Marmot Woes

Livingstone daises- gone! Gazanias', chomped, Pansies ignored! Calendulas- return visit! Is more Plantskydd going to help???

I'm pretty sure it's that cute, but hungry little Marmot and his mate who are eating the flowers that I planted in my rock garden (right up next to the deck railing).  I had planted some Gazanias there which had started blooming  and had lots of other fat buds, as well as some dark blue pansies and a pink Gaura.  I sprayed Plantskydd on most of them, but must have missed 2 gazanias. Those 2 gazanias were chomped down to twigs!  The rest were nibbled on.... The pansies and the Gaura were left alone.

Gazanias

marmot varmint


(There are some perennials there, too, clumps of white daisies in full bloom right now (nothing eats them!) and 2 large unpleasant smelling, but attractive looking Blue Sage plants, as well as a maltese cross, an echinacea coneflower and 2 liatrises. More on them later).

Blue Sage


I knew it wasn't a 'Deer Job" since they don't come up to the top of the rock garden that close to the deck. I dug out the 3 worst looking Gazanias and replaced them with new ones. I put the 3 little stumpy ones in pots on the picnic table. They are still alive, but will take a couple weeks to grow back if not longer. I'm hoping at the very least that they will grow in nice and bushy!

Pink Livingstone daisies at edge of flower bed


At the edge of the lower tier of that rock garden I planted some Livingstone Daisies, (low growing, fleshy-leaved pink daisies), some alyssum and some calendulas (yellow daisy-like annuals which bloom most of the summer if you deadhead them.)

I sprayed Plantskyyd on the calendulas as I know they are edible for people so I figured wildlife would probably like it, too.  I didn't spray the fleshy Livingstone daisies for 2 reasons: many animals don't like fleshy leaved plants so I thought they were safe (As they had been in previous years) and also I thought the spray might damage the plants. Big mistake!  Somebody ate the Livingstone daisies right down to the ground! Nothing left!

The calendulas were 'tasted' the first night.  The leaves were chewed off, but left lying on the ground like a challenge or something. I thought maybe that would be it, but no, never trust a hungry Marmot!  It came back 2 days later and chewed off all the leaves of all the calendulas, leaving just the buds on the stems. Then the next night, it chewed the buds off and left them lying on top of the soil like accusing eyes!  Yet, the sweet smelling alyssum was ignored completely.

Back to the greenhouse, I went! I decided to skip the Livingstone daisies this year as they seem to be far too popular around here. I  bought some fuzzy leaved rudbeckia called "Autumn colors" and more white alyssum. I left the munched calendula stems in place, thinking maybe they will get a second chance to grow....  I "plantskyyded" everything in that bed including 2 Mimulus and a Minuet Wigela shrub which is trying hard to make a comeback.  (I didn't spray the perennials there - the bearded irises, or day lilies, or shasta daisies or maltese cross.)

Rudbeckia

I checked that bed regularly the last 2 days and it hasn't been touched, but I'm wondering if the furry little fiends are just trying to lull me into a false sense of safety!   Waiting to catch me off guard. Sneaky, plotting  little beasts.
 Then" bam!" when I least expect it......  Am I starting to sound paranoid???