Deer have an amazing sense of smell. Example: last month I trimmed two 3ft branches off a mulberry tree with just a few ripe berries on them and placed them in the woods bordering the back of my property. A few hours later there was one of the biggest bucks that I have ever seen munching the berries off of those twigs. So if your property allows deer to access it, then in most probability it was deer. But, I am not leaving the neighborly groundhog out of the equation either especially if deer cannot get onto your property.

I can just imagine groundhogs in the UK! You could be right, there aren't many plants that deer won't eat - although it could be rabbits or mice.

Sounds like rabbits to me. Depends how high up the sweet peas are, though!

Roses are a favourite of deer and goats; I speak from experience.

You have no groundhogs in the UK? Why, your gardens don't know what they're missing out on. I have a young one that set up a dwelling underneath my garden shed improving the water drainage underneath to keep my shed floor dry so the groundhog and I have a quid pro quo going.... It gets a bit of my garden in exchange for keeping the floor dry and that's as good as it gets:)

Hi Loosestrife, thankfully we don't have groundhogs, which are rodents, and I understand they can do a lot of damage in a garden, what we do have are hedgehogs, which are insectivores, and a gardeners best friend, as they also eat slugs, I think I know which I would prefer, lol, Derek.

Thank you for this. I think we will have to consider some sort of protective fencing to keep the 'deer' out. I wish it was attracted to brambles and bindweed instead!

Hi Wildrose, yes it's 1 of the worlds mysteries, why these types of plant never seem to be bothered by animals, insects, or even disease, Derek.