The deer must have hacked into my email account. I opened the front door and there were five of them in my front yard. The RDV was untouched they can eat anything beside roses in my yard. They leave the oak trees alone. They have topped my agapanthas and munched on my tomato plants.

LOL-- those sneaky deer.

Time for fencing?

Re fencing: If I were single.... I have a large lot, but the only areas that get enough sun are the front yard and one of the side yards. The side yard with the sun is the side that has the view. My wife correctly considers fences an eyesore. I had an area near the far reaches of the yard that I used for a cutting garden. I attached clothes line to posts and hung deer netting with shower curtain hooks. That worked but over time the area got too shady.

I had over 100 bushes in my front yard. Minis in the front, hybrid teas and then grandifloras. Rugosas planted under the trees. As the trees grew, mine and the neighbors there isn't enough sun for more than 20. The two survivors other than the climbers are ; RDV and Portand from Glendora. I'm planting the three new hybrid teas next to them and spraying them all with deer repellant.

The terrible eye-sore-ness of fencing is exactly what led me to investigate climbing roses this year! Had to have one; the dogs are much happier than being walked on leashes in their own yard (oh, the tiresome nature of the leash!) and the deer do seem to wreck less havoc now.

It's not the fence that keeps them away; you couldn't build a fence high enough! I've watched them take a 7ft fence without breaking a sweat! Much to my chagrin, that fence was surrounding my first attempt at corn. I lost the whole harvest.

It's the dogs.

Maybe find some obliging pups to help you mark up your lawn as dangerous-to-deer?

Or... you might think of getting an invisible fence with collars for the dogs. My neighbor says they work very well.

My deer fence has been held up for years by wishful thinking. So far, no matter how big their racks are, none of the deer have toppled the thing over. They don't jump it because from their side, it doesn't look like their is a place for them to land. Lucky me.

Smiles,
Lyn

Lyn, Same story here: if the deer cannot see where they are going to land or if the other side looks too steep for them to land, they do not jump. Six-foot fences have worked here for 10 years for both reasons (previously, deer damage was outrageous).
~ Debbie