On four different occasions, all four shrubs were removed from the ground and were found a couple of feet from their planting holes. Eventually, only one made it through the summer. We blamed the vandalism on a group of teenagers that hang around town hall in the evening.

Now one of our members has suggested that foxes could do this. She has witnessed a fox sniffing out new plantings at her home, and seen fox prints around a shrub that she had protected with a chemical deer repellent. Fox as well as deer live in the area and both are quite bold.

Could fox uproot a plant this size? Perhaps they are searching for food, or just instinctively investigating newly turned soil. None of the established plantings were disturbed.

If we can determine that the damage comes from foxes, we could use a chemical deterrent. If it's the kids, no deterrent would work!

You'd have to define "chemical repellent". Did it include a preditor scent? Fox will check out any unique scent. Including planting holes laced with bonemeal, for example.

I suspect kids, but, as Brandon said, the manner of extraction would tell the tale.

tj

I think the repellent my neighbor used was Deer Away.

There were no additions to the planting hole when the shrubs were planted, so the only attraction or tip-off to wildlife would be the scent of newly disturbed soil, which was covered with mulch already on site. That's pretty good sniffing.

If it is foxes, what could we use as a deterrent? Are the plants that are unappetizing to deer also unappetizing to foxes? If so, we'll plant according to the lists of so-called deer-resistant shrubs in the future.

tj

perhaps it is attracting meat eaters ...

ken