Hi, daniel.

I doubt it's a disease or dogs, and there are too many other interesting things around this time of the season, such as sunflower seeds, fruit and nuts, for it to be squirrels.

My bet is on rabbits, voles or caterpillars.

I had the same experience after I sowed my green runner beans. As soon as they would put out a leaf, it would be eaten. I knew it was rabbits because I could see the spot where they would slip in under the fence. I later had the same problem with zinnias which I had sowed and which were growing in pots.

Caterpillars, though small, also have a voracious appetite and there are many around the garden this time of year.

What I did for my beans was make a little greenhouse around each one with a water bottle. I just cut out the bottom and removed the cap and sunk the bottom of the bottle a few centimeters into the ground around the plantlets. It worked like a charm. It not only kept the varmints away, but I found that it also made the plants grow faster because of the additional heat and humidity. Be sure to provide some shade for your plants during the hottest part of the day if they happen to be in full sun.

My plants were just sprouting so I used 500ml water bottles, but if your plants are bigger, try using litre-size bottles of water or soft drinks.

Thanks for the advice. We are going to try your greenhouse tactics, probably punching several holes on the inverted bottle to increase circulation.

Today I noticed two leaves from our crabapple seedling disappearing in the same fashion - neat cuts and only a short stem left. Insects usually make leaf skeletons. The damage occurred at 1 feet above the ground level. That also fits the reach of rabbits.

Luckily the critters did not like the tastes of the apple leaves and left the rest of the leaves on the seedling. I should protect it with a bottle anyway.

Got deers? Mine love Hollyhocks and will go after even small plants. I just planted some Gaillardias and they nipped off the leaves leaving one inch of them behind...

daniel,

I place the bottles upright, not inverted. It's easier. Punching holes in them is a great idea.

Thanks.

No sighting of deers, but we just saw a rabbit in the front yard a few evenings ago (and it escaped to the backyard).

As it is already late in the season, we are thinking about bringing the pots in for the winter. We will leave them beside a south-facing window to receive 3-6 hours of direct sunlight. Will they be fine?

daniel,

By no means am I an expert on the matter, but my many years of experience tell me that overwintering certain perennials indoors is not a good idea. Not only is the lighting inadequate, but most plants require a period of dormancy.

I really think that you should be planting your hollyhocks in the ground, with the bottles to protect them until they're too big to be appetizing to rabbits. It's still early in the season and there's plenty of times for perennials to get established before first frost.

If you prefer, keep them in the pots and then bury the pots in the ground for the winter. When they come up in the spring, pop them out of the pot and plant them,.

hollyhocks don't do well indoors. They are biennials requiring a cold season before sending off blooms.

The leaf situation could be many things - like mice and leaf cutting bees too. Best is simply to do as Dianasan suggested.