This appetite makes them one of our most feared garden pests, capable of devastating a garden overnight.
Do note, however, that all such pest-resistant lists deal in probability, not certainty.
But you put the odds in your favor if you grow plants that pests are less likely to eat.
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There are many plants that groundhogs generally avoid; learn about some of the prettiest and most useful ones.
Ageratum
Flossflower (Ageratum houstonianum) isan annualbeloved by admirers ofblue flowers.
But it offers more than just good looks.
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Its arching stems are lined with the whimsically-shaped flowers that give it its name.
Related plants arefringed bleeding heart (Dicentra eximia)andDutchman’s breeches (Dicentra cucullaria).
Plants commonly bloom in red, pink, and white.
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The fact that these must-have specimens are also plants that groundhogs don’t eat is simply a bonus.
It’s a key ingredient in butterfly gardens.
A throw in ofmilkweed plant, thisperennial flowercan serve as a host to the caterpillars of monarch butterflies.
David Beaulieu
In addition, swallowtails are drawn to the nectar produced by its gorgeousorange flowers.
Another plant with orange flowers that woodchucks won’t damage isavens (Geum).
Lavender
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Pests often won’t bother plant parts that have strong smells.
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Many herbs have vegetation and/or leaves that smell wonderful to humans but that pests find repellent.
Lavender (Lavandula) is such an herb.
But it is alsoinvasiveandtoxicto animals.
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It stays short, so it’s useful as a ground cover for the summer months.
It’s also aromatic, long-blooming, andlow-maintenance.
Types with pink or purple flowers are available, but most gardeners grow the white-flowering kind.
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Yarrow
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Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) has fragrant, feathery foliage.
Pink,red, white, and yellow are the most common flower colors.
Yarrow is atough enoughplantto naturalizein some areas.
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Adding to their value is how resistant to pests they are.
In this case, that means growing plants that groundhogs don’t eat.
Unfortunately, sometimes we’re determined to grow something that pests are just as determined to devour.
David Beaulieu
Still, there are some perennial flowers that groundhogs are known to eat.
These measures include fencing them out, repelling them with strong smells, and trapping them.
All of these measures mean extra work on your part, and some of them can be problematic.
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Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove).Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Lily of the Valley.ASPCA.
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David Beaulieu
