Ask the Gardener: What to do when critters munch your plants
So, how do we find a balance between learning to live with wildlife and ensuring some of the hard work benefits us? A reader shares her exasperation with the cute, furry kind; let's explore what other solutions exist:
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'I greatly enjoyed reading your '
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'This year, for the first time, they are constantly eating the leaves of dwarf and Japanese irises, also spiderwort, salvia, new rose bushes, and the leaves of a weeping cherry tree that hang low to the ground. They have recently eaten new shoots of several
'I have a lot of
'I have tried
'My garden is about a half-acre, backs onto woodland, and is open with several flower beds. Fences and or chicken wire would ruin the aesthetic. I am originally from the UK and I try to create a cottage garden. In the past, neighbors have mentioned to me that they have seen deer roaming in my yard at night, but not at this time of year. It is the brazenness of the rabbits this year that is driving me crazy.'
Lynne, Reading
As our collective ecological consciousness has grown, so too has the approach to pest management. Today, most professionals recommend adopting Integrated Pest Management. This system begins with careful observation, then graduates to the least toxic solution before slowly escalating to more ecologically harmful products.
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Animal herbivory comes in different forms, from deer to rabbits, groundhogs, voles, and other rodents. Each animal has a distinct bite pattern, which can help you determine who is eating your plants. As deer lack upper incisors, they grab and pull as they browse, resulting in jagged and tattered stems. Rabbits possess upper and lower incisors; their browsing leaves clean cuts, often at a 45-degree angle. Groundhogs leave similar browsing patterns as rabbits but enjoy a wider variety of plants and will eat them right down to the ground.
As they are shy, it's frequently hard to know if the damage is from a rabbit or groundhog. Looking for signs of a tunnel entrance and other mounds of excavated soil is a good clue for groundhog activity.
Be sure to look for signs of scat as well; this can help identify your pest animal. IPM suggests using physical barriers first, although they may not always look aesthetically pleasing in the garden. Next, plant-based repellents and products that mimic the smell of predators (like bobcat, fox, or coyote urine) can be effective but need to be frequently reapplied as rain diminishes their impact.
Another tactic is to deploy a predator decoy or statue, like a fox or coyote. Mirrors, gazing balls, and other reflective materials can scare these animals. Rabbits are skittish creatures and won't feel safe openly (and brazenly) browsing if they believe a predator is near. The key to this strategy is to move the decoy every few days into a new position. Without movement, the animals will eventually conclude there is no danger and resume eating your plants. Lack of natural predators in your area will only embolden these animals.
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Finally, a trick from farmers and nursery growers: Provide a trap crop, a sacrificial plant that will draw the pest to it rather than your cherished plants. This method can be effective in controlling greenhouse pests, such as whiteflies, thrips, or aphids, and can also be used to manage animal pressures. I have white clover in my lawn, and when the groundhogs aren't attempting to break into my vegetable garden, I find them happily munching clover in the yard, the lesser of two evils, I suppose. Visit
Ecosystem function strives for balance, and that may play out over several years. With abundant rain comes verdant growth, but this is offset by an increased occurrence of foliar diseases caused by fungi and bacteria. Years with plentiful resources are a boon for animal and predator populations; they thrive and decline with the abundance or scarcity of resources that each season provides. So, too, our tolerance of pest pressure can strive to be balanced. Using IPM for pest control ensures your solutions are targeted and cause minimal collateral damage.
Our gardens exist within larger ecosystems, and the lack of resources in one neighbor's garden can redirect animals to another garden. While we would love for animals to be a benign presence in our gardens, we must accept that they are trying to survive with what is available.
Ulrich Lorimer is the director of horticulture at the Native Plant Trust in Framingham. Send your gardening questions, along with your name/initials and hometown, to
for possible publication. Some questions are edited for clarity.
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