A family of deer can make for a storybook backyard moment, until gardeners notice the mass carnage they inflict in the form of stripped leaves, chewed stems, and missing blooms.
What's happening?
That tension played out in a recent post on the r/gardening subreddit, where the original poster wrote ominously, "there goes the garden," alongside a photo of two deer.
The replies to the two animals on display described damage across all kinds of plants, from young trees to established ornamentals. "So cute but so destructive," was a description from one commenter that about summed it up.
"Three fawns living in my yard this year," one commenter said. "My garden was destroyed."
"They've eaten the leaves off my young mulberry sapling twice now," another commenter wrote.
Others mentioned deer going after roses, hostas, hydrangeas, maples, and dahlias. The mood in the thread mixed irritation with admiration for the animals themselves.
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"That's the problem with cute wildlife," one commenter wrote. "They look innocent right up until they turn your favorite plant into an all-you-can-eat buffet."
Why does it matter?
For many households, a garden is more than decoration. Growing fruits, vegetables, and herbs at home can help lower grocery costs, provide fresher food, and encourage people to spend more time outside and stay active.
Gardening can also support mental health by reducing stress and creating a calming daily routine.
When deer wipe out young plants or repeatedly damage saplings, those benefits can become much harder to enjoy. A single round of browsing can erase weeks or even months of work, especially when plants are still getting established.
For beginners in particular, that kind of setback can be discouraging enough to make them give up on growing their own food or flowers altogether.
What can I do?
Commenters shared a few practical strategies, most of them focused on barriers and persistence.
Some gardeners focused on protecting individual plants. One person described building a homemade barrier from "decorative trellises and a variety of leftover mesh fencing pieces."
"They're a menace around where I live," another offered. "Ended up ordering a metal cage to fit around it until it's tall enough to avoid these devourers."
Despite all that, the same commenter conceded that "they're so stinkin cute, though."
Repellent was another option people recommended, with commenters shouting out deer repellent like Bobbex and similar products off Amazon. There are deer-resistant plants to consider, too.
The OP came back in with a positive update on their own protection for their yard.
"Learned my lesson early," they wrote. "I have an 8 ft fence around my dahlias and chicken wire 3 feet buried on each side of the fence for the groundhogs."
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