[peteg]

We planted 14 flats of petunias in a yard and four days later all the flowers were gone. Not the whole plant just the flower head.
After looking at everything I believe deer got to them. The client says there have been no deer since he 's lived there, 35yrs. I can't
see any other reason this might have happened. The flowers were supplied by the client and bought in Delaware. I am in DC/MD. They live across from a large park and its easy to get in the yard. The mulch we put down was from bags and never had
any problems with it. Has anyone had this happen? Deer
in this area are everywhere. The client was away for three days but watered everything before he left and the weather was mid 60s the whole time. He seems to think the flowers were planted wrong. Not a chance.

[Lanelle]

Since petunias are low to the ground, how about rabbits.
They will munch on flowers, usually a few hours before you going to harvest some for a centerpiece.

[Fine Edge]

That's my guess. They ate all my green liriope last year.

[Stonehenge]

I also just heard of squirrels nibbling on flowers. Never knew they were fans of flowers (and am actually still skeptical). We fenced in a front yard so rabbits can't get in, but the day her tulips bloomed, a few had the heads eaten right off.

As for peteg's client - that might be the dumbest thing I've ever heard. I can't say for certain, but over the history of time, I'm pretty sure that not a single flower, planted correctly or not, has ever vanished from the end of a plant on it's own. Ever.

As for what to do next, I think the only thing you can do is shrug your shoulders and say "I'm sorry to hear about that." Even if you purchased the plants, and you offer a guarantee (which you shouldn't on petunias, anyway), having them die by hungry animal is the fault of the animal, not you.

One of the clauses in our landscaping contract stipulates that if animals kill the plants, we won't replace them at our expense.

That being said, another of our policies is if we don't provide the plants, we offer no warranty on them. Seems only reasonable. Like bringing the car you just bought to Maaco for a paint job. Maaco won't warranty the car just because they put a coat of paint on it.

My $.02, anyway.

[Fine Edge]

Looks like another customer trying to get something else for free.
If they were planted wrong, which is hard to do with annuals, then the entire plant should be gone / dead.

[Raj Venugopal]

Sounds like the homeowner has a point.

Contractor should have warranteed the job against the flowers getting up and following Papa Smurf back to the smurf village for a good old-fashioned creatures of the woods hoe down.

Maybe they'll come back when the jig's up.

[FungusMudGrub]

Are there turkeys in the area? I've got a client with a turkey problem; they do actually eat off the tops of perennials. Maybe they like annuals too.

[Fine Edge]

Go find a really nasty looking bug, put it in a bag, then show him what you found in his garden: A Reticulated Petunia Borer.

[GLAN]

I'd like to know what the home owners excuse/reasoning for planting them wrong is............or what he thinks is correct planting?

[Mark Oomkes]

Other than planting annuals in a swamp\pond\river or in concrete, how can you really plant them wrong? Brown side up?

My guess would be bunnies as well, they love petunias.