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They’re so cute. Until they’re eating your prized rhododendron or the rose bush that you brought back to life this spring. It’s not an easy feat to keep these beautiful little plant eaters out of your garden, but we’ve found some tips that will hopefully help.

1) Keep The Amount of Tasty Buffet Style Plants at a Minimum–  Does are nursing their fawns, and anxious to gain back weight lost during the winter’s freeze, every deer is looking to gorge on high-protein, moisture-rich plants. Think twice about growing large amounts of English ivy, lettuces, beans, peas, hostas, impatients, and pansies. Fruit trees are prime targets too. As Rhonda Massingham Hart points out in her book Deerproofing Your Yard & Garden (Storey), “The sweetness and flavor of strawberries and peaches make them as attractive to deer as they are to people.”

2) Keep the Prime Deer Plants Close to the House- This will ensure you can keep a closer eye on the plant. As a general rule, deer love to dine on anything that’s smooth, tender, and flavorful, including chrysanthemum, clematis, roses, azalea bushes, and various berries.

3) Plant pungent perennials as a natural barrier–  Deer rely heavily on their sense of smell for feeding, so adding patches of strongly scented herbs—from garlic and chives, to mint and lavender (left)—can mask the appealing aroma of nearby annuals.

 4) Plant thorny, hairy, or prickly foliage- incorporating fuzzy lamb’s ear, barberries, and cleome near the plants you want to protect—and where deer might find entrance into your garden in the first place. See Plants Deer Dislike for a more comprehensive list.

5) Make deer-resistant substitutions– Substitute tulips for daffodils, which is on the no fly list for deer foods. Pick roses that are particularly thorny, including Scotch or rugosa roses. And if you’re looking for flowers that’ll add a certain color or provide a certain function in your outdoor space, consult this list of deer resistant plants from Rutgers University to see what swaps you can make in your garden.

6) Create levels– Deer aren’t avid climbers so adding terraces or sunken beds can discourage them from coming into the yard. If your property is particularly woodsy and sprawling, consider stacking pallets around your property, which deer are afraid to walk or jump on.

7) Don’t underestimate the power of scare tactics– As neophobes, deer fear new, unfamiliar objects. Though they aren’t always attractive, scarecrows, sundials, and other garden ornaments—especially those with movable parts—make deer skittish. Use them in combination with wind chimes or bright lights for added effect.

8) Wrap new plantings– Placing netting over fruit, bulbs, and bushes. Use garden nets from Vexar, tree protectors from Tubex, or plastic tree wrap to physically bar deer from feasting on your firs.

9) Use a lot of homespun repellents to keep deer guessing– Some gardeners swear by hanging fabric softener strips and/or wrapped bars of soap from trees, both of which can confuse a deer’s sense of smell. Others point to using hot pepper sprays, garlic and rotten egg mixtures, ammonia-soaked rags, and bags of hair and/or blood meal around the garden for the same reason. As with commercial repellents, the trick is to switch things up, learning by trial and error, for maximum efficiency. Check out this tutorial on deer-proofing shrubs with Roger Cook. And experiment with deer juice, a tried-and-true recipe shared by TOH design director Amy Rosenfeld.

10) String fishing line around prized plants– Relatively cheap and easy when compared to putting up a fence, string a line of monofilament around your beds within the deer feeding zone—ideally two to three feet above ground. Just as deer can’t comprehend the concept of glass, this clear, taut barrier also confuses deer, ultimately causing them to flee.

This list was adapted from a much larger one posted here: How To Keep Your Deer Out Of The Garden