Fences may work. Sprays do not. (They might slow the deer down, but after a week or so at the most, it seems that the daylilies become somewhat palatable again.)
We are past peak bloom here, so (for those daylilies outside of our fence protected side yard) I've adopted the approach of simply trying to save seed pods, blooms that I want pollen from (or want to pollinate), or scapes which I have yet to see bloom on at all.
It's unsightly, and I think that it does interfere a bit with the blooms opening (unless maybe you are out in the garden before 6 am, which I am not), but for the past week or so (as the deer have gotten desperate for food, so have I), I've been using organza mesh bags over those buds, pods, and scapes which I really, really, really want to protect.
While it is not blanket coverage of the daylily garden, and it may have some impact on bloom opening (especially for nocturnals and EMOs), the bags seem to have helped where used; we've had continuing night raids the last several days, but the pods, buds, and flowers inside the mesh have been untouched. (If you are handy with a sewing machine (I am not), I imagine you could get rolls of this material, and make your own (much) larger bags which you could put over multiple scapes, if not the entire clump.)
The blooms do not have to stay caged all day, either, depending on if you or your dog is home and outside to defend the garden. Either my dog Warp and/or I are out in the garden during the day, so I can take the bags off in the morning and enjoy the blooms and pollinate and collect pollen, and the deer won't come nigh. (If they try, our stalwart garden defender chases them out.
) Come early evening, shortly after dinner, Warp and I go back out, I take off any blooms which I have not pollinated, and I put the bags back on.
protecting a baby seed pod, and also flower buds, on 'All American Girl' (a new plant for me)
protecting select seedlings in the patio seedling box
our stalwart garden defender, Warp, looking for trail treats as we near the end of a hike
Apart from the unsightliness, this has turned out to be an effective emergency treatment to protect select pods and buds. Sadly, though, it does force you to make sacrificial choices, as is amazing how many seed pods or flower buds you absolutely
must protect, but you don't have nearly enough bags to protect them all.
A new order has been placed for more bags... thankfully the company usually delivers quickly here.
