Question
I am new to gardening.  I planted some coreopsis and they seemed to be doing well but now they have lost almost all their leaves and are mostly stems.  I live in NH and we have had a lot of rain (some almost everyday).  Also I put mulch around the plants. (bark mulch)  I planted a few perennials and most of them look Ok.  I planted lilies, Dianthisus (not sure of spelling) and David's pholox.  The coreopsis were my favorite and I would like to try again next year if I can find out what I did wrong.  Thank you so much.  Also are their certain types of perennials that are better for a beginner in NH.

Answer
Hi Kathie,
Thanx for your question.  I'm willing to bet deer ate the leaves off of your coreopsis and deer will oftentimes eat one plant avoiding others and there are other plants they simply won't eat but they love coreopsis.  What you describe does not sound like a fungal disease or insect infestation.  Did the leaves just disappear one day or did they turn yellow or have holes in them or curl up or turn black.  If any of this happened then you could have a fungal or insect problem.  If the leaves are nowhere to be found then an animal (most likely a deer) is eating them.  There's not much you can do except screen them with other plants.  There are some deer repellents on the market but I'm not really confident with any of them so far.  Dogs are a good deer repellent.  I hope this helps.
Tom