I am new to gardening in this area and wondering if there are any maintenance practices I should use to prevent animal damage in my garden. I have heard that deer can be a big problem. — José Alvarez, Highwood Many gardeners drop their guard in winter, giving animals an opportunity to do significant damage to garden plants. I have run into problems in past years from not routinely checking my plants through the winter. Rabbits, voles and mice often chew on the bark of shrubs and young trees during the winter months. This damages the inner cambium layer and affects the flow of water and nutrients between the roots and foliage. When the bark is damaged all around a trunk or stem, the plant may die above that point. Trees and shrubs that are well established and healthy should resprout from live tissue below the damage but still may not be worth saving in some cases depending on the type of plant. If the bark has been completely eaten at ground level, many plants will die. Single-stem trees are typically ruined when they are completely girdled unless you can retrain the tree into a clump form. Deer can do serious damage to yews and arborvitae from browsing foliage up to about 6 feet. It’s easy to miss the damage until it becomes significant if you are not paying attention. Snow cover does not prevent damage these animals can do. Damage can be prevented by clearing herbaceous plants away from the base of plants to reduce cover and make it harder for pests to hide from predators such as hawks and owls. Wrap the plant trunks or surround shrubs with fine mesh hardware cloth or wire fencing with holes ¼ inch or less in diameter. The material should be pinned to the ground or buried 1 to 2 inches beneath the surface of the soil and may need to be as high as 4 feet to prevent rabbits from causing damage during winters with deep snow cover. Wrapping individual stems with tree wrap can also work to deter rabbits, voles and mice from feeding on the bark. Larger-diameter plastic corrugated cylinders can also be used by splitting them lengthwise and placing them around tree trunks. Repellents may also be used, but they wash off over time and must be reapplied and are generally not as effective. Repellents can be reapplied when temperatures are above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. A dog can help dissuade rabbits and deer from browsing in a yard. (My three dachshunds must be defective! They simply look at the resident rabbit in my backyard and do not give chase.) It is important to continue monitoring your garden for animal damage throughout the winter. Install or adjust barriers as needed. Look for gnawed bark at the base of trees and shrubs as you walk through your garden. Rabbits can cause considerable damage over the course of winter by feeding on shrubs. As snow piles up, they reach higher and higher to eat. Chicken wire works well to exclude rabbits. Deer will also browse plants during the winter. Gardeners try hanging soap or hair in branches as well as other techniques, but most do not actually repel deer browsing. Use physical barriers such as wire or netting or chemical repellants to protect plants from deer. Yews and arborvitae are deer favorites and will very likely be browsed in areas where deer are active. I have three small yews close to the front of my house in an area where there are deer and have not had any browsing issues yet. Deer occasionally show up in my backyard during spring, summer and fall. In your Highwood neighborhood, deer browsing very well may be a problem. For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at [email protected]. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.