Thanks for your concern, Zuzu.
The rule of thumb is to NEVER feed the deer or else you would have the whole herd in your garden.
At the beginning of the drought, my neighbor above me stopped watering his lawn. He almost had his own private herd of deer grazing on his property. They all moved down to my very small lawn. I've been chasing them off successfully for a couple of years, now, and the fence at the top of the slope has held until now.
I've called two different handymen and neither one of them have returned my calls. So, I am going to have to try to find someone else. That's not easy. Since most of that kind of work is seasonal, many of them go out of town to find work during the winter months.
I've tried to keep my sense of humor as they have eaten all of the deer resistant plants out in front of the house, but this is the first year they have decided to eat the magnolia tree. The roses out in front have strong deer fencing. They look great.
I think the doe has found another spot to get through. If I don't get all of them blocked, I won't see any roses next spring. I know the roses will come back, but they were finally getting some size on them. Considering that they are growing in nutrient poor soil, that says a lot about how good they were beginning to look. I think that's why I am so upset.
