I would have to agree with the rabbit theory (little thugs that they are!) Chicken wire will help till they get to the size that the rabbits get tired.. I just planted some artemisia and same thing happened.. munch munch..
Or you could try sprinkling fox urine around the plants as a deterent.. as long as you don't have neighborhood dogs too near that will howl all night, ( mine have fox hounds ) been there done that! Was pretty noisy 3rd summer here every night for about a month till we had a real good rain lol..
Good Luck

Where would I find fox urine to buy? I had a suggestion to use that for the chipmunks that are living under my front porch, but I was unable to find it. Last night at Lowes I bought a bottle of some critter ridder stuff that's basically rotten eggs, capsaisins, and garlic. I gravelled in the chipmunk hole, and sprayed this stuff around. It reeks, but the chipmunk hasn't dug it out yet. I'm a new homeowner, and I've yet to evict the resident rodents.

Rabbit damage is pretty easy to spot, as they tend to disgonally shear the stems. I've found that Liquid Fence works pretty well for critters, as long as you keep after it. It's available in many stores. I'd actually prefer to use a .22, but can't do that in the suburbs.

I'm another who uses Liquid Fence. I was having a problem with something (I suspected rabbits) eating my rose bushes last year and it seemed to do the trick. The guy at the plant store said it works well on deer and most small critters, except squirrels.

Woo hoo!

Looked at the plants last night, and one had a green shoot sticking up. You can bet I'll be hitting that with the stinky spray tonight. From your description, it had definitely been rabbits eating them (they looked like they were cut, and the plants were still attached to the trellis I tied them to). And the chipmunk's been evicted too!

Thanks!

What you need, to deter rabbits, is cat litter. If you don't have cats, find a friend who does - maybe your local humane shelter can help out? You don't scatter cat poo, 'cause that's not hygenic. You scatter the litter that's been peed on or near and smells like that kitty. It's just clay. Can be the clumping stuff or the old-fashioned kind, as long as it's used. Every time it rains hard you'll need to put out more - maybe not even every time! Maybe monthly, depending on how stubborn your bunnies are and how much it's rained. It works like a charm.

I am gonna try the cat litter this year.. preferable to chicken wire.., fox urine can be found at any sporting hunting department of stores.. kinda the same as liquid fence which I have used as well.. gets kinda expensive after awhile though so the litter is gonna be recycled.. nasty as that thought is!! YUCK!

Great advise pkock, I've been cursing those darn wabbits for the past 2 years and that's not working.They prune my shrubs every spring. My daughter has said our cat has toxic urine (i agree) just might be the only thing she's good for (the cat). Just hope the toxic urine won't be toxic to any of the plants(weeds are OK) Of course I know not to put it directly on the plant, but what about seepage?

my question is what do you do about squirrels