In my experience one can NEVER be at peace with a Woodchuck! He will be back for that Coneflower and the only way I can think of to really protect it would be to cover it with something like remay until he forgets about it. Of course that means you won't get to enjoy it either! I have a Havahart trap that I use to catch mine and then I relocate them. for me that's been the only permanent solution. Good luck with yours...keep us posted on what happens.
Joann

De nile.. is a river in Egypt ....

and groundhogs .. woodchucks.. whatever.. are vermin.. rather large vermin ...

good luck with all that

ken

Groundhogs are the al-Queda of garden pests. There is no peaceful cohabitation possible. Sturdy fence, shoot, or relocate. Or an alert dog who's outdoors constantly.

This reminds me to set up the Havahart trap tonight, to get the voracious swine who's been eating my brussels sprouts plants.

I have a few woodchucks. I just keep on thinking that someday they will cease to exist. Relocating is illegal in massachusetts. I have 3 that come into my yard but my neighbor says there are 5 that he sees between his yard and mine. However, this year it isn't too bad. I let my dog roam and come out with me when I am in the yard. My plants still get eaten however.

Linda

Of course peaceful cohabitation is possible.

Just plant something they'd prefer to eat, put in a fence, get a cat, get a dog, etc.

This helps me a lot. I THOUGHT the rabbits and squirrels were too small to totally rip down a coneflower, remove the flower, and just leave it on the ground in most instances. My original thought was woodchuck. I've sprinkled dried blood meal thoughout that particular bed and so far no re-visits. But I must remember to re-sprinkle after each rain, which certainly isn't happening in this part of the country.
Pat

Woodchucks are very destructive. We finally got some vegetables to harvest by installing a fence (loose and floppy above ground and running about a foot below ground), but we still see them around. Between them and the rabbits and raccoons, it's a constant battle. However, you might try putting bird netting over your favorite perennials. My theory is they don't have the manual dexterity to remove it without getting all tangled up. It used to work on my veggies before we fenced them in.

It always starts with the coneflowers, then everything else gets devoured. Been there, done that, every year, blah, blah, blah. Relocation is illegal, but do I care, hell no, and a heck of alot of others don't either. Havahart traps baited with a potted petunias work wonders. Just don't let them end up being somebody elses nightmare (don't relocate them to a park or field lined with other homes...). I can't tell you how many squirrels end up in my yard that some (insert foul word here) morons blast with spray paint, so they can tell if it ends back up in their yard.

I'm more the 22 caliber have-a-heart type myself. Wish i could shoot the deer too.

George

Thanks for the cute title of your thread. It made my day. I hope you do make peace with the woodchuck.

I have been experimenting with Yuccas as sharp as razors and cactus plants with very needle-sharp stickers. Put them in pots and place around the plants you are trying to protect. Give that woodchuck something to remember.

Oooh, Ech - that's a great idea! I have some clay pots I can stick them in, then just bring them in the house in the winter.

I almost gave up on expensive hybrid echinaceas because it seems to be favorite woodchuck food. Somehow this year I am woodchuck free (knock wood). I caught one last year, but I am quite sure I had more than one in my yard so I am surprised to not have any this year. Last year I think I found a repellent that works. I sprayed things, especially echinaea, with Bobbex-R. I bought concentrate. This variety of Bobbex lists woodchucks on the label.. You have to respray as the plants grow. If it does not work for you now, you might find it works if you start using it early in the season and make stuff taste bad before the woodchucks find what they like to eat.

Thank god I don't have woodchucks here at this house. I battled them for 15 years at the previous house. I tried gas bombs, bird netting, fencing around individual plants, and trapping and relocating. Really, the only things that work are a heavy duty fence (buried below ground), a big dog, or a gun.

I used to fantasize about trapping them and relocating them to the wide median strip in the middle of the local Interstate. 4 lanes on either side. :)