Q: I just moved to Highland Park from the city and was quite surprised when my neighbors told me about the occasional group of deer that comes through the neighborhood feeding on plants. I am especially fond of my crabapples, yews and arborvitae in the backyard. What can I do to prevent damage from deer? My yard does have a 6-foot-tall wood fence around it.

— Betsy Rogers, Highland Park

A: I also live in Highland Park and do have deer that browse in my garden on occasion. Some plants are more deer-resistant than others, but deer will eat almost any plant if they are hungry enough, especially during winters with large amounts of snow and in areas with high populations of deer.

Since there is not any snow cover yet, it is a good idea to walk your garden on a weekly basis to monitor for animal damage. Rabbits can also do a lot of damage in a garden. Once there is snow cover, it is easy to see animal tracks in the garden.

Some common plants favored by deer include arborvitae, yew, rhododendron, azalea and crabapple. Yews and arborvitae can be ruined by deer browsing, as they will strip foliage from all parts of the plant they can reach — which can be as high as 6 feet. I have not ever seen boxwood that were browsed by deer.

Deer will eat the buds, leaves, flowers, twigs, and even the bark of plants. Deer pull and tear at plant tissue as they browse for food, leaving a ragged edge rather than a clean cut. Rabbit damage can be identified by clean-cut, 45-degree-angled clipping of young stems in winter. Perennials can be browsed to the ground during the growing season. Gnaw marks from rabbits can be found irregularly placed on the trunks of smooth-barked trees and shrubs a few inches about the ground or snow line. Rabbits can only reach as high as they can stand, plus the depth of snow. Rabbit droppings are pea-sized individual pellets.

You will need an 8-foot-tall fence around the perimeter of your garden if you want to exclude deer. They can easily jump over lower fences like yours. Most village codes will not allow an 8-foot-tall fence, so you will need to find other ways of protect plants of high value that deer have an interest in eating.

Individual plants or groups of plants can be covered by plastic garden netting or chicken wire to exclude the deer. The Chicago Botanic Garden does not net crabapples to protect from deer browsing, as the damage does not warrant the effort to protect them.

It is important to securely attach the netting in areas with high feeding pressure, as the deer will try to pull the netting off to get at the highly desired plants, such yews and arborvitae. All-purpose, strong, plastic-covered wire ties work well to secure the netting to the plants.

If your arborvitaes are tall, you only need to protect them up to an approximate height of 6-7 feet where the deer can reach. Commercial repellents can be applied when temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit and may provide protection but need to be reapplied after a substantial amount of rain. It is best to rotate different repellents so deer do not become accustomed to any one product.

Hanging bars of soap or bags of human hair on plants to deter deer browsing does not reliably work. I have had more problems with deer and rabbit damage during the growing season versus the winter, even with yews and arborvitae in my backyard.

The deer in your neighborhood may not pose much of a threat to your garden in most years. Monitor on a regular basis and be prepared to install protection when you see damage. If your backyard abuts open, wooded green space, you may want to consider covering your yews and arborvitae, as you will be more likely to have deer visiting on a regular basis.

For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at plantinfo @chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.