Protecting irises and roses from deer

Protecting irises and roses from deer

I just want to tell you about my experience with using Plantskydd® on my irises and roses. Last August I replanted my entire iris garden – 350 varieties. The last time I did that 4 years ago, deer came in and pulled up over 70 newly planted varieties, scattering labels and rhizome all over the beds.

Last year, after a reforestation project, we had a bag of Plantskydd® deer repellant left. I spoke with a Plantskydd® representative and he stated that, while no research on using the product on irises was available, I could test it on my irises and recommended that I use it at half strength, I did so, and although I saw some evidence of deer in the bed before applying Plantskydd®, there was NO further evidence of deer visiting my iris garden. None at all. I had some extra Plantskydd® left and sprayed about 40 rose bushes and had only two nibbles and then they were also left alone. I was finally able to enjoy my roses. What a bonus. This year I’ll be trying Plantskydd® on hostas and other tasty-to-deer perennials. Perhaps I won’t be raising a deer salad bar any longer.

While Plantskydd® seems expensive at the outset, one advantage I really like is that you don’t have to respray after each rain. I’ve recommended it to so many people and have told them to be on the lookout for a product that really works. Thanks Plantskydd® people.

Marlene Johnston,
Orofino, Idaho