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Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

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Thursday - October 22, 2015

From: GEORGETOWN, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Non-Natives, Deer Resistant
Title: Deer eating Non-native Asiatic Jasmine in Georgetown, TX
Answered by: Mike Tomme

QUESTION:

Is there a spray or granular material that will prevent deer from eating asiatic jasmine?

ANSWER:

The mission of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes. Asiatic Jasmine is native to Korea and Japan and is outside our area of expertise at the Ladybird Johnson WIldflower Center.

However, we do know a little about deer. In Mr. Smarty Plants opinion, the long term answer top your question is no. There are many products for sale that claim to repel deer and I'm sure some, if not most, of them work - for a while. Here is an article that summarizes pretty well various approaches to repelling deer: Deter Deer In The Garden. Mr. Smarty Plants has previously proposed a device that makes a sound like a mountain lion's tummy growling whenever a deer approaches.

There may be a bright spot for you. Deer do not generally eat asian jasmine unless they get pretty desparate. As the weather cools and the summer drought relents, other plants may start to recover and the deer will leave your jasmine alone and start eating the rest of your landscape.

 

 

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