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leslie6ri

Something cutting down my Pulmonaria...

leslie6ri
12 years ago

Hello,

I already whined about this on the New England forum, but thought someone here might have had the same experience. I had 7 or 8 Pulmonaria cultivars, and all but a few are as good as gone. Something keeps biting off the leaves at ground level, and the leaves are left in a pile --not eaten. It always seems to happen at night. The plants recover a bit, only to be cut to the ground again. Finally, they give up and die. Isn't this weird? I don't think it's a deer (though I have plenty around) because nothing else is browsed. A deer would do more damage to other plants, don't you think? Whatever it is doing the damage, it specifically targets Pulmonaria, and only Pulmonaria. I blamed chipmunks, but why would a chipmunk hate lungworts so? I find it so strange that I can't have lungworts (which I love. Sob)

I've resorted to sprinkling cayenne pepper on the few remaining ones.

I do have a couple in a different bed, growing amid sweet woodruff, that haven't been chomped. I was wondering if Pulmonaria have a scent that attracts the critter, and the scent is hidden by the scent of sweet woodruff? (Grasping at straws here.)

Do cutworms ever attack Pulmonaria? Are they active at night?

Any thoughts appreciated.

Thanks.

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