Remember this??? https://pbase.com/britestar/image/173828858

Well, the salt had absolutely no effect on the groundhogs. They walked through it like it didn't exist. Worse than that, they suddenly developed a taste for Marigolds. I now can say from firsthand experience that Groundhogs DO EAT marigolds.

Every year in the past, we've been able to grow marigolds in the yard without the deer or rabbits or groundhogs paying any attention to them. We were also able to grow marigolds in the yard until mid July this year, with the groundhogs continuing to ignore them.

But after I put marigolds on the stairs to the deck (to block the groundhog pups from getting on the deck to eat my hibiscus and other flowering plants), everything changed.

Supposedly, groundhogs don't like the scent of marigolds and will avoid them. Phooey on all the "experts" who give that advise. When the salt on the bottom step didn't work, we added even more potted marigolds. Well, you can see what is now left... Instead of being repelled, the groundhogs decided that marigolds are a super tasty snack and started to go out of their way to eat their way through a dozen big, healthy, marigold, potted plants on the deck steps. Then, they ate all the marigolds that were growing out in our yard: marigolds that had been totally ignored by them in the past.

To make the situation even worse, at least one groundhog still managed to get back onto our deck. He proceeded to decimate 6 of my 7 large planter boxes full of heavily flowering marigolds. Recently, he has been ignoring the hibiscus (which was what he was originally after) and goes straight for the marigolds. This groundhog is the runt in Maude's litter and can squeeze through the openings between the deck railing. (See photo). I don't think that even 4 pound Chile can do that.

When we discovered his initial entry point & blocked the gate area with screening, he then just jumped on the narrow ledge outside the railing walked along until he reached the marigolds and then squeezed in there to dine on my marigolds on the deck.

To add insult to injury, he isn't shy at all about trying to get on the deck when we're out there on the deck.

Accidently coming out while the groundhog was eating my wax begonia (another plant that groundhogs supposedly don't like) my husband discovered that the original entry point was between the uprights in the gate because that's how the groundhog got off the deck. Another time (soon afterwards), Lumpy came on to the deck while my husband was out watering the potted plants. Lumpy got squirted directly in the face with the hose. He ran.

But the next day he was back trying to get on the deck again while I was sitting only 5 feet away. How brazen!!! I shouted at him and flailed my arms. He merely sauntered off casually. No panic on his part. He obviously does not see me as a threat. He even stopped to sit next to the pots in the above photo before calmly walking slowly back to the woodpile. The next day, he again tried to get on the deck but found a barricade where he had gotten through before. That didn't stop him from trying to push through the barricade. Again, I was on the deck only a few feet away. When I went after him, he jumped back down on the ground and then just sat there staring me in the eye while I yelled at him.

We obviously have a real problem!!!