Daylily Deer Fencing at the Donohoe Demonstration Gardens in Greensburg, PA led by the Penn State Master Gardeners of Westmoreland County.
Daylilies
The deer fencing project began due to a progressive change in deer pressure in the Daylily Garden. Mary Niezelski started working in the garden after a prolonged closure during COVID-19.
In 2021 and 2022, Mary was able to manage the daylilies using a deer spray, but it required many garden visits to ensure continued bloom success.
Kathy Dobbin joined the garden in 2022. By early 2023, a plan was formed to install a deer fence using fishing line to ensure that deer could not jump or duck under the fence.
The fishing line fence worked very well at deterring deer from eating the daylilies for two seasons – 2023 and 2024.
Due to new policies, no deer sprays were used.
With just the fencing, the 100 different cultivars of daylilies thrived and were on full display.
Master Gardeners were able to educate visitors and volunteers on this low-cost and effective strategy to deter deer.
Methods
- Place 20 5-foot-tall T-posts (7-8 feet apart)around the 200 square foot garden.
- Use four slotted 10-inch PVC pipes to create two gates.
- String 30-pound fishing line between the posts at three heights.
- Monitor weekly for broken lines.
