Question
First off, thank you for taking my question and I hope you can help. I planted some new forsythia shrubs in the front of my yard and they are in their second year and they are still quite small. The deer seem to love eating the leaves off of them and I'm not sure how much of this they will take without the possibility of dying. Other than the deer they are doing very well and I took great care in planting them at the right depth, a big enough hole with proper soil and the like. I know that this type of shrub is a vigorous one that can often get out of hand when they mature into larger sizes but am unsure how they will fair when just planted and being eaten by the deer. Would you advise some kind of protective barrier around them or do you think they can handle the onslaught of these deer? Your expert advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again for your time as a volunteer to help me with this matter.

Answer
Dear Charles

Thank you for your question.

Deer can completely devastate a garden in no time - I know from experience!

Your forsythia will need to be protected and the surest way of doing this is to put a 'deer fence' around your whole yard at least 6 feet high (you'd be surprised how high deer can jump!).  This is a pretty expensive proposition though.  You could surround each plant with a wire mesh fencing placed about 2-3 feet out from the plant and at least 6 feet high.  If your plants are close enough together you may be able to enclose them all within one protected area.

If the deer can't get to the plants they may lose interest in them and go elsewhere for an easier to get at meal!  

As the forsythia get bigger and more vigorous they may be able to withstand some attention from these very destructive animals, but I think you should keep a very close eye on the situation and be prepared to replace the fencing.

As a friend of mine said 'how do you feel about venison?'!