GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Is there an animal that will selectively dig up baby hollyhocks?

Bill who putters · 10-06-2010, 09:56 PM posted to rec.gardens

In article ,
brooklyn1 wrote:

On Thu, 10 Jun 2010 15:50:57 -0400, wrote:

TotallyHomey writes:

My wife says the neighbor is stealing her hollyhocks. She is probably
correct.

Strange thing to steal.

The holes are clean, like from an English hand trowel, no
foot prints around them. What is left of her seedlings in a hole
2"wide by 3" deep. They were randomly planted amidst scattered other
species. My wife is not into symmetry. So... if they were stolen by
a human, the thief had to know exactly what the baby plant looks like.

I read somewhere that baby plants are eaten down by rabbits but they
do not dig holes. Red and gray squirrels eat bulbs .. not rooted
planted as best I can tell.

There are many small critters that dig up plants exactly as you
described... anyone so paranoid to think a neighbor would go to such
lengths when they could buy their own packet of seeds for a few bucks
is in dire need of professional help.

I'd not bother getting professional help as gardening wins and losses
occur with everyone. Reseed and perhaps success. Consider some sort of
protection but even that can fail. I plant most plants or important
plants (Read costly) surrounded by gutter guard think 5 inch fence
still critters can climb over it and have. Two legged critters for
cheap plants I'd say na.

--
Bill S. Jersey USA zone 5 shade garden
What use one more wake up call?
http://ocg6.marine.usf.edu/~liu/Drif...atest_roms.htm