As much as I’d like to plant pretty rose bushes and walk away, hungry deer are reminding me that there is more work to be done.
We planted multiple drift ground covered rose bushes last year in our yard – Front of Home “Landscape Reveal”. They are a pretty pink variety and are small bushes that will continue to bloom until November, if cared for properly.
Caring for Roses
Drift roses require full to part sun and should be pruned to maintain its shape. The roses bloom on new growth. This means that you can prune it almost anytime you want without ruining the season’s bloom. About the only time not to prune is late summer and early fall, as this might encourage late growth that wouldn’t harden off in time for winter. Our front yard gets a lot of sun so they are thriving BUT pesky deer have been feasting on the bushes for months and pissing me off! Why do deer eat roses anyway? Chewing on thorns does not sound like a good idea, I just don’t get it 🤷♀️
At a time of the year when roses should be in full bloom, our plants are looking sad and sparse.
How to Prune Drift Roses
It’s important to cut at a 45 degree angle and use clean shears that were washed in bleach. We don’t want to transfer any diseases to the delicate flowers.
Wear the Proper Gear to Prune Roses
Did I mention that it would be a good idea to wear gloves to prune rose bushes? Yea…I didn’t and I will be removing thorns from my skin for a while 🙄 Not very “sharp” of me was it? 😉
Best Deer Repellant on the Market – It actually Works
Now..what to do about those pesky hungry deer? I think I found a viable solution! After much complaining to my landscaper about the new plants and shrubs he installed which were supposed to be “deer resistant” 🤨 yea right, he advised me on a product that will take care of the issue.
I purchased these pellets on Amazon HERE like I do most of my purchases, and after just a couple weeks, I am happy to report that the product IS working! Don’t you love it when a product does what is says?!
Using a small rake, I uncovered the area around the root and put a handful of pellets around the base. It’s important to water the plant well after using the pellets. The product has to get into the roots which in turn will come up through the stems and repel deer with the nasty taste.
As a second layer of protection, I sprayed the bushes with a liquid repellant. The active ingredients in the spray is dried blood, hot pepper and garlic oils! Dried blood!? Seriously? As grotesque as it sounds, this spray is a lot less smelly than a prior spray I used to repel deer which is made of synthetic lion urine! 🤢
Anyway, I feel the pellets will do the job just fine, but I wanted double the assurance 😉
Do you follow along on Instagram? Thank you to all who do, I post tips and tricks on my stories often.
Denise
XO
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