I have never tried this personally but have been told that if you border the area with human hair trimmings the smell well keep the deer away. I am very soon going to start a rose garden where there are many deer day and night. I will try this myself as it was "sworn to work."

Deer LOVE eating roses! Nothing will stop them .....unless they can't get to them. Enclose each rose bush with chicken wire,even the top! This is the only prevention from deer.

I, too, live in deer country and have had some success with a product called Plant Skyd. It is expensive and smells AWFUL when it is applied. The smell does fade after a few hours. Don't stand downwind when you apply it, however.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and was told that a mixture of egg, chili powder and water sprayed on roses somewhat regularly will help control the deer. It has worked for me!

Believe it or not, there are whole books written about this subject ! That's why I smiled when I saw your question about deer candy...ooops... rose buds. I have just moved into deer country and have learned several things from the books. One of the less intrusive methods is to plant deer-resistant plants as part of a border around the garden and in with the roses. Plants like rosemary, sage, lavender and a lot more.

The theory is that the scent of these plants destroys the deer's ability to smell and they believe they are in danger of being eaten by predators and avoid this type of garden. Makes sense to me and I do know some people who have had success with designing their gardens in this fashion.

Does it always work? No. Deer can't read books. However, I like these plants and am including them in my garden.

This last year, I put chicken wire flat on the soil under the mulch and planted underplantings that grew up through the wire. It worked this year. Who knows? Next year another deer might not mind stepping on the wire.

However, the library and the net provides a lot of information on this subject.

Smiles,

Lyn
helpmefind.com

i have used this spray for the last five years on the gardens that i maintain, and it works .. 1 quart of water in a blender .. add 1 egg yolk (no white) and 1 tablespoon of baking powder .. gently blend, put into some kind of sprayer, and spray directly on any plants that deer have eaten in the past .. you need to apply this every 2-3 weeks, regardless of rain .. or, in the event that thoughts of deer come to mind, spray that day! .. good luck .. i'm sure you'll see things bloomed that never had a chance before because they'd been nipped ..