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Sun, Jun 2, 13 at 18:40
| I have groundhogs that attack my echinaceas and some other perennials. They wait until the plant is full of buds, and then eat them right off leaving just a stem!! Will these plants form more flower buds this year? Will it react the same as if I had just "deadheaded" the plant? Or, do the flowers have to be spent before deadheading? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Your plants should react as though you pinched the stalks - I do this with Echinacea 'Summer Sky' because it is very floppy, and occasionally trim off flower buds so for other reasons - to delay blooming, produce a bushier plant, or let the plant put more energy into roots and shoots. I think your plant will be okay as long as the ground hog didn't eat all the leaves off, which would severely deplete the plant. If it ate only the buds, you will probably get side shoots that will flower. In the meantime use a barrier or repellent to protect the plant. |
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