I'm new here and I'm thrilled that this board looks to active because I am at a loss with this little issue. At the beginning of the season, I planted some coleus. Was going along great until something decided to chomp them down to the stems. The coleus in the front and side of my garden (I have an attached porch on the house that is surrounded on 3 sides by a garden) have been chewed down. The coleus in the back looks great. Alright... well, I figured it was deer since I've seen a couple in the neighborhood. I bought a couple of zinnias and some marigolds to place around the garden where my coleus were being chomped. I read that marigolds and zinnias were deer repellents, so why not? I came out the other morning and all of the leaves on my marigolds were chewed off! The flower was left intact, but the leaves are gonzo. I've attached a picture so people can see. I've also had my basil chewed apart and the leaves kinda chomped on on my zinnia (though, not as badly as the marigolds). I have seen zero slugs or snails (suggestion I saw in another forum) and I've noticed that the mulch (we use rubber mulch to keep bugs at bay) at the base of these plants appears to have been disturbed, so I'm thinking it's an animal and not an insect. Any ideas as to what it is and how I can keep my plants from being eaten??
