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RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

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Deer Repellent – Keep Deer From Eating Your Shrubs

Resources: Tree Problems

Are deer trampling your gardens and eating all your shrubs? Chances are it’s because your landscape is full of trees and shrubs that are deer favorites. We like to call these types of trees/shrubs deer candy because deer go crazy for these plants.

Deer are usually lazy, they will feed on shrubs that are the easiest to reach. However; if they spot Deer candy, they will go through a lot of effort to get to those plants and devour them. When it comes to deer candy, deer won’t stop eating your shrub until most of the plant is destroyed.

What Types Of Plants Are Considered Deer Candy?

In this area, Euonymus (also called spindle, burning-bush, strawberry-bush, wahoo, or wintercreeper) is #1 on the list of plants that are like candy to deer. Euonymus is the name of a wide genus of flowering plants in the staff vine family and is commonly planted in suburban gardens. Our arborists estimate that in our area, 1 out of every 3 homes has some type of Euonymus in their yards.

Deer Repellent 1
Euonymus fortunei
Deer Repellent 2
Euonymus fortunei ‘Emerald Gaiety’
Deer Repellent 3
Euonymus fortunei ‘minimus’

Although not as tasty, deer also love to go after Hosta (Host sp.), Candy Lily (Pardancanda x norrisii), Roses, Yews (Taxus sp.) American Arborviate (Thuja occidentalis), Evergreen Azaleas & Rhododendron (Rhododendron sp)


Deer RepellentWhat Can I Do To Keep Deer From Eating My Shrubs?

The trick to keeping deer from eating your shrubs is to make these usually tasty feasts taste terrible. We do this through treating the shrub’s foliage with a special product that makes your shrubs taste bad. The next time the deer wander onto your property for a snack, they will go in for a taste but quickly find out that what looks like their favorite meal tastes horrible. Discouraged they will move on to the next tasty plant in the vicinity (usually your neighbor’s plants unless they get deer protection as well.)

This treatment is safe and not harmful to your plants/shrubs. However, it is not advised for Blue spruces otherwise their blue tint will be removed.


Deer Eating Your Shrubs?

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Or Call 703.573.3029


Plants Rarely Damaged By Deer

If hungry enough, deer will eat anything. However; if you have one of the following plants you can rest a little easier this year. These plants are disliked by deer and typically aren’t necessary to treat with deer repellent.

We suggest planting these plants in the future if your landscape has been destroyed by deer feeding.

Trees:

  • Eastern Redbud
  • Eastern Redcedar
  • Green Hawthorn
  • Bald Cypress
  • American Holly

 

Forsythia – Deer Resistant Shrub

Shrubs: 

  • Forsythia
  • Lilac
  • Cypress, Goldthread
  • Dogwood, Redtwig
  • Butterfly Bush
  • Boxwood Varieties

Plants:

  • Virginia Iris
  • Ferns
  • Lavender
  • Marigold

 

Your plant not mentioned in this article? Look up your tree/shrub species to see if it’s deer resistance, a deer favorite, or somewhere in between! https://njaes.rutgers.edu/deerresistance/

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Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

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