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Hello dear garden lovers. I bought this beautiful hippeastrum - enter image description hereamaryllis bulb at Chelsea flower show this year and planted it in the pot as per instructions. Left it in the garden outside. Leaves and one flower bearing spot started growing rapidly and I couldn't wait to see the flower in bloom when.. I discover this side was eaten by something... previous posts suggest it may be cats or squirrels.. what could be done? Will it grow? How to prevent it ? Shall we grow them inside ? Any tips welcome...

Niall C.
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Jenny
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  • Not cat tooth-marks. Perhaps squirrels/chipmunks/rats/mice/rabbits etc. – Ecnerwal Jun 28 '23 at 12:39
  • Are you in the UK and if so, what part? – Bamboo Jun 28 '23 at 13:26
  • In the states , the eastern lubber grasshoppers will eat all the leaves and eat the bulb in the ground. They are attracted miles by Ameryllis. very hansome , gloss black with red pin stripes. – blacksmith37 Jun 29 '23 at 15:42
  • That is . Looks just like grasshopper damage. – blacksmith37 Jun 29 '23 at 15:44
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    Since you are in the UK, clearly we can whittle the attacker down to either a squirrel, rat, mouse, rabbit or possibly slugs or snails. Those opportunist chew marks though very much remind me most of squirrels and if left to its own devices it will return and plunder the leaves and then chomp through the bulb. For now, the damage is not to the bulb fortunately and so it should live to fight another day. I am fairly certain you can keep this indoors for the summer so the bulb gathers its strength for the winter but I regret that is where my knowledge ends. – Nikki Jun 29 '23 at 19:45

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enter image description hereYes we are in the UK , in London in Hampstead. Asked my neighbours' gardener whether it can still survive on half the stalk and bloom and miraculously as we speak it seems the case. The blooms have plumped up and ready to pop! Moreover. It seems that there is another bloom popping up from the other side. But as you mentioned Nikki , it's best to protect the plant from future reappearing of this mystic damage maker and keep the plant inside. Best wishes to you all.

Jenny
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