Protecting Your Plants from Deer This Winter 🦌🌲

As the weather turns colder and the days grow shorter, food becomes scarce for deer. When their usual food sources disappear, they’re forced to browse on plants they might normally ignore. And unfortunately, that often means trouble for your landscape.

Winter browsing isn’t about preference—it’s about survival. When deer can’t find their favorite food in the wild, they move closer to our homes and gardens, searching for anything green to sustain them. When we used to do plant installations I would often joke with customers that the deer haven’t read the “deer resistant” list of plants. When it’s eat what you don’t like or starve to death they eat what they don’t like! 

Here’s a quick look at their winter menu favorites:

1. Yews (Taxus) – a top choice for hungry deer
2. Arborvitae (Thuja) – Especially the Emerald Green variety that so many have as hedges in their landscape
3. Holly – the sharp glossy leaves don’t deter their appetite
4. Juniper, Firs & even the sharp needled Spruces when food becomes scarce enough

In other words, the lush evergreens that give your property beauty and structure in the winter are often the first to be stripped bare.

The best time to take action is before the deer arrive. Once they’ve developed a habit of feeding in your yard, it’s much harder to stop them.

One of the most effective solutions we use is a new generation of organic deer repellent. Here’s why it works so well: ✅ Made with natural ingredients (sheep fat) deer dislike ✅ Odor-free (no unpleasant smells around your home!) ✅ Safe for people, pets, and the environment ✅ Encourages deer to move along before they cause major damage

✅Applications also help deter rubbing by Bucks during the fall rut season

1. We’ll do a site visit and give you a list of what we will treat
2. Starting in Nov we treat the plant material- the scent will deter adults since it smells like a slaughter house to them yet there is no strong smell to people!
3. Juveniles who haven’t developed a fear of the scent yet will nibble but find it tastes unpleasant and inedible 
4. We reapply 2x more times throughout the winter (as weather allows the product to be applied above freezing temps) to create a lasting barrier throughout the whole winter
5. Come spring you don’t have bare plants!
6. The product is safe for pollinators including bees, all natural, non toxic and biodegradable!

Deer browsing doesn’t just ruin the look of your landscape—it can weaken or even kill shrubs and trees. Once the greenery is stripped away, plants have a harder time recovering in the spring. By protecting them now, you’re preserving years of growth and investment in your landscape.

Think of deer protection as insurance for your evergreens. A little prevention now means healthier, fuller plants come spring. Don’t wait until you see branches stripped clean—by then, the damage is already done and can take years to rebound.

👉 Ready to protect your landscape this winter? Contact Green Sphere today to learn more about our organic deer repellent program. Your plants will thank you—and the deer will happily move on!