Using Moats as Landscaping Features

This morning we planted three roses on the deck in the three big planters. White Fair Bianca went in the terra cotta planter in the corner of the deck above the Blush Noisette down below. Hopefully the pink Noisette will climb high enough up the deck rails to be a nice contrast to the white roses. Splendid copper Pat Austin went in a whiskey barrel across the deck. The last Sceptre'd Isle went in the remaining whiskey barrel at the top of the steps and will be the perfect topper for the New Dawn climbing the stair rail.

The terra cotta planter took 25 gallons of topsoil/peat moss/composted manure/Perlite mixture and each whiskey barrel took 30 gallons. Moving 85 gallons of dirt is no fun task. So before we move any more roses to the deck to keep them away from the deer, I decided to look further into Using Moats as Landscaping Features.

I searched all over the Internet for "Using Moats as Landscaping Features" but didn't turn up a single "How To" article. So I looked up the definition of "moat". Moat: A deep defensive trench surrounding a castle and usually filled with water. That definition was not very encouraging.

Check out this photo of a castle moat. I'm not sure my property is big enough to feature such a massive trench unless we completely reroute the septic drain field. And then there's the Wikipedia article on Moats, "...deep and wide water-filled trenches, excavated to provide a barrier against attack..." I especially took note of this sentence: "Moats sometimes had long wooden spikes in them to prevent enemies from swimming across." It never occurred to me that deer might be able to swim. So I'll have to line the moat with either spikes or alligators.

A little more surfing led me to this site, Harvesting Rainwater for Landscape Use, by the University of Arizona Cooperative. What fascinating info! A quick survey of the diagrams got me all excited thinking at last I found what I wanted. However, the site is all about harvesting rainwater via berms, bins, moats and landscaped basins. That's great for those wanting to do landscaping in arid climes but alas, I still was no closer to getting my anti-deer moat.

I finally felt I was getting somewhere when I stumbled upon this site: Proposed New Standards for Exhibiting Primates in New South Wales: Using Moats as Exhibit Barriers.

It's basically about keeping primates IN but I figured it would work just fine for keeping deer OUT. Until I read this statement: "A moat of particular size in one zoo may have proved a satisfactory barrier for a particular species where it did not in another."

Which actually means, If the animal really wants to get across, nothing will stop it so you better watch out.

I'm not one to give up easily but figuring out the particulars of a moat has me completely stumped. To figure out the size of a moat, you have to use an actual formula. It goes like this: (length of humerus + length of radius) divided by (length of femur + length of tibia) x 100.

If you do the formula right, it should give the minimum height of the moat wall above water level. Which means I have to catch a deer and measure its legs before I can plan my moat.

Even if I get that far, the next part is iffy. "Trying to find information on how far [a species] can jump is very difficult." and "...species that are prepared to crash down through a lot of vegetation..." to get where they want to go. And lastly, "We wanted to know how far they can jump horizontally so the moats could be wide enough to prevent them jumping out."

What is jumping horizontally? I have NO idea how far/wide/high a deer can jump/leap/cartwheel/thrash and crash. And I'm sure if a deer smells the roses on 15 plump bushes it's more likely to be motivated to do whatever is necessary to reach them.

It's a lonely thought to think I can't consider a moat unless I own a castle in hostile territory. Therefore, tomorrow I shall declare myself Princess, my home a Castle, the Rose Support Team my Henchmen and the deer shall forever be dragons.

[I have just been informed by the Rose Support Team that they refuse to dig a moat but have suggested they are willing to tie jingle bells to all the rose bushes. Tomorrow I shall look into Deer Defense by Bells.]