The deer were kind and generous and deadheaded all of my daylilies...before they bloomed this is the first time I've experienced deer like this, the even ate the leaves to the ground at the beginning of the year. Will more buds form or are they done for the year? Don't know if it'll make a big difference but I'll be relocating all the daylilies to a border garden out front eventually.

Got this one at least!




They left my one true lily alone...are those toxic to deer?

Sorry to say that true Lilies are a favorite of deer, surprised they left it alone.

I have had good success with Bobbex. I buy the concentrate and mix it. It is much cheaper than the ready mixed version. It has really worked for me. It also deters small animals, as well.
We had a porcupine chewing on our verandah, and I sprayed the area with Bobbex and it hasn't come back.
This year I did the first spray as the plants were just emerging, and I have not seen deer around. Before I started spraying, I saw them standing just at the base of my laneway on a regular basis. I don't see them around now and no tracks or damage.f
https://www.bobbex.com/

Bobbex works well here too. But if the deer haven't eaten down past the lowest bract there's a chance the scape will put out a side branch with buds. Looks kinda weird but you get flowers if that happens. So I wouldn't cut off the chomped scapes unless they ate down below that since there's still a chance of blooms, although no guarantees.

sooby said:Bobbex works well here too. But if the deer haven't eaten down past the lowest bract there's a chance the scape will put out a side branch with buds. Looks kinda weird but you get flowers if that happens. So I wouldn't cut off the chomped scapes unless they ate down below that since there's still a chance of blooms, although no guarantees.

I didn't see any bracts left decided when we moved last year this 2019 would be a year of learning about the grow zone, weather, everything. Wasn't expecting the deer lol. Maybe they need their very own veggie garden...the apple trees aren't developed enough to be eaten apparently. I'll look into Bobbex. In general the deer are welcome on the property, just stay away from my flowers!

It's a sad fact of gardening that deer love to eat daylilies, lilies, and so much more of the plants we enjoy growing. A tall fence gave me peace of mind.

A pretty shade of red. So frustrating with the deer, I hope you can resolve it. Had all your plants scaped, although i see you are a little south of me, so they probably have. I have been fortunate with deer-knock on wood. I have seen deer occasionally in the middle of the day in my yard, see their tracks on the driveway all around my daylilies, but so far no noticable losses. I have lost tulips when I used to grow those, and a small spruce tree lost new growth one year. Maybe the large corn/soybean field nearby keeps them happy? I have seen some plants with buds yellowing and dropping off this year. I don't see bugs, so I am wondering if it is the extreme rain, then dry period, and now rain again.

So sorry the deer got your daylily buds. It happened to me one summer. I now deter them using Fabric softener products. Deer hate the scent. I use Bounce or Gain dryer sheets and cut them into one-inch wide strips. I tie a couple of strips to scapes of each daylily clump. Rain makes the strips smell even more! Ir looks weird, but it protects my blooms. I also spray the plants with a mixture of Gain fabric softener and water. I use a capful for each two gallons of water. Last year using these methods I didn't have any trouble from deer.

PlantSkydd, liquid form

@shive1.
Do you have rust up there? If so did you notice if it reduced it? Wondering if that mixture works similar to Dawn dish detergent?
Maybe they could be mixed and accomplish two tasks in one?

shive1 said:So sorry the deer got your daylily buds. It happened to me one summer. I now deter them using Fabric softener products. Deer hate the scent. I use Bounce or Gain dryer sheets and cut them into one-inch wide strips. I tie a couple of strips to scapes of each daylily clump. Rain makes the strips smell even more! Ir looks weird, but it protects my blooms. I also spray the plants with a mixture of Gain fabric softener and water. I use a capful for each two gallons of water. Last year using these methods I didn't have any trouble from deer.

shive1,
I need to try the Gain fabric softener and water. I'm thinking I could just spray it onto the wood chips (mulch) and the scent would probably stay for a while.

[quote="flukybloom"]The deer were kind and generous and deadheaded all of my daylilies...before they bloomed this is the first time I've experienced deer like this, the even ate the leaves to the ground at the beginning of the year. Will more buds form or are they done for the year? Don't know if it'll make a big difference but I'll be relocating all the daylilies to a border garden out front eventually.

Got this one at least!



[quote]

Oh no. You have my condolences. That happened to me last year. The plants were budding out and even had a few flowers. Walked out one morning and they were just gone. Was a real shock. Luckly they didn't eat any folage, just flowers and buds.

As soon as I saw scapes this year I started spraying with Liquid Fence Deer and Rabbit Repellant. I had also planted some chives in the front of the bed and got one of those motion activated sprayer. So far so good. But I have other unprotected daylily beds and no issue with them either. Maybe the deer aren't as hungry this year.

I've not seen the Bobbex brand in stores here here. I'll look for it. It would be cheaper if I could buy a concentrate and mix it myself, I think.

Stan - I haven't had rust here in a few years, so I don't know if the Gain mixture would help.

Sue - I spray the Gain mixture right on the buds and in the grass surrounding the beds.