So what has been the impact of the overabundance of deer on Laurelwood Arboretum? As a commercial nursery decades ago, many rhododendrons and azaleas were planted and thrived. Those specimens became the horticultural heritage of the arboretum, and have contributed enormously to its beauty and serenity as a place of respite for our visitors. Even as the deer population grew, these plants were left alone because there were other plants that were more palatable to the deer’s taste. It didn’t take long, however, for the deer’s favorite plants to be depleted and for the deer to move on to other plants out of necessity. Azaleas have been hardest hit, but rhododendrons have also been on the menu, and thus our status as a nationally renowned garden for these beautiful plants is threatened.
We have replaced many plantings that have been ravaged by the deer. Not only is this costly, our frustration only grows when we see the replacements themselves become deer food. Moving to other types of plants is not always the answer. Just this past season, the deer attacked our beauty berry and arborvitae for the first time. We are sure it won’t be the last. You can just imagine the morale of our volunteers who spend so much time and effort on planning and planting the gardens only to see their vision being chewed down to the ground.
In an effort to protect our treasured heritage, we have been spraying deer repellent for many years. Repellent offers limited protection; it washes away in the rain and must be reapplied, and as deer become accustomed to the smell the repellent loses its efficacy and we must change the repellent that we use from time to time.
In the last few years, we have been netting the more vulnerable plantings in the arboretum. Netting is more permanent than deer repellent, but it has to be repaired again and again due to the ravages of the weather and of the deer themselves. When the netting is breached, the plants that have been off limits are eaten to the ground. Netting is also an eyesore, detracting from our beautiful landscape and preventing visitors from experiencing our plants close up.
These protective measures are expensive. The materials cost several thousands of dollars each year, but even more of a burden are the untold hours it takes our staff and volunteers to spray repellent, and to install and maintain the nets.
The overpopulation of deer in our area has had obvious, deleterious effects on Laurelwood Arboretum, but it is also a statewide emergency that adversely affects the economy, our ecosystems and our health.
Look for next month’s article which will focus on the economic impact of deer overabundance.
