Anywhere you are landscaping has its challenges and I say “bring it on”, as it is a favorite pastime of mine. I make it a point to know what grows well in my climate, altitude, what is indigenous, etc.
I must say, after living in several states, I have never had to deal with the deer like I do in Cody. We have an influx of deer running amuck in town! They graze on the fresh lawns, tree trimmings and flowers; birth their young under a favorite pine tree in the neighborhood; stand in the road with that “headlights” look in their eyes. If you saw the movie Peter Rabbit, they presented it quite accurately…..ha, ha. And they never use a crosswalk (fancy that). We learn never to pass a car which had stopped in the middle of the street for no apparent reason, because most likely, it’s for deer crossing the road. And where there is one, there is more!
Although we are not allowed to feed them in town, our farm and ranch supply stores include Deer Feed for out of town areas. Feed can be found for fall and winter feeding and include corn, acorns and soybeans. Feed for winter include oats, triticale and wheat. Food plot seed mixes usually containing Clover, Rape Seed and Turnip mixes, depending on the season, are used to attract the deer to areas where you hunt. Oh my!
We find Echinacea, snap dragons, lavender, dahlias, russian sage, peonies, indian blanket flowers and various grasses are nice options the deer are not fond of.
Just when you’ve found the perfect trees/large shrubs that thrive in our climate, and that the deer don’t find a delicacy, you think you have it made. THEN, the deer find the tree trunks to rub their antlers and facilitate the shedding...which can kill your tree!!!
OH DEER!
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