"This is not the time of year Bucks typically rub trees. My guess is a kid or kids." Well, some of the damage does almost look like someone took shears to it. It's all kind of weird. I feel like one of those cattle mutilation victims, only... with a tree. I'll try to get pictures of the damage sometime tomorrow when it's light out. The really distressing part is that, yes, the wind damage on it might've meant that it was already half-dead anyway, but the garden center has a 1-year replacement guarantee for things like that. Other people/animal bashing it to pieces, though? Not so much.

Outsmarting the tree rats (squirrels) around my house is a full time job. This past spring I hit on a new idea. When I plant a container I invert an empty wire hanging basket over the container and the plant gets sun and can be watered but the squirrels can't dig in it. Another idea: I bring in a lot of plants to "over winter" under lights in my garage. I have so many that it is hard to reach my hand under the lights (4 shop lights) to the middle for watering. So I bought a pump sprayer with a long wand and it works great! In late winter I add a little liquid Dawn detergent, few drops, to each gallon of water and not only does the soil get wet easier but the worms that are waiting to hatch into distructive pets just don't hatch. Don't know what it costs me to run those four shop lights all winter but I don't care. It is a small price to pay to be able to "garden" every weekend in the garage. Many people have mentioned that they mark their outdoor plants with a "permanent Sharpie". In my experience there isn't a "permanent Sharpie", they all fade and quickly too. A grease pencil/china marker or expensive "no fade" garden center marker are the only markers I have found that won't disappoint you by fading. Eight years ago I decided to learn about gardening so I tapped into my local library. I checked out nearly every book they had on gardening and learned so much. The Gardenweb forums are also a wealth of information and entertainment. There is always something new to learn and I appreciate all of you who take the time to write in your ideas. One last idea from me...I keep a small notebook on my computer table and jot down any idea I find that's new and I will want to try. Little pieces of paper get lost but I always know where my notebook is and also use it when I order "on line" so I will remember the name of the company and the order date. Tina or Trowelgal

You seem to be a victim of success. The question is do you want pretty plants or happy caterpillars. I don't think you can have both. I agree that the cats can kill a plant by eating all it's leaves. Passionflower seems to adapt pretty well by underground roots and having baby vines springing up all over the place. I also grow a couple different dutchman's pipes and the fimbriata is especially prone to being killed off by cats. Hard to replace it without going to a special nursery hours away and spending boocoo $'s. I do it when I feel like it. Perhaps you should grow bigger plants that can't be killed off. Senna's come in tree form and the sulfurs are beautiful to watch around them all day. Giant swallowtail like citrus as well as Hercules club and prickly ash. I grow all of these and they are never decimated. I also have passionflowers and milkweed eaten to nothing regularly and just bought some more milkweed from a native nursery. It's my small price for butterflies around all day. Whoops gotta go. Giant ST just buzzed by. Denise

CaroI- Yeah it was pretty gross. My first thought was "Great! and what are those?", 2nd "oh maybe that's what a thrip is?", and 3rd "EWWWW they look like lice!!" Al's comments were "Don't let the JB get away!" and "What's that crawling all over your hand?". The temptation to try to toss them on him was great. I resisted. Picking the JBs doesn't bother me too much. Al says they are trying to bite him, but I don't think they do that? I just shake them around in my hand until I get to a cup so they can't really crawl around inside my closed fist. Patty- LOL Actually that's pretty ironic. HE is the one who really wanted roses and got me into this adventure. I still don't think I'll tell him. ;-)