Garden

[Twins Mom]

I have a row of roses along south side of my home which has relatively high visibility from street traffic.  I have loved my roses but with deer eating them I have had to put up deer netting and that makes it difficult to pick, clean up dropped leaves, etc.  I would appreciate suggestions on what to replace them with.  I tried one butterfly Bush and it looks nice but I don't think alone they would be enough.  In Midwest we have high humidity and high heat.  I like greenery but also enjoy summer color. Much sun. Any suggestions?  

[Still Raining]

My climate is different that all I share is my exasperation with deer.  

One thought is take a local walk and to see solutions.  In the old days you could talk with them.  Beware of sure fire solutions, your deer might have different tastes.

The struggle is real.

[mousiegirl]

@Twins Mom   I have trouble with rabbits and or rats eating my roses, so I planted some Society garlic in each pot, but pots of it near in ground roses, if not planted, would work.  I found this.  You could check with your garden center to see if deer proof plants are sold, they are sold here in California.  I am fenced so deer can't get in, but they did once when a gate was left open, and they did dine on my roses.

"You could accidentally plant something that your deer find absolutely delicious! Some deer-repelling plants with strong aromas include lavender, catmint, garlic or chives." 

[JustJazzmom]

There are no true deer resistant plants because if they are hungry enough, they will defy those who insist the plant was deer resistant. 

There are 2 great small books written by a friend of mine who works at our local cooperative extension called 'Gardening in Deer Country' &  'Flowerbeds & Borders in Deer Country'. These books can be used in conjunction & it's broken down by plant characteristics & likelihood of being eaten. These books were designed with the next county over from us, Suffiolk County where deer can be a huge problem, the further East one travels.

Look for it on Amazon.

Rabbits are a different story, they leave distinct damage to roses, never up high but low to the ground leaving only the leaf veins visible. I use rabbit fencing to deter them. I make the fencing about 13" (I want to be able to walk-in to rose area with killing myself) & use twistees on the corners & U shaped metal stakes (landscape staples) every so many feet. On longer pieces (over 8'), I stick a small peony stake & tie a twistee from the fencing to the stake to keep it from bending. 

I find the fencing disappears to the eye & it's not very noticeable. We did have one rabbit who figured out how to jump the fencing, & another who used to look around for me before standing on its hind legs to lean against the fencing of our Tricyrtis to nibble on the leaves & flowers. 

You can also use liquid repellents, but after heavy rain, need to be applied again.

[skatting44]

Lowes sell a variety of a hardy  pink & white & drk pink hibiscus  which you can plant in the US that will survive the winter and will rebloom each year . I planted several around my home . They  are very hardy plants  they survive in hot  dry weather and  extra rainy weather .  As far as maintence  , just cut down their old stems at the end of the season. THe seed pods  form off stems . I have collected the seeds and  have grown plants from seeds . Plants gow atleast 3 ft high  and with alot of rain can grow 4 ft high .

Perennial Hibiscus, commonly known as Rose Mallow

Perennial hibiscus are hardy perennials in zones 4-9. Their large stature and dinner plate sized blossoms make them the talk of the neighborhood from midsummer to early fall as they flaunt their tropical looking blossoms.

[suzykee]

Have you tried cayenne pepper on your roses? A friend of mine has deer problems with her plants & sprinkles on cayenne pepper (powdered) she buys at Sam's club. We tried it on our vegetable garden this year since the deer seemed to think we were growing it for them, ha,ha. It has worked! And it isn't expensive. Might be worth a try before you get rid of you beautiful roses.

[silkyk]

Oh please don't ditch the roses. You might try an Ultrasonic animal repellent (lots on Amazon) or a motion activater water sprinkler like the Scarecrow. Both work good!

[JustJazzmom]

Some of the rose mallows may need staking of stems to keep them upright. 'Lord Baltimore' and 'Lady Baltimore' need staking.

There is also a 'Disco' series that might be not as tall but large blooms.

[candys mine]

@Twins Mom  Ice plant?  It's more of a ground cover but it's hardy and supposed to be Deer resistant.

[Twins Mom]

@suzykee 

I tried in roses a year ago with limited dyccess. Also hung Irish Spring soap.  The csyenne pepper might work now in my begonias now that they have matured.  The netting is in their way too.