Ask the Answer Person: What can I do to keep deer from eating my hostas?

The Answer Person says:  "Deer certainly do love to eat hosta plants. They eat the leaves and leave the stems behind. Although some hostas are marketed as deer resistant, when deer are hungry enough, they'll eat anything, so no hosta is completely safe. The best strategy is to take steps to keep the deer at bay altogether. Here are a few suggestions:

• Put up a fence – this may be the most effective way to keep deer away from your hostas, but it is also the most expensive method. The fence should be 8′ to 10′ high.

• Get a dog – having a dog can be an effective way to scare away deer.

• Avoid fragrant hostas – deer are attracted to the smell of fragrant hostas. If you have a lot of deer near your home, you might want to avoid planting these in your garden.

• Use human hair – spread the hair around your garden to keep deer away from your hostas and other plants.

•  Install noise and/or light deterrents – place sensor lights around your garden that will turn on when deer come near your garden. The light will scare them away. You can also try putting radio noise in your garden to scare deer.

• Don't feed the deer – feeding them will just encourage them to keep coming back.

•  Spray deer repellent - make your own spray using a combination of garlic, rotten eggs and red pepper flakes, or buy a manufactured spray such as Liquid Fence sold at Ladybug Landscapes and other local retailers. Follow the manufacturer's directions carefully and reapply and rotate as needed as deer can become used to one particular scent."