The winter before last I went outside one evening and noticed something on the other side of my flood lights. I had a small 15- to 20-member herd of deer grazing on the English ivy growing on the trees. They were just going to town on the ivy.

I didn’t feel that bad about seeing these deer eat the ivy. For us, this English ivy is poisonous. But as I looked closer at the ivy, this was not the first time they had grazed it.

Someone at a meeting where I was speaking a few years ago asked me about deer and how to control them. Again this week I was asked this same question by a friend who has been losing plants because of the deer that feed on them in her garden.

I want everyone to know it's not that unusual when deer munch on your plants. A few years ago, deer were considered the No. 1 pest of any sort in the U.S. If you have been following my colum, I have answered this question a number of times. Specifically, my friend from the pool asked me whether salvia were deer tolerant.

I have been battling deer since I started in this industry. My first job was to take a look at what was eating 23 Wichita blue junipers at a home off Miles Road in Cleveland. The bottom third of the junipers were defoliated, completely striped.

Most deer are difficult to address in that during a hard winter deer will eat almost anything. According to the disease triangle, environment is a part of the equation. This Cleveland client was really close to one of the metro parks where there was known to be a large herd of deer. Solutions were really rather limited.

To solve the problem, I planted more deer-resistant plants. Damage from deer the following year had subsided. On a public level we may have asked the park officials to provide feeding locations in hard winters to take care of the deer in the park so that they don’t need to wander out into the neighborhoods.

Trap crops have been used in agriculture where there are very few real solutions to controlling other pests. As an application here, we could also have looked at growing some field corn between the park and the yards experiencing the damage.

Let’s start out with planting trees that are resistant to deer. I have developed a list of deer tolerant trees and shrubs from many sources. You can find it in my blog at mikriscascadegardens.blogspot.com dated April 18.

To be sure there is a list of perennials that are deer tolerant. A list that I have used in the past can be found at provenwinners.com. For my friend, this list includes salvia as a deer-tolerant plant as well as bee balm, speedwell, giant onion, cat mint, lavender and heartleaf bergenia. From personal experience this is not a complete list and different plants in these groups are a bit more susceptible than others.

Large dogs do chase deer, which helps reduce the deer’s chance of browsing. There are a number of repellents on the market that need to be reapplied after each rain. These repellents can be rather effective if applied faithfully. I have heard human hair, blood, soap and feces from predators at the zoo can reduce damage. All of these have to be reapplied at a regular rate.

omemade deer repellents can be used to solve a portion of the deer problem. The taste of this repellent will not be something that the deer will want and they will avoid the treated plants. You are going to need water, eggs, hot sauce and garlic juice. Mix 5 gallons of water with 12 eggs, ½ cup of hot sauce, and ½ cup of garlic.

One of the keys to this repellent is that you must let this mixture sit for a couple of days before you use the mix. Deer do not like the rotten egg, garlic or hot sauce. Just as with the rest of the repellents, you need to faithfully reapply after each rain.

The solution that really takes care of the problem is a product that I have tested out for at least 15 years. ScareCrow was originally a Canadian product, but the concept is simple. A pest taller than a mole breaks an electronic beam that is hooked up to a water source and gets wet. The pest that gets sprayed runs away and hides. This is the best solution I have seen over all of these years.

Deer fence has also been a solution to keeping deer out of your yard at least 7 feet tall. As you may have guessed, there are all kinds of fences that will help control the deer problem to a degree. Deer are also smart and persistent, which means that deer fencing must go completely to the ground.

Nylon netting and nylon window screens during off seasons have also been used to control deer damage. Chicken wire and plastic tile can reduce the areas where there are deer rubs and control certain issues with regards to this. You can find these solutions in the April 18 blog. 

Hope you have a nice stroll through your garden this week and have enjoyed peonies, mock orange, Japanese kerria, Siberian iris, yellow loosestrife, Little Princess Spirea and iris. I'm already tired of the heat.

If you have any problems in your garden, let me know about it and I shall do the best, I can help you solve the issue. My e-mail address is ericlarson546@yahoo.com. My website is ohiohealthyfoodcooperative.org which I should get operational soon.

Eric Larson of Jeromesville is a veteran landscaper and gardening enthusiast and a founding board member of the Ohio Chapter of Association of Professional Landscape Designers. He encourages your gardening questions by sending an email to ewlarson546@yahoo.com.