Customer photo of an allium by Dustin Lovell of Indianola, Iowa. Deer-resistant plants can be beautiful, too. "This is a purple allium backed by red roses. I just thought the color combination and the juxtaposition of the spiky allium against the soft romantic roses made for a nice composition." For related products, see Deer-Resistant Bulbs and Plants

A deer grazing in a field is a beautiful sight. But if you like plants, a deer in your yard means trouble. To them, your landscape plantings and gardens are a free, all-you-can-eat restaurant with plenty of menu choices and convenient 24 hour access.

Deer love the same landscapes humans do. They are creatures of the forest edge, thriving in areas that combine open meadows and woods. Their ideal home has a few trees, some interesting shrubs and plenty of grass. Sounds like your yard, doesn't it?

In most parts of the country, deer have few, if any, natural predators. Their numbers have exploded and they've become a real menace for gardeners. Even when deer are able to find plenty of food in the wild, your garden peas, hostas and tulips are delectable treats worth seeking out. And if food supplies are scarce, hungry deer will eat just about anything that's growing.

So how do you keep your yard and garden from being devoured? Here are four strategies:

1. Plant what deer don't want.
If you've had trouble with deer, you already know the plants they love: cedar, yew, fruit trees, lilies, tulips and hostas to name a few. Fortunately, there are some plants deer seem to dislike. These include most thorny plants and those with fuzzy or leathery leaves. Bulbs that usually escape damage are daffodils, alliums, crocuses, Star of Holland, chionodoxa, winter aconite, grape hyacinths, crown imperials and snowdrops. (For a complete list, see our selection of Deer-Resistant Plants.) Deer-resistant shrubs include lilac, forsythia, spirea and potentilla. Other landscape plants they will generally avoid are paper birch, American holly, drooping leucothoe, Colorado blue spruce, and flowering dogwood.

What deer eat (and how much of it) depends greatly on the season, the particular plant, the weather and the availability of other foods. Generally speaking, the more hungry they are, the less selective they'll be.

2. Repel deer with smell and taste.
Sometimes deer need a little encouragement to stay away. Repellents discourage deer from feeding either because they have a bad taste or a noxious smell.

Rotten eggs and garlic seem to be two of the most effective deterrents around. Products that contain these ingredients can last for months, and emit smells that deer avoid or have flavors that deer find distasteful. Repellents work best when you don't have a lot of deer around and when damage is relatively light. The longer deer have been feeding in your garden, the less effective repellents will be.

You'll be most successful if you put the repellents out when you first see deer damage or begin to notice deer hanging around. Make sure you follow directions and reapply as recommended. If you continue to see deer damage, switch to a different repellent, or try a frightening device.

3. Frighten deer away.
A deer's only defense is to run, so they are always on the alert for predators (coyotes, wolves, dogs, people). Unexpected noises can be an effective way to send a deer running for cover.

The challenge is to keep deer from becoming accustomed to the noise. If you move the noise-making devices around to different places in your garden, the deer will stay confused and unnerved. Another option is a motion-detecting device that fires a spray of water when motion is detected. For some gardeners, the family dog can be a very effective deer deterrent.

4. Create a physical barrier.
Fencing is the most permanent and reliable deer control solution. If you have a serious problem with deer, you'll save lots of heartache by installing a sturdy fence around your yard or garden.

Deer can jump very high, so an effective deer fence needs be at least 7 feet tall. Deer may try to go over, under or through a fence, so make sure it is securely attached to wood or metal posts and that the fence extends all the way to the ground. For added security in areas with very severe deer problems, you can add a second fence several feet outside the main fence. Deer have poor depth perception and double fencing seems to unnerve them.

If you have a relatively small garden area, a 4-foot high fence may be adequate. Deer generally dislike entering small, confined areas. Another alternative, especially if deer pressure is severe is to erect two parallel fences, 4 feet high and 4 feet apart.

Ideally, a deer fence should be angled towards the garden at about 30 degees. Deer avoid stepping on or jumping over something that they sense could entangle them.

Particularly susceptible shrubs can be wrapped with black nylon netting or nylon window screening. This is a very useful technique to help reduce winter browsing. More Information For more on this topic, read Deer-Resistant Bulbs.