the deer.

Len Fariello, a township committee member who tagged along during
Wednesday's inspections, said township leaders hope the nonlethal
methods take care of the problem.

He described the township's approach to the problem as "cautious."

"We're moving along a little slowly because we're trying to please all
the residents," he said.

The township recently purchased 500 gallons of "Deer Out" repellent
that it will distribute to residents. The repellent cost the township
about $23,000, Fariello said.

The township will announce when the repellent is received and how
residents can get it.

Fariello noted that Mueller, much to his delight, has been using the
same repellent with great success. The ingredients include garlic,
white pepper, eggs, peppermint oil and vinegar. It's safe to use in
vegetable gardens, the consultant said.

"It works. It really works," Mueller said. "I use it especially on my
flowers."

Martha Brydon, who lives next door to Mueller, also is using strategic
landscaping to deter deer.

Brydon has found that shrubs including mountain fire andromeda and
gold mound spiraea don't attract the animals. They also protect her
clematis, a climbing vine planted in a pot behind the bushes.

The consultant said deer generally want easy access to their food and
won't battle other plants to get to their snack.

"The way she's set it up and configured the landscaping design,
they're not going to head over there," Baker explained. "This is a
model yard right here. She's just done such a perfect job."

Baker emphasized, however, that what works one place might not work
somewhere else. One population of deer might like feasting on brightly
blooming forsythia shrubs, she said, while others might steer clear.

"The deer's tastes will vary, even from neighborhood to neighborhood,"
she said.

Currently, there are no future yard inspections scheduled.

The best thing to do is to consult experts, who sometimes can be found
at local garden centers, Baker said.

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Some plants deer don't like

* Annuals: ageratum, alyssum, dusty miller, snapdragon, spiderflower

* Groundcovers, vines: bugleweed, myrtle, pachysandra, Virginia
creeper

* Perennials: alyssum, catmint, Christmas fern, daffodil, dame's
rocket, globe thistle, iris, lamb's ear, lavender, mint, oregano, rose
campion, Russian sage, sage, silvermound, thyme, toadflax, yucca

* Shrubs: andromeda, barberry, boxwood, spruce

For information on what The Humane Society of the United States
advises for deer-proofing your landscaping, visit {1} or call Barbara
Dyer, program coordinator, at (973) 927-5611.

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Jenna M. McKnight can be reached at jmcknight@gannett.com or
(973) 428-6634.

Copyright 2005 Daily Record.