What's eating my hosta 'patriot'?

Hosta 'Patriot' has thick, waxy foliage that gives it above-average slug resistance, but deer remain a persistent threat wherever they are present. Black vine weevil and foliar nematodes can affect garden-grown plants. Voles may attack roots and crowns from below.

Leaves are eaten down to bare stalks overnight; highly attractive to deer despite 'Patriot' being one of the firmer-leaved cultivars. Use physical fencing or motion-activated sprinklers; apply deer repellent spray (Plantskydd, Liquid Fence) and reapply after rain.

Ragged holes and slime trails on leaves, most damaging to young plants in spring; less severe than on thin-leaved hostas. Scatter iron phosphate pellets around crowns in spring; handpick at dusk; use beer traps in heavy infestations.

Half-moon notches along leaf margins (adults); larvae feed on roots causing gradual wilting and crown damage. Apply beneficial nematodes to damp soil in late summer; inspect crown for grubs if plants fail to re-emerge in spring.

Underground root and crown feeding causes plants to loosen in the soil, wilt, and fail to return after winter. Use hardware-cloth root cages when planting; place snap traps in vole runways near the planting bed.